Butter Toffee Cookies

In the continuing hopeful effort to be a bearer of good cookies for the administrative intern groups I'm working with this spring, I brought out an old favorite recipe to make a batch based on the butter toffee cookies recipe. They were pretty darned tasty.

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"Butter Toffee Cookies," originally from King Arthur Flour. The catalog that comes periodically from KAF has recipes in it, which is where I originally got this. But, as sometimes happens, it is not available on their website. I'm glad someone posted it to Food.com.

Meal No. 3061: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

Clearing out the overstocked freezer continued Tuesday of last week, when I pulled out prepped vacuum-sealed pre-patted burgers and put them in the sous vide immersion circulator before finishing them on the grill. They were pretty tasty but I think I just wanted to have a reason to eat barbecue kettle chips.

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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 in 1921, 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.

Ina Garten's Lemon Bars

With some lemons getting long in the tooth, I squeezed the good sweet juice out of them and then found myself a good opportunity to turn it into an amazing lip-puckering batch of Ina Garten's incredible lemon bars with a shortbread crust. That was part of my kitchen labors on the final Saturday of winter, on the same day I also made the ridiculous New Orleans pecan pie bread pudding with whiskey sauce...so the lemon bars were put aside and held in reserve until the following Monday night's dinner. They were also a handy treat to take along when I spent yet another day with administrative interns up in Mount Airy, NC, on March 22nd.

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"Lemon Bars," by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Published in Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2001.

Meal No. 3060: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

A second container of power greens salad mix was waiting in the fridge, immediately beneath the homemade creamy Caesar dressing from last Sunday night...so I set up the sous vide to tackle most of the cooking of garlic-seasoned pounded frozen-and-vacuum-sealed chicken breasts. Then I gave 'em a final sear on the gas grill. These were sliced and diced and added to the Caesar-topped greens for the start-of-the-week supper.

It was a lovely day. I got a lot of weeding done, plus a 4-mile walk with Sumner, and snagged one more shot of the Bradford pear blossoms with the Flow Automotive 500 W 5th tower in the distance.

Meal No. 3059: Salmon Caesar Salad

After an indulgent celebratory Saturday night supper gathering, it seemed wise to cool my appetite and intake jets a bit with a healthier dinner menu last Sunday night. When the salmon looked good enough on my quick afternoon grocery run, that settled the matter. For the evening meal, it was roasted spiced salmon over power greens with homemade creamy Caesar dressing, and it suited the bill perfectly. Of course, the naughtiness in me could not stay my hand as it reached for the last of the previous evening's New Orleans pecan pie bread pudding with whiskey sauce. It was a leftover that shouldn't get left behind.

That Sunday was also the first day of Spring, and I was darned glad of it. Never mind that it was a deceptively cool mid-60s day with very strong March winds that passed right through you...I am always happier when I can see winter in the rear view mirror and can look ahead to sunny days, warm temps, outside time, yardwork, and pleasant walks and aggressive bike rides. The next varietal of daffodil emerged that day, captured in the morning sunlight (above).

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Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim of lowcarbmaven.com.

New Orleans Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

With a special gathering in tribute to the March birthdays in our group, the final day of winter was marked with a so-so dinner and a something-else! dessert. While the crew watched Waiting for Guffman, I put together bowls of fresh-baked New Orleans Pecan Pie Bread Pudding, topped with a golden sweet whiskey sauce. With cubes of a braided challah loaf, tons of sugar and eggs, and a time-saving pecan-pie-in-a-jar cheat step, it baked up gloriously impressive:

I first made that ridiculous dessert back in 2014, and it had not appeared on the Roediger House menu in almost exactly five years.

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"New Orleans Pecan Pie Bread Pudding," from King Arthur Flour. [Recipe no longer available on their website.]

"Whiskey Sauce," based on a recipe from Mimi's Cafe. [Recipe no longer available on their website.]

"Pecan Pie in a Jar" from The Great San Saba River Pecan Company.

Meal No. 3058: Slow Cooker Country Captain

A fine gathering of the Roediger House regulars took place last Saturday night, propelled into being in part by a chance to belatedly celebrate the two birthdays of the lovely ladies of the group. On the menu was Country Captain, over brown rice, along with roasted Brussels sprouts. We seemed to enjoy the indulgence, although I was not as happy with the main dish as I have on other occasions been. Perhaps the dessert later that evening helped overcome any disappointment from within our happy brigade.

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"Country Captain Chicken," a recipe shared by David Wald (Princeton, NJ), May 2009.

Meal No. 3057: Grilled Filet Mignon

It had been too long since I enjoyed a fresh cut of filet mignon, well-seasoned and grilled up just right. That's what served as dinner last Friday night, with more roasted garlicked asparagus cuts plus the remainder of roasted spiced cauliflower.

It was a pleasant Friday mid-March morning for Sumner and me, starting off in the bright sunshine for the season's first official coffee time on the driveway.

The first blooming amongst the daffodils gifted by Donna Whitley Smith to the Roediger House emerged that morning as well, with a brilliant golden yellow to brighten its patch of the property.

Meal No. 3056: Peruvian Chicken Breasts

The freezer has again become overstocked as I've taken advantage of specials on bulk packages of mostly chicken and beef, so I have once more set up a lottery jar of random slips to be drawn to help determine dinner menus. The first of those occurred this past Thursday night, when I tossed a frozen prepped split chicken breast, with a nice Peruvian seasoning, into the sous vide. Then I added roasted spiced cauliflower florets and roasted garlicky asparagus cuts and it was a terrific meat-and-two-sides.

On that gorgeous warm St. Patrick's Day night, downtown was buzzing when I did my 4.3-mile walk after supper. Once dusk settled over us, the full worm moon rose over the city skyline, bright and bold, hanging there near the rounded dome of the Wells Fargo tower.

Meal No. 3055: Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry

These challenging days as we feel like the coronavirus pandemic is waning offer plenty of reminders that everything is not yet back to normal, and the grocery store is one of those places. As prices have pushed ever upward and various items have suffered through spotty availability, I sometimes find myself making purchases driven by a small measure of panic or a hoarder's instinct. A sizable whole beef tenderloin presented one of those impulsive buys, even though the extravagance of such a purchase looms all the larger. Still, I am a fan of beef and can appreciate the savings that come from the bulk portion at a sale price. I cut up most of it into filet mignon steaks, prepped and vacuum-sealed and stored away in the freezer. The salvageable beefy trimmings, though, were perfect for beef and mushroom stir fry. Served over brown rice, it was pretty darned good last Wednesday night as a long 20-hour stretch of rain settled over us in Winston-Salem. I'm glad I was able to get over five miles on the morning walk with Sumner, and to cut the grass for the second time of the season, before the sprinkles began mid-day.

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Based on "Glorious Beef with Mushrooms," in Wok Fast by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Ten Speed Press, 2002, p. 87 (recipe) and p. 26-27 (All-Purpose Chinese Marinade and Chili Garlic Sauce).

Meal No. 3054: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

A full day of work after a very early rising last Tuesday put me in a mindset of quick and easy for dinner, so into the bowls went spaghetti with a homemade meat sauce. It's not something I make all that much and yet it is always a simple pleasure.

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"Our Favorite Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce," from Joanne Gallagher of InspiredTaste.net. [Published 16 January 2020]

Giant Sugar Cookies

With another day on tap last Tuesday working with aspiring administrators on observations and coaching conversations, I found myself once more in the kitchen Monday night putting together a batch of very terrific giant sugar cookies, based on a recipe that—if I'd used food coloring—would have been appropriate for Mardi Gras. That's how I first made them two years ago. But the recipe is just a great sugar cookie without the extra steps of coloring. The crew that gathered in Catawba County seemed reasonably okay with 'em.

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"Mardi Gras Sugar Cookies," from Kelly of AmericanCupcakeAbroad.com. [Published 20 February 2012]

Meal No. 3053: Hamburger Supreme

For half a century a Jones family favorite has been a dish we call hamburger supreme. It is an easy beefy filling casserole that is really not good for you but it sure is good. I surprised myself by bringing it out of the archives last month, but I did not have all the right ingredients on hand. So last Monday I was weak of resolve and stumbled into making it again, and lordy was it every bit as good as ever.

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"Hamburger Supreme," from the late Mrs. John T. (Glynn) Johnson of Buies Creek, North Carolina, via Janice Jones Bodenhamer.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

I'd begun my preparations last Sunday with a different dessert in mind but after taking a 5-mile walk, I had not left myself quite enough time. So I adjusted my plans and incorporated that softened butter into a fresh batch of amazing lemon sugar cookies, much to the expressed delight of the supper crew.

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"Lemon Sugar Cookies," from Melissa Stadler of ModernHoney.com. [Published 21 March 2016]

Meal No. 3052: Slow-Cooker Brunswick Stew

Last Saturday night, the clocks were moved ahead but the temperatures took a mighty plunge. When Sumner and I got up on Sunday morning, it was a bracing 18°F according to the temperature gauge on the north side of the house, and the local weather reading was just a degree's nudge warmer. With a high remaining in the 40s, I was pretty sure that a big pot of slow-cooker Brunswick stew was called for, since Mookie and Kristen were coming over that night. The full bowls of hearty rich wonderment settled happily into the waiting bellies and it was another delightful evening gathering.

The Bradford pear is coming along with its spring show, but the overnight deep freeze left the daffodils bent over and miserable.

I really do feel completely safe here in downtown Winston-Salem—I don't give it a second thought whether I'm taking my walks day or night—but there was a highly unusual fatal stabbing a couple of blocks up from the house. This was behind a BP convenience store and not far from a homeless support center, although I've no idea if there is any connection to them.

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Brunswick Stew derived some inspiration from the following:

• "Get a Husband Brunswick Stew," by RAKESTRAW on AllRecipes.com.
• "Amelia's Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew," by Peach822 on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 3051: Sausage, Mustard, and Basil Shells

A passing fancy for pasta occurred at the Roediger House this past Saturday night: Italian sausage, mustard, and basil shells, a scrumptious bowlful of goodness, more than sufficient for the suppertime appetites.

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"Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard," by Nigel Slater and published in Food & Wine, September 2002.

Meal No. 3050: Fish Tacos

The remaining portion of last Tuesday's Chilean sea bass was perfectly sized for topping a spicy coleslaw base on a flour tortilla, with lime crema and sliced avocado, so that Friday night's dinner could be some delicious open-faced fish tacos. With a bit of skillet brownie to stand in for dessert, it made up for a super supper and also incentivized my rain-soaked downtown walk before bedtime.

The day dawned foggy and with a chill, leaving an eerie feel to the morning. When the sun broke through and warmed things up a bit, it was a welcome shift in the trajectory of that Friday. I'm sure the various Spectrum linemen and technicians were glad to have some good weather, as they found themselves replacing several lines to better improve service to me and my neighbors. In fact, the guys replaced the whole length of wiring from my router all the way back to the pole across the street. That meant supper was taken in the highly unusual location of the south parlour, so that they could come and go and check in as needed.

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"Sous Vide Spicy Fish Tacos," from CooksIllustrated.com.

"Easy Lime Crema," from Lisa Bryan of DownShiftology.com. [Published 22 April 2020]

Caramel Swirl Skillet Brownies

It had been long enough since I'd made anything sweet that there was no way to discourage me last Thursday night. So I greased up the cast iron skillet and set my mixing elbow into motion to prep the batter for sweet chocolate-y skillet brownies, with a caramel swirl to finish 'em right. The chocolate would stick to your teeth and it would not displease you, even if it appeared you'd been cast in the role of a hillbilly in a local theatre production. When I dropped off a portion to neighbors down the street, they asked if it came with a side of Peloton. We all knew we were being very, very bad.

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"Salted Caramel Skillet Brownies," from Maria Lichty of the Two Peas and Their Pod blog. [Published 29 April 2013]

Meal No. 3049: Cheddar Crust Chicken Pot Pie

The late winter's rollercoaster ride of weather days is completely expected and irrationally hated, at least when those days jump back to grey skies, cool temps, and the accompanying feelings of blah. With the pleasant memories of some sunny warm days and the early blossoms on daffodil stalks and Bradford pear branches still feeling real and vibrant, last Wednesday's cold rainy start and enduring winter feel had me ready for a huge dish of comfort food. Reaching back into the archives, I got cranking early in the day on prep for a welcome casserole treat: cheddar crust chicken pot pie. A whole chicken was pressure-cooked in the Instant Pot, with a rotisserie-style seasoning, and the cheddar crust dough was thrown together to then rest a while in the fridge. Closer to dinnertime, I got busy with the skillet portion of preparation and then assembled it into a happy possibility. The final result contained a symphony of flavor-filled morsels and no disappointment...it was pitch-perfect for that night's supper.

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"Chicken Potpie with Cheddar Crust," from Food Network Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 8 (October 2011), p. 132-133.

Whole Chicken prepared according to "How to Cook Instant Pot Whole Chicken - Rotisserie Style," by Sheena from GlutenFreePressureCooker.com.

"Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning," by Judith Hanneman, The Midnight Baker.

Meal No. 3048: Plank-Grilled Chilean Sea Bass

It's been an off-and-on rainy week in Winston-Salem, and I snagged an opportunity last Tuesday when the day started out sunny to head out for a provisions run to Costco. My list was pretty long but noticeably absent from it was Chilean sea bass, which I don't know that they usually have and which I am not in the habit of buying. It ain't cheap and it's over-fished...and I definitely prefer salmon and tuna over it. I came home with a package nonetheless and plank-grilled it with a soy-ginger-garlic glaze, and it reached temperature just as the tank in my gas grill petered out!

Served with pine nut pearl couscous and roasted asparagus, it was a full plate...and some sea bass remained for future use! Also: I think this is only my second time of making Chilean sea bass, with the inaugural attempt occurring all the way back in 2011.

An updated sign of spring was visible that morning, too: the earliest blossoms on the Bradford pear tree.

It's barely begun its spring show but above you can see the pulled-back view from the south front corner of the property.

The morning routine is to begin upstairs with coffee and the computer for writing time. But Sumner has become consistently difficult about giving me laptop time...as long as I'm merely on my phone or writing on my pad, he is content to lie on the floor or over in his window seat. But once I pick up the computer, he insists on getting in my lap. I reclined a bit to give him a longer stretch for sleeping and tried co-tasking...but he was not happy about it.

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Couscous recipe based partially on "Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley," from Bon Appétit, December 2004.

Property Plot Map

In finished form, the property plot map pictured above looks so simple. I've been wanting to craft that rascal for years....definitely since 2012, when I really got serious about landscaping around the house. I just had to take the time to make it and the quarantine/stay-at-home coronavirus shut-down gave me both opportunity and incentive to accomplish it. It helped that I could start with a full property survey that was done back in 2006, although I only had the paper copy of it (shown below). The first step was scanning it.

When I first started working on landscaping the yard, I pulled out my dependable Mead legal pad and hand-drew the different parts of the yard, and labeled what I was planting in their approximate locations (photo above). Of course, the next year, there were changes, additions, revisions, replantings, and replacements...so I had to basically hand draw the yard maps all over again:

I've got some rough digital copies of my architect's plans for that addition on the rear of the house but without the whole property layout:

I'd been wanting to combine them and clean them up so that I could have a digital document, allowing me to produce copies of the full property layout when that's what was needed, or to be able to produce sections to be able to record landscaping and planting and such in certain areas, like just the front yard, all the while knowing that there are likely to be changes from year to year.

That's part of the reason why so many of my plants still have the identifying tags on them, even if they've been in the ground for years. I've been waiting until I had a proper record-keeping system for tracking it all. I confess that I'm pretty thrilled with how this full property outline map turned out. I'm delighted by all kinds of small and inconsequential things. I also love checking things off the list, especially when they are as old and out-of-reach as this one has seemed.

Meal No. 3047: Oven-Roasted Baby Back Pork Ribs

This past Sunday I did an indulgent splurge into the land of baby back ribs together with the always-delicious and always-bad-for-me Willie Mae's mac and cheese. It is a heckuva combination that leaves no safe quarter for the slightest discontent, unless one considers how mierably satiated the post-meal moments are.

Those ribs were flavored just right and were juicy and good.

Although it was only partly sunny, the day was great for yard work. I mostly dug up the extensive invasion of clover and other weeds in the kitchen garden, relishing the mid-70s warmth.

Quite early in the spring season (although it's technically still winter and we've not moved the clocks ahead yet!) but the front yard was badly in need of cutting. The mower was hard to get cranked after its winter hibernation but the fresh trim was looking lush and green even under cloudy skies. I am very excited to be emerging from the cold dark months, and last Friday morning, a bluebird at the bluebird house was a joy-inducing harbinger of the better days coming.

Also, a side note... I have from time to time tried to remember to cut and save the coupons that can be submitted for Box Tops for Education, and to drop off baggies at various schools I work in or to pass on to teacher friends here in town. When I finished up a box of Kleenex that Sunday morning, habit caused me to look at that label—and find that it was 11 years out of date. Somehow Kimberly-Clark manages to remain profitable without me helping much, it seems.

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

"Willie Mae's Mac and Cheese," shared by Willie Mae's Scotch House of New Orleans via Good Morning America. [Published 19 May 2020]

Meal No. 3046: Skillet Beef Stroganoff

Last Wednesday night, with some ground beef still in the fridge, I figured I'd put it to use with an easy favorite that I'd not made since November: skillet beef stroganoff. It was just right that night, bolstered with roasted asparagus cuts.

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Based on "Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Dinner in a Skillet," by Emeril Lagasse. Found online at The Food Network and also on Emerils.com.

Meal No. 3045: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

Beautiful sunny weather on the first day of March made me deeply desirous of fresh-grilled hamburgers, along with barbecue potato chips. That was the meal this past Monday, and it suited me to a T.

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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 in 1921, 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.