Meal No. 3260: Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches

The day after Christmas (many people would call it "Boxing Day," but that's not a habit I seem to have developed) proved to be a terrific occasion for dinner and a movie. On the menu was the stepped-up meaty filling that makes one first think of sloppy joes but then never want to think of sloppy joes again: the Cook's Country delight we have come to enjoy called Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches. Designed to sit on Italian rolls with cheese singles melted astride, I decided instead to make huge French bread loaves. The crew of five seemed to like the bread well enough but it was quite a lot of bread for said sammiches.

The bread loaves recipe is not too difficult and the results were massive. That's also why some of us added more of the meat to our plates to counter the bready abundance.

It seemed picnic-ish enough that a side dish of chilled macaroni salad would fit in.

And if you're gonna make two or three hard-boiled eggs for the macaroni salad, might as well go the full distance and produce a tray of creamy stuffed eggs.

By the way: the movie selection was that excellent film adaptation of the Broadway play, Auntie Mame...which was an outdoor movie night selection on July 4th, 2010.

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"Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Country, April/May 2018, p. 4-5.

"'Old Reliable' French Bread," from Lizzie-Babette on Food.com.

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.

Christmas Day 2022

Christmas Day arrived last Sunday in the chilling teens. As the house's early riser, I enjoyed the still and quiet with good mugs of coffee and a sweet pooch snoozing on my lap. The Arctic blast gripping the country strained the electrical grid: Duke Energy had sent out a text pleading for conservation and caution in order to avoid the rolling blackouts that were happening elsewhere, so I enjoyed the relative dark. It was 15°F when I got up after a wonderful night's sleep. When the smallest pang of hunger struck a barely-perceptible chord, I lept on a chance at more of the braided lemon bread.

Instead of a grand holiday feast that night, the Best-By Date on some hot breakfast sausage sparked the dinner choice: sausage, potato, and onion hash, with a misshapen fried egg on top for good measure. This was Meal No. 3259, as we count them around here.

And while the Meyer lemons are abundantly stocked in the pantry, I had whipped up a batch of Meyer lemon pudding in the days before Christmas and tucked them away for a good opportunity for serving. With the sausage spice upon our tongues, that quiet Christmas afternoon was the suitable time...and that pudding was amazing.

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"Meyer Lemon Pudding," by Sue Moran from The View from Great Island. [Published 10 January 2020]

A Very Braidy Christmas Eve

The order of events on the Saturday on which Christmas Eve fell this year was a wee bit off, because I produced either a very tardy breakfast pastry or a very early dessert. What is this magic of which I speak?

It was a pair of braided Meyer lemon loaves, lovingly crafted from scratch with a sweet enriched dough, filled with a sweetened cream cheese and a layer of homemade Meyer lemon curd.

This was quite something, gooey and gorgeous, tasty and tantric…and fully approved by the holiday celebrants at hand.

Ah, but this is just one of the newsworthy facets of this holiday Saturday. In the meteorological realm, I believe they grandly proclaim it a bomb cyclone, a weighty mass of lost invading Arctic air that busts through an unstable jet stream. It overwhelmed most of the continental United States with its most potent and deadly punch coming on Christmas Eve. The weather station at the Old Town Club adjacent to Wake Forest University clocked in at a low of 4°F but here at the house we only dipped to a downtown-moderated 7°F. Daytime temps under sunny skies reached the mid-20s, so all trips out with sweet Sumner were expeditious. This is the coldest we have been in quite a few years, I think, but the Roediger House remained cozy and infinitely blessed.

I’m sorry the comfort and joy abiding within could not be gifted to the troubled neighbors two houses down, where a late afternoon domestic row—and perhaps a mental health crisis?—required police presence and multiple officers to subdue a particularly combative woman who had tried to stab her male companion. It’s a new neighbor there, whom I’ve not met, but I feel for them.

Saturday night might have been spicy and wild for some, and sacred or somber and centered for others, given that it was Christmas Eve. At the Roediger House, it was a perfect night for oven-baked baby back pork ribs, homemade barbecue sauce, and perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts.

This was Meal No. 3258 in the ongoing count of meals made in the kitchen addition to the Roediger House.

That left plenty of room for more desserts for those so inclined: either more of the braided lemon loaf or a remaining serving of the Meyer lemon pudding cake (with a little more of the Meyer lemon ice cream!).

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"Braided Lemon Bread," by MaryJane Robbins of King Arthur Baking. Corresponding blog post is "A Sunny Bread to Chase the Snow Away: Braided Lemon Bread." [Published 05 April 2010]

"How to Make Great Ribs in the Oven," by Emma Christensen. From The Kitchn. [Published 01 July 2017]

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

The Meyer lemons supply here at Christmastime continues to compel desserts of a particular type, and last Friday night that invited a return to lemon pudding cake. Geez, that's one amazing dessert. It ought to have baked a wee bit longer, as the photo might reveal, but the pudding's compromised integrity was overcome by its incredibleness.

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"Lemon Pudding Cake," from Julia Moskin of NYT Cooking. Featured in "Straight from the Home Coop" from 04 April 2012 (original link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/dining/hatching-your-own-batch-of-eggs.html). Recipe was adapted from The Farm, by Ian Knauer. [Accessed online 03 July 2016]

Meyer Lemon Treats: Shortbread Bars, Crinkle Cookies, and Ice Cream

Although they probably have had them each year around this time, last week was the first notice I'd taken of Meyer lemons at Costco. I knew I'd encountered a mix of recipes that call specifically (or preferentially) for them, but this was my first occasion to obtain any. I grabbed a couple of bags last Tuesday and then grabbed three more bags on Wednesday. Clearly, I was ready for some great lemon treats over the holidays. The first thing I made was Meyer lemon ice cream, which I stored away but then served up with an inaugural fresh batch of Meyer lemon crinkle cookies.

Ah, but the first thing I made but also then ate was shortbread lemon bars. These, too, were pretty glorious.

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"Meyer Lemon Ice Cream," by Stella Parks, former Pastry Wizard and Editor Emeritus at SeriousEats.com. [Published 15 April 2020]

"Meyer Lemon Bars," from Cynthia McCloud Woodman of What A Girl Eats. [Published 15 April 2021]

"Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies," by Laura Kasavan of Tutti Dolci. [Published 21 January 2021]

Meal No. 3257: Dijon Chicken Salad

I'd made more than enough chicken for our chicken and mushroom strudel and the portion remaining that did not go into the chicken corn chowder was saved for a small batch of Dijon chicken salad, which proved to be a perfect light lunch last Wednesday.

Meal No. 3256: Indiana Chicken and Corn Chowder

By the time this entry posts, much of the country is set to be just easing past a terrible deep freeze and, for many, celebrating Christmas Day. But still in unbelievable arctic cold. It makes seem quaint that the grey low-40s cold of this past Tuesday locked me only into soupish mindset, but I'm glad it did, because that evening's chicken corn chowder was freakin' awesome. This recipe has been a faithful consistent option when the mood strikes, and I delight in each bowl of it.

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Adapted from "Indiana Corn and Potato Chowder," by Brannon Soileau from his restaurant Maize, An American Grill (formerly of Lafayette, IN). In Indiana Cooks!, by Christine Barbour and Scott Feickert with photographs by Tom Stio. Bloomington, IN: Quarry Books (2005), p. 64-65. Recipe originally shared with me on 31 December 2006. You can find this, and quite a few other Indiana recipes, if you scroll to the bottom of this article: "Indiana Can Cook" [Published 12 October 2005]. Update: Brannon Soileau's latest adventure is Boss Bagels in San Antonio, Texas.

Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

One might assume that I am rather taken with this seasonally-appropriate recipe for eggnog cinnamon rolls.

On the one hand, I might claim that it is continuing practice and refinement of my yeast dough and pastry skills, whereby glorious golden well-puffed results emerge after the proper rising time:

In reality, of course, I just really like cinnamon rolls.

My obsessive cataloguing of sweetly uninteresting tidbits continues: this was the 17th batch of cinnamon rolls I've made at the Roediger House.

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"Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Published 24 November 2020]

Meal No. 3255: Chicken and Mushroom Strudel

This past Sunday night, I tried out another new recipe from that most entertaining and excellent cooking guide, Chef John of FoodWishes.com and AllRecipes.com. This time it was a puff pastry-based chicken and mushroom strudel, which also contained shallots and Gruyère cheese. My braiding was sloppy but the resulting portions were generous and gorgeous...and delicious. A new batch of roasted garlicked asparagus spears was all that was needed alongside.

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"Chicken Mushroom Strudel," from Chef John Mitzewich of FoodWishes.com and AllRecipes.com. [Published 28 October 2022]

Meal No. 3254: World's Best Lasagna

The jolly holidays have eased into their joyous celebratory spirit, which would be incomplete if there weren't a lasagna dinner for the crew of regulars. That's the story of this past Saturday night, seven of us at the dinner table, with a sloppy, meaty, cheesy glopping of homemade lasagna on each plate.

I also made rosemary garlic focaccia to go with it, which proved to be a smart and welcome move.

After a bit of pool for some, and bad television for others, I brought up some dessert: Vietnamese coffee ice cream, which I'd already made and tucked away.

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"World's Best Lasagna," by John Chandler (Dallas, TX). Found online at AllRecipes.com.

"Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia," from Adam and Joanne Gallagher of InspiredTaste.net.

"Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream," by David Lebovitz. In The Perfect Scoop. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press (2007), p. 35.

Meal No. 3253: Salmon Croquettes

Back on Friday afternoon, with sunny skies an unconvincing lie to cover how chilly it remained with these penetrating December breezes, the meal was demanded in the early afternoon: salmon croquettes, with roasted garlicked asparagus spears, and both remoulade and Creole sherry cream sauce for saucy accompaniment and enhancement.

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Adapted from "Salmon Burgers" (p. 396) and "Herb Sauce" (p. 395), from Denise Austin, Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Rodale Books (2003).

Meal No. 3252: Weeknight Chicken Tikka Masala

December 15th rolled slowly through the fair city of Winston-Salem, plodding and cruel in its deeply-chilled wintry wetness, corraling the afternoon into an upper 30s temperature trap, locking me indoors with chains of my own design because I despise the cold. It is still autumn. Soup was my first thought, until I turned instead to the warming spice and sauce of a simple skillet chicken tikka masala. It was a filling and soothing one-bowl meal once dusk had fallen, leaving barely enough room for yet another huge slice of death by chocolate cake.

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"Chicken Tikka Masala," from Cook's Country, October/November 2014, centerfold recipe cards.

Death by Chocolate Cake

In the midst of the pandemic shutdown of 2020, I adopted a system for propelling me to tasks on my to-do list but I also included no small number of fun delights. When the slip was drawn that said "Chocolate Cake," it was an excuse to select from my many recipes a new one to try, and it was the amazing Death by Chocolate Cake. With a dear former neighbor's birthday occurring last week, I figured it was reason enough to make this for the third time.

As cakes go, it is huge, and it is amazing...and very nearly overwhelming.

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"Death by Chocolate Cake," by Ashley Manila of BakerByNature.com. [Published 15 September 2016]

"Hot Fudge Sauce," a recipe shared with me by former neighbor Jessica Atkinson.

Meal No. 3251: Roasted Salmon and Broccoli

It was the knowledge that I would be indulging in a ridiculous and huge dessert last Wednesday night (to be discussed in tomorrow's blog post) that led me right back to salmon, which is terrific when perfectly roasted with a tasty bit of spice and served with roasted broccoli. I hoped that the healthy would be a counterweight to the ... weight.

Chai-Spiced Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

I'd gone a little stretch without making much in the way of desserts or sweets, following Thanksgiving, but it was time for cookies last Tuesday night. Chai-spiced cinnamon oatmeal cookies were the choice, and once again they were pretty glorious. Hot out of the oven is hard to beat...and hard to resist.

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Based on: "Caramel-Chai Oatmeal Cookies," in Cuisine at Home, September/October 2013, p. 47.

Meal No. 3250: Beef Chili with Beans

Tuesday's dinner was a direct response to the return of grey cold temps (more whining about that in the bottom paragraph), and beef chili was called for that evening. I've been making this one recipe for a very long time and, while I've dabbled in a few other alternatives but this is the champ I keep rallying around.

It's nice that the kitchen window bird feeder attracted s squirrel instead of a rat this time, but Sumner was not having it.

And once more, after last Monday’s December-abridged few short hours of glorious sunshine (I even spotted the bluebird!), came the unwelcome resumption of the inglorious chill and grey the following morning. The cups of hot coffee by the fireside fell short of proper girding against the invasive cold, and after getting cleaned up and gussied up I braved the bracing early hour to report for supporting duty at a local elementary school, hoping to be helpful to a young teacher neighbor navigating the novelty of his new position. Alas, as I started down the driveway, my car gave me that STOP RIGHT NOW alert that one dreads to see, with a warning about low oil pressure. I left it on the street, switched to the truck for my short journey, and later that day called on AAA to take it to the dealership. Just low oil, perhaps burning a bit given the age of the car, so I'm certainly glad it was not more serious.

Of course, the following week, when my Costco shopping cart and I stood at the trunk I'd just opened, only to discover that the dealership had not put my trunk back together...

...led me to discover for the first time my Apple Watch's careful monitoring of my heart rate, as I stood fuming back at the Service Department after a succession of ignored communications to get it resolved.

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"Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans," from Cook's Illustrated, Number Sixty-One [March-April 2003], p. 10-11.

Meal No. 3249: Cheeseburger Sub

When at long last we had a decent weather day this past Monday—full sunny blue skies, temps up to 52°F—it granted to Sumner and me a lot of enjoyable outside time. Mind you, this old man was still mostly in hat and coat, shields against the breezes and the fact that around 50 is actually still pretty chilly. I blew the whole driveway and various leafed-up areas in the yard, ultimately starting a new pile for City collection down at the curb. I worked up quite an appetite, so my cheeseburger sub that afternoon was extra excellent.

And what a good December day for grilling, no? I had a few French rolls left from the previous day's shrimp po'boys, and I had tucked away what remained from the beef and cheddar melts sauce, a variation on burger sauce. I caramelized onions, buttered and grilled the French roll halves, added too much cheese, and had a messy construction that I could only deconstruct with knife and fork to make it manageably consummable.

The 10-day forecast made clear that this day was the one for any outside enjoyment; I'm glad that boy was all hyped to fully indulge in it.

Meal No. 3248: Shrimp Po'Boys

While the premature winter-like chills of late autumn continue to characterize these final weeks of 2022, my recent weekend preoccupation turned to a hopeful endeavor regarding New Orleans-style shrimp po’boys for my Sunday repast.

After all, it’s been over five years for this dinnertime treat and why not go all out by making the French rolls from scratch?

That meant starting Saturday night so that the dough would slow-rise and develop deeper flavors in the fridge overnight. I lack a developed technique for creating even and matched rolls, as is obvious, and yet I must pat myself on the back for the earnest effort. Alas, the slashing of the tops showed I still have so much to learn about baking rolls, because they completely collapsed! From that it seemed they’d not rebound as they baked, and I would’ve had dense doughy rolls as a result. But glory be, they puffed up barely enough in that well-steamed heat and came out rather incredibly delicious if not also sad looking. I had to eat the runt of the litter immediately, slathered with some softened butter, and it transported me.

Those little creole popcorn shrimp were terrific nuggets of fried goodness, albeit a tad salty, and were pretty glorious once adorned with the homemade remoulade sauce, whose ingredients I should have written down but I'll just have to make up another version the next time.

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"Shrimp Po'Boy," in Bon Appétit, June 2011, p. 118-119.

”New Orleans Po’Boy Rolls,” from Chula King of PudgeFactor.com.

Remoulade was a home creation with ideas and inspiration from:

• "Remoulade Sauce à la New Orleans," by cookincowgirls on AllRecipes.com.
• "Cajun Remoulade Sauce," by Remoulader. Found online at Food.com.