The latest blower motor in the downstairs HVAC system only survived 7 months. As the kitchen reached the mid-80s Friday a week ago, I still very much wanted to bring out a last good meal for the final night of the summer visit by my brother-in-law. A favorite comfort casserole that we call hamburger supreme was the offering that night.
And in spite of the blistering hot kitchen, I did not want Beau to conclude his visit without his favorite dessert appearing: white wine coffee cake. It was always popular in my household growing up; it was a frequent treat to take in for colleagues or for my classes when I was on faculty at Wake Forest University; it is also a noteworthy addition to the Roediger House stable with a whole new cadre of fans. And the good professor is very much the self-proclaimed leader of that pack of cheerleaders, always making me feel good about the delight it brings when that's what shows up on the dessert plates.
Beau left very early Saturday morning, and I left for him several wrapped slices of that cake to go with him. It was a quiet and casual Saturday, with rain and sprinkles for most of it. I was glad to catch up with friends and colleagues Amy and Cile and to try out Heff's Burger Club, just up the way on Fourth Street, where the good food was surpassed by the even better visit. And lo and behold, the surprise visitor late evening was such a regular presence here a decade and a half ago and up he pops on a whim in the midst of delayed business travel: the all-grown-up Cubby. In another life, in another time, and with a long-ago love, Cubby was among the marvelous fun guests here for suppers and parties and movie nights and overnighters. It was great to see him and to make up as much lost ground and history as possible!
Here's the good news: Webb HVAC was able to get the blower motor—and the blown motherboard, it turns out!—repaired this past Thursday morning, and the downstairs again became habitable.
Update: After a work trip this week to Florida, and with no grocery shopping undertaken once I was home again yesterday, I used up the rest of my ground beef to make a fresh new pan of hamburger supreme for Meal No. 3658. It always bothers me to do too quick a repeat (in this case, exactly one week apart) of a meal, even though it happens from time to time, but I was more than happy to consume this delicious casserole, this time with a bit of corn, as the day's activities wrapped up.
And doggone, how adorable is this pair of pooches:
"Hamburger Supreme," from the late Mrs. John T. (Glynn) Johnson of Buies Creek, North Carolina, via Janice Jones Bodenhamer.
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