The on-going chronicle of all things related to the George and Laura Roediger House (c. 1905) in the historic Holly Avenue Neighborhood of downtown Winston-Salem, NC. More info and pictures can be found at RoedigerHouse.com. [Mobile users: CLICK TO SEARCH the blog.]
The freezer-reduction lottery drawing came up with the slip that required me to use up cooked hot country sausage that I'd already browned and vacuum-sealed. The ideal use last Thursday: biscuits and sausage gravy. Boy howdy, was it especially good that night.
I still had just enough homemade Caesar dressing to compel me last Thursday to roast some spiced salmon and put it atop power greens for an early evening supper. I love salmon.
An early afternoon meal last Wednesday was a fine opportunity to bring back one of the simple favorites of the house: Emeril's skillet beef stroganoff. I'd had to put this one aside for a few months because of making the household suffer through last winter's overreliance on it as a dependable way to use up ground beef. It made a triumphant return to the dinner table, delicious as always, simple to throw together, and large enough in quantity both for leftovers and to share with neighbors down the street.
Based on "Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Dinner in a Skillet," by Emeril Lagasse. Found online at The Food Network and also on Emerils.com.
The Sunday night gathering for Cuban pork sandwiches a week ago would not have been a complete evening without some dessert. I managed to throw together a chocolate sheet cake with a chocolate-caramel ganache, based on a recipe I've had a while but had not gotten around to trying. 'Twas chocolatey and tasty and left us all just a bit extra-stuffed.
"One-Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Caramel Frosting," from Rhoda Boone. Published on Epicurious.com 07 June 2016.
The Roediger House regulars were back at the homestead last Sunday night for a gathering and hanging out...and, to my delight, some supper! I reached deep into the archives to bring back something most of them had had before (I think?), but it's been over five years since the last time I made it.
It seems the opinions around the table were favorable for the end result, piled onto ciabbatta rolls I'd picked up from Costco earlier in the day and adorned with a parley-substituted creamy lime sauce. I also made macaroni pasta salad and creamy stuffed eggs.
It was all messy as heck to eat but also incredibly scrumptious.
Adapted from "Pork Shoulder Roast with Citrus Mojo & Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce," by Alex Roberts of Brasa (Minneapolis, MN). Recipe in Food & Wine, May 2012, p. 152, 154.
Slow cooker version adapted from "Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork," from Sabrina Snyder of Dinner then Dessert. [Published 08 February 2017 / Updated 16 January 2019]
Additional ideas gleaned from "Cilantro Lime Sauce," from Alexa Blay of Key to My Lime. [Published 04 September 2019]
Macaroni Salad based on "Classic Macaroni Salad," by Jaclyn Bell of CookingClassy.com [Published 15 April 2017 / Updated 05 June 2020]
"Creamy Stuffed Eggs," a recipe shared with me by Barbara Huneycutt of Crozet, VA.
Last Saturday night's supper was yet again determined by the morning lottery jar drawing, as the quest to reduce to overstocking of the freezer continues. On this occasion, it was rosemary chicken breasts that I dug out and tossed into the sous vide set-up, and then added roasted spiced Yukon gold potatoes and garlicked asparagus cuts.
The reality of a lottery drawing is that randomness does not require equal cycled distribution. When left to chance, I suppose one might encounter what I did last week: three out of four (in a row) freezer-reduction slips from the drawing jar were for chicken tenders. I'd just made a fine batch of extra-garlicky Caesar dressing for the chicken tenders I'd made a couple of days before and what's not to love about salad? Last Friday, then, was a quick repeat of pan-seared sous-vided chicken tenders on power greens, with plenty of that Caesar dressing plus some sunflower seeds.
The strict weight management routines have caused me to avoid dessert-making over the last week or 10 days, and I sure have missed having something sweet. But with company for dinner last Thursday, it seemed time to break the sugar fast. When I reached for one of my recipe binders, I found myself pausing on and then returning to a recipe that I do not remember ever trying: key lime shortbread bars. I wouldn't have minded giving 'em an even stronger lime flavor but they were pretty darned good and way too tempting for me to have on hand right now.
Based on "Neelys' Lime Bars" from the Food Network. Recipe originally posted by Carrie Vasios on Serious Eats [07 April 2011].
With great salmon to be had on a sale last week, I bought extra so that I'd be able to make another fine batch of salmon croquettes last Thursday night when Mookie came over for dinner and movie-watching. It sure was good again, in spite of being a quick repeat of the previous Friday night menu. Roasted broccoli florets were the side, since that veggie makes me very happy.
Recipe sent to me by my sister Allison, who cracked up when I asked about the source: adapted from "Salmon Burgers" (p. 396) and "Herb Sauce" (p. 395), from Denise Austin, Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Rodale Books (2003).
"Chili-Lime Aïoli," from David Wald of Princeton, NJ, May 2009.
The morning drawing last Wednesday came up chicken tenders, so I made a fresh batch of extra garlicky Caesar dressing, tossed the frozen vacuum-sealed seasoned chicken pieces into the sous vide, and it was all ready for a nice serve-up right around 6 pm.
Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim of lowcarbmaven.com.
I'm still wrestling down last week's huge weight gain from those darned anti-inflammatory pills, and at the same time, salmon has been on sale this week. That's all a convergence of the fates that must not be disregarded, so last Tuesday evening was another wonderful platter of roasted spiced salmon and roasted broccoli florets.
After a good day of coaching sessions with the instructional leadership team at a nearby middle school last Monday, I found myself with a tighter window for prepping a dinner, without the benefit of having made a necessary grocery run. Pulling from what I had available set me up for some sous vide chicken tenders, that were then pan-seared, which ended up atop a nice pile of pasta with slightly creamy homemade pesto. I don't remember making this particular dish before, and pretty much just threw it all together, but it was pretty delicious, if I may say so.
Before sending friend and colleague Jeremy back up the highway to return to his usual Virginia stomping grounds, we had us a little mid-day repast: chicken salad sandwiches. The prepped seasoned bone-in split chicken breasts, with rosemary and lemon slices clinging tight in the vacuum-sealed bags, went into sous vide while we had morning coffee outside in the pleasant chill of a September Sunday morning. That left time to chill it down before mixing the cubed morsels into the dressing I threw together. Onto brioche buns it all went and into our bellies soon thereafter.
Adapted from "The Best Classic Chicken Salad Recipe," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Chief Culinary Consultant of SeriousEats.com. [Published 03 June 2015 / Updated 17 April 2020]
With friend and colleague (and writing partner!) Dr. Jeremy Craft down last weekend, it's good to return to meals at the dinner table. On Saturday, so that we could serve up our plates at a reasonable time but still catch the afternoon showing of Candyman at a/perture cinema on Fourth Street, the sous vide was yet again my friend. The abundance of thick-cut pork chops in the freezer was perfect for the long slow cook in the sous vide set-up. Roasted spiced potatoes and buttered garden peas filled out our plates. 'Twas all tasty.
For a mid-day snack last Saturday with company in town for the weekend, I overloaded muffin batter with plump juicy blueberries and served up blueberry monstrosities with a hint of muffin surrounding them. Seriously: way too many blueberries. The proportions were all off. It was such a missed opportunity.
"Perfect Blueberry Muffins," from Sue Moran of The View from Great Island. [Published 13 July 2021]
If the blog post from this past Sunday caught your eye, you might have noticed a fair amount of roasted salmon in the pan beyond the prepared dinner plates. That's because I wanted to have some cooked slabs all ready for incorporating into the latest round of amazing salmon croquettes, which were served up this past Friday night for the three of us at the table. That garlic-chili-lime aïoli continues to be an awesome companion to these tasty patties, and garlic-roasted asparagus cuts made it a complete meal.
Recipe sent to me by my sister Allison, who cracked up when I asked about the source: adapted from "Salmon Burgers" (p. 396) and "Herb Sauce" (p. 395), from Denise Austin, Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Rodale Books (2003).
"Chili-Lime Aïoli," from David Wald of Princeton, NJ, May 2009.
I've been having some shoulder pain that the doc thinks might be bursitis, and that led to a prescription for a strong anti-inflammatory to try to rectify it. Unfortunately, the ill effect seemed to be a shocking weight gain (a pound a day) that put me up to a level I haven't been at since 2018. That means I was more than happy to try to repeat the roasted salmon meal from Wednesday the very next night, and it was pretty terrific all over again. And I've quit taking that pill. I hope the therapy exercises do the trick because I'm not losing this battle for the pounds again.
I made a new batch of vanilla ice cream last week and served it up for dessert last Wednesday night and following. Fortunately for me, it was a little less sweet than usual and therefore not the usual evil temptation.
Vanilla Ice Cream Based on "Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches," from King Arthur Baking.
Ah, yes: how good it was to return to roasted salmon and a big side of roasted broccoli this past Wednesday night. While it is almost always a delicious meal, it was particularly good that evening. So much so that, as this coming Tuesday's blog post will reveal, I had to have it again the next night.
As seems often to be the case, the expiration of some high quality grass-fed whole milk snuck up on me and I needed to put it to use...and a great way to achieve that is to make a batch of homemade pudding. Last Sunday, the version was vanilla, and it made for a sweet and simple dessert following steaks on Labor Day.
"Vanilla Pudding," from the Food Network Kitchens.
The overstocked freezer lottery drawing that determined this past Monday night's supper produced a delightful choice: filet mignon! Since the whole point of the protein/dinner slips in a jar is to whittle down the oversupply of prepped and vacuum-sealed meats and leftovers, I'm highly dependent on the sous vide immersion circulator to pull off these meals. Although the much-admired Stella Parks (formerly of SeriousEats.com) snarkily asks, "Who doesn't love a bag of wet meat?" I'm of a different opinion: I appreciate the ease, convenience, and perfectly cooked results, along with minimal clean-up when I finish them with a good sear on the grill. Roasted broccoli and roasted spiced potatoes were the dependable sides for this delicious Labor Day meal.
When the Roediger House regulars were here Sunday night for a Labor Day Weekend barbecue dinner, I was ready to bring back the high-falutin' take on choclate éclair cake that I first came across about 10 years ago in Cook's Country magazine. It's really quite good but it's also a more involved version of the simple country favorite that I first encountered in the late 1980s. Perhaps, as best I can tell, that's why I've only ever made it that one time back in 2011!
Seems pretty accurate to assume that I need a lot more practice, though. Or maybe I rushed it and didn't give it enough chilling time in the fridge. While it all tasted fine, it was definitely a goopy soupy mess when I served it up around 9 pm Sunday night, and what a disappointment that was with company on hand and after all the labors I'd put into it!
"Creamy Chocolate Éclair Cake," from Sarah Gabriel of Cook's Country, June/July 2011, p. 25.
Over the Labor Day Weekend, the house found itself full of love and laughter and another nearly normal evening on Sunday: Mookie and Kristen and Amy and Gern were all on hand for a feast of slow cooked pulled pork barbecue. I also had a batch of Mother's sweet southern coleslaw, too, because barbecue demands it. With a little pool before dinner, and an unimpressed viewing of the 2018 version of Fahrenheit 451 on HBO between dinner and dessert, we found it to be a delightful evening together.
Pulled Pork based primarily on "Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork," from cmccreight on AllRecipes.com.
Barbecue Sauce for serving was adapted from "Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce" from recipe for "Indoor Pulled Pork," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2010 (No. 102), p. 6-7.
Sweet Southern Coleslaw based on a recipe from Allison M. Jones.
Saturday's lunch and supper were comprised of the two halves of a single set of menu items, both of which were new recipes for the Roediger House: bacon, spinach, bell pepper, and cheese egg bites, bolstered by fresh-baked blueberry muffins (and mini-loaves). Since I had the right amount of bacon left over from the previous Wednesday's peanut butter bacon burgers, the egg bites recipe was extra ripe for its first trial. I do believe those little mason jars of eggy goodness are a winning addition to the breakfast notebook, but those muffins were also hard to beat. It was all so good at mid-day that the original plans for dinner that night were put aside in favor of a direct replication in the supper slot.
Based on "How to Sous Vide Egg Bites at Home," from Jenna Passaro of SipBiteGo.com. [Published 08 July 2021 / Modified 31 August 2021]
"Perfect Blueberry Muffins," from Sue Moran of The View from Great Island. [Published 13 July 2021]
When I made peanut butter bacon burgers last Wednesday, it left me with a fair amount of leftover homemade peanut butter. I decided that was a fine exclusive ingredient for a quick Friday night batch of chocolate-butterscotch scotcheroos, as in that rice krispie treat variation that I originally encountered as a recipe on the side of the cereal box. I have to make these rarely because I have zero self control when they are on the kitchen counter.
"Chocolate-Butterscotch Scotcheroos," from the Rice Krispies cereal box. I first noted and recorded this recipe in 1988.
If the halibut looks good and if it is also on special, I will find myself tempted to make spicy sous vide fish tacos, a recent discovery for the meal planning here at the Roediger House. That's what happened this past Thursday night. The accompanying coleslaw, made with some of the spicy marinade plus lime crema, makes for an awesome bottom layer. I added avocado and tomato to the perfectly-cooked halibut topping, with more lime crema on the side. It was a feast of fish and a satisfying supper.
"Sous Vide Spicy Fish Tacos," from CooksIllustrated.com.
"Easy Lime Crema," from Lisa Bryan of DownShiftology.com. [Published 22 April 2020]
As dictated by the lottery-style drawing on Wednesday morning to determine the evening's menu from the bounty in the freezer, we had a winner: Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers. I can't believe it's been very nearly a year since I last made these, but the home-ground beef patties I'd stored away in the freezer were perfectly cooked in the sous vide before I finished them in the cast iron skillet...and added cheddar cheese slices. I made peanut butter, I made a classic burger sauce, I fried up bacon slices, and I buttered and toasted those brioche buns. And I ate every frickin' last bit and morsel of this amazing creation.
This was the 32nd occasion for this particular delicacy, and I always like to update the history
accordingly:
4 T mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
1 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Guidance on grinding, shaping, and cooking burgers from "Best Old-Fashioned Burgers," by J. Kenji Alt, in Cook's Illustrated, No. 93 (July/August 2008), p. 10-11.
This past Tuesday, the morning drawing to determine the evening's protein from the overstocked freezer produced the "Thick-Cut Pork Chops" slip. Once the sous vide was heated to 140°F, the frozen prepped vacuum-sealed bags were dropped in to cook to a perfect juicy temperature, leaving plenty of time to spice cubed potatoes and cut up some broccoli florets to roast in the oven in the meantime. It proved to be a bit much, but I was not deterred in journeying to the land of the clean plate.
I'd gone grocery shopping without a clear idea about a meal plan when company came over last weekend, and the fresh ground beef I'd bought as a contingency had to be used. I decided to replenish the already-depleted supply of prepped and vacuum-sealed burgers in the freezer (!) and saved out a couple of huge patties for last Sunday's supper. Given the usual size I make these at, these felt like monstrosities. And yet, so good were they!
Adapted from "Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003, p. 52-53. After Pillsbury was purchased in 2001 by General Mills, home of Betty Crocker (founded 100 years ago this year, mind you!), it basically ceased to exist as a company and lives on just as a brand. I guess that's why a Pillsbury cookbook recipe from 2003 is now only found on the Betty Crocker website.
Since I'd been traveling at the end of last week, I was not as prepped for all the elements of hosting dinner last Saturday night, and that included having no serious plan for a dessert.
Fortunately, the recipe notebooks have ample choices for sweet goodies that are a cinch to whip up, and that led me to throw together a quick batch of batter to make a caramel-drizzled giant skillet brownie for sharing after getting totally kicked to the curb at the pool table.
"Salted Caramel Skillet Brownies," from Maria Lichty of the Two Peas and Their Pod blog. [Published 29 April 2013]
