Meal No. 4222: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Sun 18 Oct. The ‘boo’ feel of October puts the household into a monster and madness mode…or at least pulls us toward those movies and series that highlight the horror or macabre. This past Sunday’s gathering started early enough to squeeze in episodes of the latest take on Stephen King’s Carrie, and the regular besties were present and accounted for. But the deep chill and temperature plunge after some record heat in the preceding weekdays propelled our menu to emerge from the soups and stews category.

This time, I went with bacon cheeseburger soup. What a blast of balanced flavors and seasonings, inundated with but not overwhelmed by the volume of fresh-grated sharp cheddar cheese, tasty on tongues and not fully satisfying until seconds were sampled upon a return to the pot.

Now, understand that this soup tends to be so good that one should harbor no hesitancy about its leading role in a meal at any time...but you better believe that the rudeness of upper 30s temps that Sunday morning drove the decision-making. I ain’t ready for winter yet.

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Based on "Bacon Cheeseburger Soup," from Catalina Castravet and Holly Nilsson of SpendwithPennies.com. [Published 01 March 2018]

Meal No. 4216: Taco Beef Sheet Pan Nachos

Mon 05 Oct. It was another day where I worked up a lunch meal before tossing all my gear into the car to hit the road for a few days of work in Virginia. That meant something simple, ‘cause that’s how I’ve gotta roll. Taco-seasoned ground beef was the centerpiece of a sheet pan of nachos, with more than enough cheese, black beans, onion, and dollops of sour cream to boot. Then I propped my eyelids open for the drive north, ready for wonderful collaboration with school leaders in two different school districts in our neighboring state to the north (although the 90-minute shut-down of I-95 north of Richmond was not in my plans!).

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Sheet Pan Nachos seriously modified from "Loaded Sweet Pork Sheet Pan Nachos," from Elyse of Six Sisters Stuff. [Published 14 March 2018]

Taco-Style meat depended partly on "Crispy Beef Tacos," by Hilah Johnson. From HilahCooking.com.

"Homemade Chili and Taco Seasoning," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Published 03 February 2011]

Meal No. 4214: Mushroom and Swiss Burgers

Sat 03 Oct. While the weather on the first Saturday of October didn’t exactly call for an evening of grilling, my taste cravings did. Digging deep under the mattress to find enough money to afford the ground beef, it was a supper of mushroom and Swiss burgers and a sizable mound of kettle chips for this guy. With high hopes that I could make it less overwhelming by pressing the patty down to a lower profile, it nonetheless maintained a hefty diameter even after grilling…and it was all a wonderful messy handful and required a spirited attack to keep it all manageable for the consumption. It sure is convenient to have a wetbar sink close by to un-burgerslime my hands.

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Adapted from "Grilled Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003 [Updated Online 03 February 2011], p. 52-53.

Meal No. 4194: Mushroom and Shallot Salisbury Steak

Dateline: Thur 03 Sept. Events over on the campus of the University of North Carolina during the opening days of September waylaid a planned get-together for UNC chums back on the first Thursday of the month. I was certainly disappointed that we had to postpone but it was an excuse to pivot to a fun meal that I've only made twice before: mushroom and shallot Salisbury steak. Elevated well beyond anything you'd get at a roadside diner in a rural enclave, pushed to a dreamy fine-dining experience, this hearty take on a basic main item was a glorious scene-stealer on the plates that night. Of course, the roasted haricots verts were nothing to sneer at, and some leftover cumin-coriander cauliflower florets were welcomed guests, too. It was a scrumptious meal with all the right feels.

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”Mushroom and Shallot Salisbury Steak,” by Jesse Szewczyk. In Bon Appétit, October 2024, p. 18.

Meal No. 4191: Simple Beef Chili

Dateline: Mon 31 Aug. The final day of August had me tackling the happy obligation to run over to Chapel Hill to a meeting at my college fraternity, followed by a gathering at a nearby alum’s house of about 30 active undergraduate brothers and a number of alumni advisory board members. So the main meal of the day was at lunchtime, and took the form of a half recipe of simple beef chili...this time without the beans. It’s such a dependable recipe that I’ve been using for about 20 years now, and all it needs is the shredded cheddar on top for me to tackle the bowlful...and then some.

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

Meal No. 4188: Skillet Beef Stroganoff

Dateline: Fri 28 Aug. After a brief excursion out of town for professional endeavors, ’twas a joyful return to my kitchen as we approached the end of August. Without having to make a grocery run, I realized I could bring out one of the house staples for supper: Emeril’s skillet beef stroganoff. Its advantage lies not only in the ease with which it can be assembled; it is also a most rewarding bowl of vittles when the late afternoon hunger comes a-knocking. (Also: I’m too ignorant to have known that “vittles” emerges from “victuals,” but that’s the price of taking French in high school instead of Latin.)

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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. 4186: Caesar Salads with Filet Mignon

Dateline: Sun 23 Aug. Once the stationary system finally moved out and took its storms with it, we were left with an amazing perfect late summer Sunday a couple of weeks ago. It was ideal for me to walk across town to grab a prescription at the CVS, which led to a hearty appetite best remedied by a hunk of beef that was carved into morsels for crowning Caesar-dressed Romaine. I’m not the one to ever believe there can be too much meat but this may have approached an outer limit.

Meal No. 4184: Simple Cheeseburgers

Dateline: Fri 21 Aug. You gotta love a Friday night in late summer, when most folks seem either to have tired of summer shenanigans or have simply decided to get serious again. It lays upon the start of the weekend a chill groove that makes the cicada song sweeter to listen to. And when suppertime rolled around a couple of Fridays ago, and we’d been either experiencing or were under threat of thunderstorms all day, we kept it simple and easy with prepped burgers from the freezer dropped into the sous vide and then pan-seared in a skillet. A slice of cheese on top and the last of my homemade burger sauce was all it took for a quick supper.

And then in rolled another set of storms!

Meal No. 4180: Mini Meatloafs

Dateline: Sun 16 Aug. As we hit Sunday night a couple of weeks ago, the original guest list for dinner was a gathering of the six who constitute the core of Roediger House gatherings. Alas: dear Amy had been struck with a premature bout of shingles…and I’ve never had chicken pox. So in an abundance of caution, we slimmed down and Kristen and Mookie still came. On our plates was a fitting Sunday night meal: mini meatloafs, which always seem to be just right, along with the sweet topping sauce; there were also roasted well-spiced potatoes and simple green beans. It all turned out pretty darned good, even if I forgot to take a picture and am reposting another one from June 2023 above.

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"Mini Meatloaf," from Lauren Allen of Tastes Better from Scratch. [Published 20 February 2023 / Updated 24 January 2025]

Meal No. 4165: Mushroom Swiss Burgers

Dateline: Wed 29 July. Wednesday nights are for hanging out with longtime compatriot Amy, but as July was ending the City had a catastrophic water main break that left us without water most of the day. That squeezed the meal prep window once service was restored and I figured out how it could happen even if the water was still scarce: Madeira mushrooms and Swiss cheese on grilled juicy burgers. With chips, of course!

Meal No. 4162: Hamburger Supreme

Dateline: Sat July 25. The extended cool-down and storm-and-drizzle pattern finally began to break on the final Saturday of July, and its exit seemed to call for a comfort dish of celebration. The long-time family favorite of hamburger supreme stepped in to support that menu, along with plenty of hot buttered corn. I'd worked up a good appetite from a short burst of yard activity, some initial clearing of overgrown areas, even though it was but a small dent in the larger tasks ahead of me before my summer break ends.

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

Meal No. 4156: Taco Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Dateline: Sat 18 July. The previous evening’s cheeseburger gathering left me with two extra burgers. The next afternoon, I finely diced them and added them to caramelized diced onion with taco seasoning and turned it all into oven-baked quesadillas. Some salsa and sour cream rode shotgun and the diners were left content.

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Preparation and cooking based on "Quesadillas for a Crowd," by Morgan Bolling. In Cook's Country, August/September 2015, p. 18.

Meal No. 4155: Cheeseburgers for Game Night

Dateline: Fri 18 July. Summertime rolls around, which includes the happy stretch of days with my brother-in-law visiting, and the crew must assemble for supper and game night. That was our collective endeavor Friday a week ago, as our hotter July held sway and it seemed best to keep the heat out of the kitchen. So: cheeseburgers to the rescue, fresh from the grill, with chips of choice and lots of homemade special sauce.

With plates cleared away, it was time to bring out our homemade version of Cards Against Humanity, based on the Dark Shadows gothic soap opera from the late 1960s. With answer options that would color the cheeks of the prim and proper among us, it’s prudent to keep the contents on the DL…but we sure get a lot of groans, gasps, and hearty laughs from the gathered souls.

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Adapted from "Grilled Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003 [Updated Online 03 February 2011], p. 52-53.

"Beef & Cheddar Melts Sauce," a Roediger House creation.

Meal No. 4149: Afro-Caribbean Beef & Macaroni

Dateline: Tue 07 July. Among the dish wish-fors when my brother-in-law comes to visit is this spicy and cheesy Afro-Caribbean beef and macaroni casserole. It’s worth asking for, if you ask me, given its spice and flavor profile, its hearty goodness, its comfort cache. Two weeks ago found full bowls of those bites, immaculate as promised by the dish's developer, and happily partaken of by the crew on a summer Tuesday eve.

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"Macaroni Beef Casserole," from Imma Adamu of Immaculate Bites, a blog found at AfricanBites.com. [Published 22 May 2018 / Updated 21 April 2021]

Meal No. 4148: Middle Eastern Beef Gyros

Dateline: Mon 06 July. As the heatwave continued over us, with heavy humidity and only slightly moderated high temps, I made sure to invest my energies in the cool of this air-conditioned house. Once more, it was something that passed by in an Instagram scroll session that situated my meal choice, an experiment in sheet pan beef kebabs in order to make gyros. The homemade tzatziki sauce came out great and garlicky, and I was ready to tackle homemade yogurt flatbreads again, to rave reviews.

I didn't pull together the accompanying salad fixings but we didn't seem to miss it once the chowing down began. A fresh hot flatbread, that zingy creamy tzatziki, and the well-spiced beef kebabs: it was sufficiently feastworthy for the three of us.

Fine though the supper was, it left me certain we could manage some white chocolate macadamia nut toffee cookies for a dessertish nightcap.

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Based on "Juicy Middle Eastern Sheet Pan Beef Kebabs," from Nicole Keshishian. On Instagram: @kalejunkie. [Posted 18 March 2026]

"Authentic (Easy) Tzatziki Sauce," from Suzy Karedsheh of The Mediterranean Dish. [Published 03 June 2016 / Updated 27 September 2023]

"Layered Yogurt Flatbreads," from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. [Published 30 April 2020]

Adapted from "THE BEST White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Published 19 February 2025]

Meal No. 4144: Cheeseburger Wellingtons in Puff Pastry

Dateline: Wed 01 July. It was just a crazy cool idea that crossed my radar and that then set me into motion as July commenced under a brutal heatwave: puff pastry cheeseburger Wellingtons. Outrageous, no? But it seemed too fun not to foist it upon Amy on her weekly Wednesday visit that day. And she knew immediately what I was doing when she walked in, likely because Instagram knows we have similar interests and fed us the same post that inspired that evening's meanu. I fried center-cut bacon, and I got a batch of onions almost perfectly caramelized, and I made some more souped up special burger sauce. Then I got to work on the thin and small burger patties. Once they'd been given a good sear on each side, the wellingtons underwent their assembly. I had a pretty messy result overall and yet these really were pretty darned good...and incredibly filling!

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“Burger Wellington (Cheeseburger Wrapped in Puff Pastry),” from Chef Josh Gale, The Chef Out West. [Published 30 June 2026]

"Beef & Cheddar Melts Sauce," a Roediger House creation.

Meal No. 4143: Mushroom & Swiss Burgers

Dateline: Mon 29 June. As we hit the penultimate day of June, I reached for my long-time favorite and faithful recipe to whip up some burger patties to then go onto the grill for a perfect cook. I topped 'em with Swiss cheese and buttered and toasted the buns on the grill as well. Earlier, I'd set to work on Madeira mushrooms; these were ready for me when I came in from the grill in order to assemble absolutely delicious mushroom and Swiss burgers for that evening's supper.

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Adapted from "Grilled Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003 [Updated Online 03 February 2011], p. 52-53.

Meal No. 4140: Cheeseburgers

Dateline: Fri 26 June. A couple of meals prior to this particular evening represented the most recent round of peanut butter bacon burgers, and the home-ground beef made an extra two burger patties that I did not need that night. So on the final Friday night of June, I put those two rascals into the skillet to cook, added cheese near the end, and served it all up on brioche buns with more of my homemade special burger sauce. Some chips on the side were not needed but earned their appreciation nonetheless.

And then I made dessert: white chocolate macadamia nut toffee cookies, for the win.

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Adapted from "THE BEST White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Published 19 February 2025]

Meal No. 4138: Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers

Dateline: Tue 23 June. It was another opportune boys' night when Mookie made a Tuesday evening visit a couple of weeks ago. He's long been a fan, and a reasonably regular partaker of, the house specialty of peanut butter bacon burgers. Since he missed the recent offering just over 10 meals ago, I thought he was owed his due, so to work I went.

Home ground chuck tender steak, homemade peanut butter, homemade special sauce, and the slightly fussy touch of latticed bacon...all on buttered toasted brioche buns with the house-made beef and cheddar melts sauce, a/k/a a souped-up Thousand Island dressing. The mastication was occasionally interrupted by giddy happy gustatory giggles.

This was the 36th occasion for this particular delicacy, and I always like to update the history accordingly:

• Inspired by Yo Mama's in the French Quarter of New Orleans
• First Made: Meal No. 180
• Last Made: Meal No. 4126
• Fresh Home-Ground Beef, typically from boneless beef short ribs and top sirloin
• Homemade Peanut Butter
• Homemade Burger Sauce
• Labeled Photo of a Sample "Final Product" Burger: Guide to Meal No. 234

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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.

"Beef & Cheddar Melts Sauce," a Roediger House creation.

Original bacon braid guidance from "Bacon Sheets," from MyFridgeFood.com. See also: "How to Make Bacon Lattices for the Perfect BLTs," a nice video demonstration, from Justin Chapple's Mad Genius Tips on the Food & Wine website [published 02 March 2015 / Updated 14 September 2021 by Bridget Hallinana].

Meal No. 4137: Caesar Salad with Filet Mignon

Dateline: Mon 22 June. Just before storms hit on the second evening of summer, the Roediger House dinner fare centered on Caesar salads with filet mignon, a wonderfully hearty treat made easier by the sous vide immersion circulator and a good finishing pan sear.

That Monday was also the occasion of Sumner’s 10th birthday, sweet and precious pup that he is. Words cannot capture how fortunate it is to have found him, or to have had him find the Roediger House. Adopted from our local Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation when he was about 9 months old, he has been a genuine joy and the absolute best boy in the world.

When a fast-moving storm rolled over us right after dinner clean-up was completed, we lost power in an instant.

Most of the Holly Avenue Neighborhood, plus the east side of the West End Neighborhood (here on our side of Broad Street), as well as First Baptist and Centenary Methodist and Calvary Moravian Churches, were all dark. Power was restored around 9:45 pm.

I strolled that evening through our powerless section of downtown, clocking in at about 2.5 miles, because old men survey the “damage” like that. When I got back to the house at 9:30 pm, I tried to snag a photo of this uncharacteristic dark, but my iPhone camera did quite a bit to compensate. Still, it’s an eerie shot that I kind of dig.

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