Meal No. 3571: Open-Faced Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks

Once more, my deep dive into a current project kept me focused on my laptop much of the day and by late afternoon Thursday it felt like yet another supper scramble. But then the result didn't feel like a rushed fill-in but instead came through like a champ: open-faced cheesesteak-style chicken phillies (is any of that proper nomenclature? probably not). Laid out on griddled buttered slices of my homemade peasant bread, sufficiently cheesed and oozing with fantastic flavor, these were pretty glorious for a speed job.

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Based on a combination of ideas from:

• "Chicken Philly Cheese Steak," by Brandi Burgess of Aunt Bee's Recipes. Posted 11 September 2014.
• "Philly Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich," from the Creole Contessa. Posted 30 July 2013.
• "Homemade Chicken Cheesesteaks," by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet It Is. Posted 05 September 2012.

Meal No. 3570: Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup

Rain and cold and drear and the gradual sink into a low mood for me: the late afternoon lead-up to dinner played deep in the key of blah and yech right up until the three of us sat down for delicious bowls of ultimate cream of tomato soup along with very-fresh-baked peasant bread grilled cheese sandwiches. It was the beginning of things looking up, and the rains must've gotten the message because they moved on in the meantime.

Addendum from Easter Sunday: to finish out the evening after a supper of tasty leftovers, the remaining loaf of peasant bread was turned into some simple and satisfying cinnamon toast.

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"Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup," from Cook's Illustrated, November 1999. Recipe can also be found online at Cookography.com.

Peasant Bread adapted from "My Mother's Peasant Bread," by Alexandra Stafford of AlexandraCooks.com. [07 November 2012 / Updated 06 January 2022]

Scotch Chocolate Cake

Dessert on Tuesday evening when Robb and Sheila were here to visit proved to be a disappointment: my dependable Scotch chocolate sheetcake did not turn out like usual and was a bit hard to choke down. Not sure where I blew it this time but the pan was prematurely emptied with the uninviting remaining squares ending up in the trash.

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"Scotch Chocolate Cake," [in my world, also known as Texas sheet cake]. Credited to Susie Timmons. From "Popular: Cake Request Gets 22 Responses," by Michael Hastings, Food Editor of the Winston-Salem Journal. Published October 6, 2010.

Meal No. 3569: Mexican Chicken and Rice

What a delight on Tuesday night to have dear friends Robb and Sheila come over. The cooler temps and dreary rain that came on late afternoon seemed to call for something warm and comforting, so I went with arroz con pollo and cheese queso. It was a terrific visit full of animated conversation and catching up. This was Sheila's first chance to see the house and Robb had never been up to the third floor mancave so it was a leisurely walking and talking tour after dinner. They are here on and off until mid-summer and it will be good to have them over again before long.

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"Mexican Chicken & Rice," in Cuisine at Home, Issue No. 115 (January/February 2016), p. 10-11.

"The Best Mexican White Cheese Dip," from eatingonadime.com.

Meal No. 3568: Rigatoni alla Vodka

Deep into the final touches of a project that kept me glued to small glitches and large fixes for much of Monday, the grindstone proved so attractive to my nose that I was at a loss about dinner when I looked up and saw it was late afternoon. To the rescue came a quick and easy recipe, achievable with pantry staples: rigatoni in vodka sauce, which offered a spicy kick in a rich sauce with al dente chew in that well-coated pasta. A small second helping was not immediately regretted.

There was plenty of play and tussle and wrassle and nip time for the house pooches. Thus far, they have been much too mindful of when I'm reaching for my phone to capture some video of their good-natured growl-and-scowl sessions; all I can offer of late is what appears to be Sumner sticking out his tongue at that winsome imp he has such brotherly fondness for.

As Scarlett embarked on the first day of her purported second year (and second half of her first year here), she insisted it was a day to swoon over her cuteness. The photo above ought to be called "Scarlett Fever," and the one below might be called the Witch and the Wardrobe. Her fascination with the doggie in the window was adorable but not captured quickly enough by my fumbling fingers with my phone.

The Worm Moon was rising brightly over our fair city as I embarked on my evening stroll that Monday evening, and once again I regret being unskilled at securing those celestial satellite skyline scenes.

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Based on "Penne alla Vodka," from Daniel Gritzer, Senior Culinary Director of SeriousEats.com. [Updated 17 March 2023]

Meal No. 3567: Breakfast for Sunday Dinner

A breezy first Sunday of springtime painted a lie across the landscape: blooms and blossoms and green and sunshine were best enjoyed from inside the house because the wind and chill burdened outside time under the cruelty of its misleading optical deception. While it left me free to tackle the last challenge or two of a major website project, the early afternoon seemed right for the major meal of the day...a standard breakfast feast with many of the usual players plated: sausage patties, creamy grits, sunnyside-up eggs, and fresh-made buttermilk biscuits. Unstandard fare here, but all the more appreciated for its rarity.

The biscuits were indeed tasty, but man-o-man my technique still needs quite a bit of work.

Sunday was special for a double-doggy reason: it's the 7th anniversary of Sumner's arrival at the Roediger House, and his new sister Scarlett also marked her approximate first birthday. She's getting big but they have a fine time playing together and she has settled right in with us.

While my back door shrubs have not fared well, the second year of the new tulips is proving to be bold and beautiful:

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Guidance for baking sausage patties in the oven from "How to Cook Sausage Patties in the Oven," from Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity.com. [Published 17 September 2023 / Updated 26 January 2024]

"The Food Lab's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Culinary Consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Published 07 August 2015 / Updated 10 April 2019]

Guidance for making the creamy grits: Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Ina Garten's Lemon Bars

Saturday was lazy, with leftovers, so I channeled some kitchen energy into a fresh batch of amazing lemon bars on a shortbread crust. The greatest challenge was giving them enough time to cool down once they'd come out of the oven.

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

Meal No. 3566: Cheddar Potato Soup

Friday's weather turned, with grey chill and then rain. Soup was summoned to mind, and avoiding a grocery run that would take me out of the warmth and comfort was a high priority. Yukon gold potatoes on the counter made the decision easy. Our house version of cheddar potato soup, long-simmered and fully cheesed, was a comfort in the bowls as the spoons did their duty.

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"Cheddar Potato Soup," from the Roediger House. Adapted from "Potato and Cheese Soup," from KitchenArt: The Store for Cooks [now closed] in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Meal No. 3565: Modern Coq au Vin

Thursday was a day at home and it granted me the time to observe National French Bread Day with a fresh trial of a French bread rolls recipe that turned out to be outstanding. They could have stolen the show but the accompaniment was a terrific pot of coq au vin.

A simple menu allowed a focus on the incredible chicken, balanced out with an abundance of French bread rolls with ample slathers and smears of butter. It's how we roll at the RoHo.

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"Modern Coq au Vin," by Sandra Wu. In Cook's Illustrated, Number Eighty-Three (November & December, 2006), p. 18-19.

"Crusty French Bread Rolls," by Sabrina Snyder of DinnerThenDessert.com. [Published 03 March 2019 / Updated 24 September 2019]

Atlantic Beach Pie

Tuesday night's fabulous dinner with visiting guest Robb Warfield had a rather ideal conclusion: slices of Atlantic Beach pie offered up all around the table. This North Carolina-coast cousin of the more well-known key lime pie is a unique creation, with its Ritz cracker crust and its sweet punch of lemon. Perhaps I should be branching out a lot more with dessert offerings but this faithful standby is too good to drop from our regular rotation.

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"One Phenomenal Pie: Atlantic Beach Pie," from Chef Bill Smith. Published in Our State Magazine, May 2014. Also featured in "Found Recipes" on All Things Considered from National Public Radio, broadcast April 13, 2013. First made in the RoHo: July 2014.

Meal No. 3564: Multi-Mushroom Lamb Meatloaf

The rare occasion that brings friend and colleague Robb Warfield to the house must be celebrated in style. That's why Tuesday's dinner proved perfect to break out an enduring favorite from the Tupelo Honey Cafe bookbook: lamb and multi-mushroom meatloaf, along with smashed sweet potatoes and hoisin-roasted whole green beans. I'm getting dangerously close to the 20-year mark of knowing Robb, beginning when he helped launch the new Atkins High School magnet programs here in Winston-Salem. We still work together today, although it involves me flying over to Senegal where he is superintendent of Dakar Academies.

Special company called for a special appetizer, and it was easy enough to serve up a fresh dish of warm Swiss, Gruyère, and bacon dip as the evening got underway.

The first time Robb was scheduled to sup here was almost 13 years ago, and it was a bust because my hot water heater had gone on the fritz and I couldn't make dinner as a result! As has dependably been the back-up on similar occasions, that night so many years ago we just dashed around the corner to Foothills for our meal. I'm glad this year everything worked out and we could keep the dinner party here in the glorious confines of the Roediger House.

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"Lamb and Multi-Mushroom Meatloaf" (p. 150) and "Smashed Sweet Potatoes" (p. 128), in Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen, by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing (2011).

"Swiss and Bacon Dip," from Rachael Ray. Available online at the Food Network website.

Meal No. 3563: Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce

My meal planning was slightly off, so an Irish-adjacent dinner occurred this year the day after St. Patrick's Day, on Monday night. A hearty beef stew, albeit from a more French tradition, was the centerpiece. I stripped it down a bit to fit my agenda on a weekday, but it seemed a good night to also try my hand at an Irish soda bread. I'd love for that loaf to have been amazing, given that it can come together pretty quickly, but it was more in the meh zone. Still: slathered with butter and/or dipped into that luscious red wine sauce, its thick slices did not lead to the management receiving a ton of complaints.

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Adapted loosely from "Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce," from Jacques Pépin. Published in Food & Wine, April 2007.

"Traditional Irish Soda Bread," from LeAnne Shor of LionsBread.com. [Published 15 March 2022]

Meal No. 3562: Fettuccine Alfredo

Last month, an evening meal of fettuccine alfredo with homemade garlic breadsticks proved memorable and enticing, and I at last gave into the temptation to repeat it on Sunday night. The pasta was wonderful and those breadsticks were irresistable. I know I can't be eating that sort of thing all that often and it's all the more special when I am too weak to turn away.

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"The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ever!" by Alyssa Rivers of The Recipe Critic. [Published 18 February 2016 / Updated 02 May 2023]

"Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks," from Tessa Arias of HandletheHeat.com. [Published 13 December 2013 / Updated 18 January 2023]

White Wine Coffee Cake

A bit too much time has passed since I last made my mother's white wine coffee cake, which is based on a recipe she got from Barbara Taylor and Lib Tripp in our small community of Buies Creek. It's been a staple of the Jones family dessert pantheon although as a professional and adult, I seem to have lost my ability to get it to eject clean from the tube pan. Fortunately, the flavor remains unaffected. I've gone almost seven days without any dessert-making; this soothing dinner finisher was gladly received by all following our Saturday night supper of salmon croquettes.

Meal No. 3561: Salmon Croquettes with Chili-Garlic-Lime Aïoli

Last night's super supper was the new favorite of salmon croquettes, with the always-perfect and almost-magical chili-garlic-lime aïoli that was introduced to us by friends in Princeton. Tuscan-herbed roasted asparagus was also unmatched and the dinner felt like a culinary triumph.

It was my first day of 2024 to pull out the camp chair and enjoy some warm sunshine on the driveway, under those perfect Carolina blue skies. The 4.25-mile walk mid-day took me down through West Salem and back across to the Brookstown Area, before finishing by coming home through downtown and the Arts District. I could feel the strain to push myself after a less active winter season and was winded by the fourth mile.

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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).

"Chili-Lime Aïoli," from David Wald of Princeton, NJ, May 2009.

Meal No. 3560: Baked Split Chicken Breasts

The Friday night meal was a classic meat-and-two-sides: baked split chicken breasts, suitably herbed and gently roasted; plus spiced cubed Yukon gold potatoes along with roasted broccoli florets. The bonus of Alabama great white sauce made the chicken sexier, and just a nudge naughtier. It seemed a bit grand but it has been a full couple of weeks and now that Beau is here for a spring break visit, it's time for some great food at mealtime.

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Cooking guidance from "Baked Split Chicken Breast," from Prospective Phd on AllRecipes.com. [Updated 13 February 2023]

"Alabama Great White Sauce" (p. 362), in Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 2003.

Meal No. 3559: Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuits

Thursday night's dinner was pretty darned delicious, given that it featured bacon, egg, and cheese on fresh-made buttermilk biscuits.

I'm by no means an expert biscuit maker, in part because I do not do it enough. But this recipe is faithful and true and the result is always grand, commendable, and consumable.

It was also a stunningly warm and sunny day, with our high temp here topping out at 81°F. I looked up on Wednesday and saw that the cherry tree is already wonderfully blossomed, and then I looked down to see the first of the spring tulips.

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"The Food Lab's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Culinary Consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Published 07 August 2015 / Updated 10 April 2019]

"Baked Scrambled Eggs," from Heather Johnson of TheFoodHussy.com. [Published 09 September 2019]

Meal No. 3558: Roasted Salmon

Oh, roasted salmon: how I love thee! With perfect roasted broccoli florets alongside, the Monday evening meal was a marvel in culinary delights, boosted by the simplicity and all the good feels of one of my favorite meals.

The time change and a warmer day with lovely sunshine and the early spring colors made it a great afternoon once I was home from work. It was much to my liking that the day's walk could occur after suppertime and I was still home before dusk.

Custom Grill for Foyer HVAC Return

This is the entry foyer, and backed up to the staircase is a lovely substantial sideboard cabinet...one of my eBay acquisitions when I was endeavoring to properly furnish this great old house. Behind it is the scene of one of my long-overdue house to-do tasks: replacing the screen on the HVAC return that was cut under that first turn of the stairs. It required a custom order and custom manufacture of a new grille, but this is one of the undrawn slips from my Quarantine Task Jar that I've known I needed to do for as long as I've lived here.

The previous cover was difficult to keep clean and likely caused extra strain on the system. It might boast a kazillion holes but each one was still rather tiny:

Here's the unvarnished truth of its innards:

Because of its location, this component of the mechanical system stays mostly ignored and forgotten. Now there's hidden loveliness behind that cabinet.

Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust

Following our supper gathering for six last Sunday, featuring supper-sized baked beans, all in celebration of Kristen and Amy's March birthdays, I also had some dessert: lemon cheesecake with a Biscoff crust. The last time I made this? Pretty much exactly one year ago, also for that birthday celebration! Oh, it's so very delicious, even when it's not the season for Meyer lemons as the recipe calls for. This sweet finisher was befitting of the ladies we'd gathered to honor, two outstanding leaders in their respective fields, and always fun and delightful to hang out with.

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Based on "Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust," by Lucy Mercer on Food52.com. [Published 17 February 2022]

Meal No. 3557: Supper-Sized Baked Beans with Beef

A long-time but seldom-seen favorite of the house is, for lack of a better moniker, called "supper-sized baked beans." With a hearty amount of cooked ground beef, plus some other fillings and beany ingredients, these are an aggrandizement of baked beans that moves them from the dish on the side to the main attraction on a dinner plate or in a steamy bowl. I came home from my many trips to see friends who used to live in Winchester, Virginia, with loads of untried recipes. This is, however, a tried-and-true one that's unrivaled for simpleness, fullness of taste, and satisfaction, all perfect for a breezy chilly day under fully sunny skies in Winston-Salem.

The gathered crew of six was not left only to this sumptuous pile, for alongside was offered those beautiful cheesy biscuits that call to mind what we'd feast on back in those halcyon Red Lobster days: cheddar bay biscuits. Their simplified technique and stupendous result make it hard to reach for just three.

While the wind whipped us to and fro and gave me an occasional wall of resistance on my mid-day stroll, the sunshine brought a second perfect picture opportunity for the fully-blossomed Bradford pear...but it also brought into the back yard three of these High Point University logo'd sheets of plastic, an odd turn of events from the Premier Life Skills University a half hour down the road.

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"Baked Beans," from Redith Mozelle Newman Quesenberry (1927-2019) of Carroll County, Virginia, via Cindy Coulson of Cana, VA.

"Easy Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat)," from Amy Nash of House of Nash Eats. [Published 11 August 2023]

Meal No. 3556: Hamburger Supreme

Yesterday's miserable weather and the return to slightly chilly temps put the idea of hamburger supreme in my head for dinner Saturday night. This long-time family favorite, a feature of Jones meals since the early 1970s, never fails to satisfy. For our last day of Eastern Standard Time, before the clocks were pushed forward an hour, one final dusk-surrounded early evening supper was a fitting goodbye to the trappings of winter.

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

Banana Bread Mini-Loaves

A fine Saturday morning breakfast snack was the compensation for a nasty day outside: banana bread mini-loaves. They turned out great, given that I've had a bit of a struggle when I've instead made this as two small loaves.

That onslaught of miserable drear—so speedy to trigger my dramatic angst, even while I work comfortably nestled in a warm and secure homestead—was the starter of this Saturday. Having two dogs doubles the extra steps and stages of any pee break, of course, while giving the back hallway a well-trafficked mess to clean up later.

Some of the morning showers became quite heavy, a real shame for the Legacy of Women parade scheduled just up from the house on West Fourth Street, set for early this afternoon.

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"Carolyn's Banana Bread," a recipe shared by former neighbor Lori Pilon.

Meal No. 3555: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

When the day turned grey and cooler and spotty rains rolled through, soup was the solid choice for this evening's dinner: broccoli cheddar, in fact, which could have been a bit more cheesy but was especially well-stocked with broccoli florets that had cooked up just right. A container remained afterwards, which is going to come in nicely when I've got several long work days coming up next week.

That little vixen Scarlett Impia loves her brother Sumner, something fierce. As he was tackling his lunch bowl today (he lies down to eat!), she nestled in on his outstretched hind leg to patiently/impatiently wait for him to finish.

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"The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup (Better-Than-Panera Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of Averie Cooks. [Published 09 January 2015]