Meal No. 3102: Sweet and Sour Chicken

As I have been noting recently, this is a slow time for me where work is concerned and so I am enjoying an abundance of home time. That leads to quite a bit more cooking, both of daily meals but also of desserts, plus the other tidbits that I like to document in the blog. All that's to say: here is another friendly reminder that I'm in an oversupply of posts mode, which is why this one describes the meal I made back on Thursday May 19th. That night, it was the messy, involved, rare offering of the absolutely spot-on and amazing sweet and sour chicken.

The batter is perfect, leaving one with crispy and flavorful morsels of fried chicken; the sweet-and-sour sauce is made from scratch and is also pretty much perfect. I served it over white rice and could not have been more pleased.

Inspired by the example set by local favorite Chang Thai, I also had some fresh pineapple on my plate...and by fresh, I mean I bought a whole pineapple and carved it up myself. (That may have been a first for me?) It also made for good snacking.

The following day—Friday—was unseasonably hot for us to barely be past the middle of May: we hit 97°F here in Winston-Salem.

That means it may not have been the best choice for me to also make my inaugural Spring 2022 cycling trek around Salem Lake mid-day. I clocked just under 18 miles start to finish and came home incredibly sweaty and seriously rubber-legged. I sure am glad that there was a whole 'nother round of leftover sweet-and-sour chicken to serve for an early supper that night.

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"Sweet-and-Sour Chicken," by Diane Unger. In Cook's Country, June/July 2016, p. 19.

Meal No. 3081: Roasted Salmon over Caesar Salad

In between rounds of those sinful cinnamon roll doughnuts a little more than a week ago, I felt compelled to make that Wednesday meal a healthy one: roasted salmon on a Caesar-dressed salad seemed called for. That let me use the last of the creamy Caesar dressing I'd made not too long ago, and also allowed me to indulge the salmon I so enjoy.

It was a fantastic spring day that Wednesday, with the gladiolus byzantinus bringing out their initial blooms, and lots of bright sunshine even if it stayed in the low 60s. I brought out my mountain bike, cleaned it up a bit, pumped up the tires, and did my first ride of the season to break it—and me—in, limiting myself to a kind 7.1 miles.

Meal No. 2876: Fried Chicken and Mac 'N Cheese

On the final Sunday of June, in spite of the heat, it was a good day for outside pursuits of a recreational kind, including swimming at Mookie and Kristen's place and then a 12-mile bike ride on the trails and greenway that are reasonably close to the house. None of that exertion could overcome the deleterious effects of the incredibly unhealthy dinner choice I made that night: fried chicken and mac 'n cheese. It's an exceedingly rare menu here—I don't fry much of anything, for the most part, and I've had to mostly let go of the former frequency of mac 'n cheese as a recurring and popular side dish.

This was not the simple route to fried chicken that, say, my mother might have done in that small kitchen in Buies Creek in the 1970s. A spiced buttermilk brine, an overnight soak, a spiced breading mixture with the extra effort to shake off excess flour with a fine-mesh sieve (another dish to clean up!), a potently hot first deep fry and a short oven bake on a rack, chilling time in the fridge, and a second deep fry for an extra crunchy exterior.

Unfortunately, I discovered belatedly that my upper oven has developed a glitch, and the broiler element is turning itself on and staying on, and so all that extra labor to follow this recipe for a perfect result was brutally derailed with a serious burning and charring of the crispy fried skin, and a slight drying out of the chicken thighs. With all the muss and fuss, the health cost, and the nonetheless unremarkable result, I'd much rather stick with my deviled chicken thighs that are so much easier, much more dependable, and perfectly delicious. Perhaps the flavors don't quite penetrate into the meat as well, but I happen to really like unenhanced baked chicken just fine.

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"The Best Southern Fried Chicken," by J. Kenji López-Alt, former culinary director of SeriousEats.com. [Updated 25 June 2020]

"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. 2874: Split Chicken Breasts

Friday June 25: another perfect temp summer day, low 80s, mostly sunny, not too humid. Perfect for the 12th ride around Salem Lake, I might add, although it was a tougher day on my bike because I just didn't seem to be able to muster full energy. It felt good to press on anyway, and I still hit my 20-mile mark for the whole trek. Let's none of us be surprised, then, that I had a pretty good appetite for supper, so I prepped split chicken breasts and put them into the sous vide, and tossed whole green beans into the oven, and rounded out the menu with easy stovetop stuffing. An unhealthy dollop of Alabama great white sauce was ideal for dipping the chicken morsels into.

As soon as the dinner dishes were cleaned up, I went straight into cookie land, bringing back the lemon sugar cookies for the evening sweet finisher. I guess I was too lazy to roll them in sugar but they're still pretty good cookies even without that.

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Chicken was prepped and cooked based on "The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous Vide Chicken Breast," by J. Kenji López-Alt, former culinary director of SeriousEats.com. [Updated 28 May 2020]

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

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

Meal No. 2873: Filet Mignon

After trying to give myself a few weeks to properly heal from a nagging injury that had kept me off my bike and off the walking trails with Sumner, I took full advantage of the fantastic weather back on June 24 to make my 11th cycling trek out around Salem Lake. I was surprised I had as much energy as I did, given how out of condition I thought I must be, but the appetite I worked up was pretty hardcore. I plopped a couple of prepped and vacuum-sealed beef filets into the sous vide and finished them with a good hot sear in the cast iron skillet. Meanwhile, I gave some fresh asparagus spears a good drizzle of garlic olive oil and roasted them to a tender crisped perfection. That was one fine meal for this old man in his famished state.

Although it's now the time of the summer where citronella incense is necessary in order to enjoy outside sitting time, at least in the evening, I lit up a few sticks so that I could watch the rising of the Strawberry Super Moon that night. I'm lousy at moon photography but here is the foolish shot I took. It was a pretty glorious sight on one of those summer nights where everything came together to make it a delightful and simple moment.

Meal No. 2858: Roasted Salmon

Last Wednesday I was ready for another round of salmon, after a nearly two-week absence of it, and it roasted up to a spiced and flavorful perfection, along with garlicked whole green beans. And there was still some strawberry pie for dessert.

I'd make my 9th and 10th treks around Salem Lake last Tuesday and Wednesday, which really does work up my appetite. Each trip is usually around 20 miles, give or take, and even if my legs feel like they're lacking in energy as I work my way out there, I keep finding that the joy of the ride really kicks in once I start around the lake trail. I can't believe I've gotten myself to do this, after decades of overwhelming inactivity.

Meal No. 2857: Succulent Braised Pork Stew

With Boston Butt pork shoulders on a 97-cents-a-pound special last week, I had to pick up a couple of them. The first one was used for a delicious braised pork stew, rich with red wine and vegetables. I'm calling it a stew this time, since it was a simple one-bowl meal with barely enough goop to qualify for spooning. It was hearty and filling, which I needed after another great bike ride out around Salem Lake (No. 8). That's how the Roediger House noted the final day of May when dinnertime rolled around.

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"Succulent Braised Pork Recipe," from Melissa D'Arabian on FoodNetwork.com.

Meal No. 2855: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

Last Saturday's supper was simple thanks to the sous vide and some prepped-and-sealed burgers. A super hot grill finished them off and melted the overabundance of cheese down to a tasty topping. I was ready for a somewhat indulgent dinner after a third day in a row making the bike trek out to and around Salem Lake (No. 7!).

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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 100 years ago this year, 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.

Meal No. 2854: Grilled Ribeye Steaks

Last Friday offered another fine morning for a bike ride out around Salem Lake (6th time for the Salem Lake run from home; 19.2 miles total trek). I figured 40 miles of cycling in two days might merit a fine steak dinner. Alas, the ribeyes I grilled were thinner than I was hoping but they were still delicious, especially accompanied by roasted garlic-infused asparagus and roasted spiced potatoes. And was that a small remainder of chocolate pudding to finish it all off in grand fasion? I should say so.

Meal No. 2853: Peruvian Split Chicken Breasts

Last week, a "heat dome" settled over Winston-Salem (as at least one weather story referred to it), pushing temps into the low 90s and gracing us with no small mean measure of humidity. But last Thursday included an exceptionally pleasant morning with light breezes and brilliant sunshine, and I took full advantage of it to once again jump on my bike and make the big circuit out and around Salem Lake (my 5th time). This time my watch told me it was a 21-mile journey. That put me all-too-ready for a very early dinner, served around 2:30 pm, with the delicious feature of perfectly-cooked Peruvian-spiced split chicken breasts, with more of the spot-on garlic-lime-chili aïoli, and garlic-roasted whole green beans.

Meal No. 2845: Chicken Breasts in Sour Cream

In the late 90s, as a pretty regular getaway from Charlottesville, and then through a good chunk of the early 2000s, because of lots of teaching and consulting in the area, I made lots and lots of trips that included stays with my friends Cindy Coulson and Harley Knowles. So many meals eaten at their table, and so many recipes that I walked away from those visits with! I should have made a label/blogpost tag for Cindy a long time ago to easily find all the meals I've made that have a connection to her or to my visits to Winchester, VA. Anyway: a pretty regular dish we enjoyed and that I made a lot after I permanently moved to Winston-Salem was chicken breasts in sour cream. But alas: I have put it aside for nearly 11 years now, having only made it once, for Meal No. 39, since the kitchen addition was completed and the tracking of all meals was initiated. I brought it back Sunday a week ago, along with layered green bean casserole and the last of the broccoli I'd bought, roasted to a nice charred perfection.

Quite a few things are included in blog entries, not so much because I think the blog's small but faithful audience has an insatiable desire for all tidbits large and small...but because it really helps me with my inclination to record and document. Dinner may have been especially good to me that night because I'd once again headed out for a circuit around Salem Lake on my bike (my fourth time), and then also included taking the spur trail down to Quarry Park (the second trek there) as well. 

Round trip came in right at 24 miles, and I still managed to get in a 3-mile walk with Sumner (at an under-15-minute-mile pace, at that!). So, food tastes awesome.

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"Chicken Breasts in Sour Cream," from Ann Lafferty via Cindy Coulson, 13 July 1997.

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a long-time Jones family favorite.

Meal No. 2843: Salmon Croquettes with Chili-Lime-Garlic Aïoli

The pattern is becoming well-established: when I return to my much-loved roasted salmon, I'll cook extra so that soon thereafter there can be the deep indulgence in the new-round favorite, salmon croquettes. Thursday before last, with the addition of the perfect chili-lime-garlic aïoli, and the slight variation of roasted Brussels sprouts, I overdid it with a double serving on my plate.

I talked myself into that overeating, though, because that afternoon I took the mountain bike out for a good long ride, marking my third trip all the way around Salem Lake. Total ride: 22 miles.

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Recipe 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. 2840: Grilled Filet Mignon

A picture-perfect breezy and bright sunny day back on Sunday May 2nd proved to be a powerful draw to get on my bike again for what I thought would be my usual quick downtown circuit. My legs were sort of burning from the get-go and I felt sure I'd be too much of a punk to push myself. Alas, I ended up back at Salem Lake again, and did the full trail around the lake and a pretty good added distance when making my way back home again. The total mileage, according to my watch's fitness tracker, was 22 miles.

After all that, who wouldn't want a grilled medium rare filet mignon, with roasted and garlicked asparagus fatties? I was ready to eat a cow, so, yeah, that'd be me.

Cycling to Quarry Park

This old man is doing the best he can with his late-in-life rediscovery of the pleasure of a mountain bike, and it sure was a treat to once again head out for a slightly grander quest last Monday when the weather turned picture-perfect yet again. I'd finally looked up the city's greenways and trails to get a better handle on my options for reasonably safe bike rides, and I saw that there was a path connected to the Salem Creek Greenway that branched off to Winston's relatively new Quarry Park. That's where I went on that beautiful day, huffing and puffing for the uphill portions but happily achieving a worthy end to that quest.

I'm finding yet another reason to love the benefits and features of downtown living, because it's relatively easy to get from home to a biking/walking trail without a lot of time on busy city streets. We'll see if the hot weather of summer curtails my efforts as much as I fear they might, but for now I think I'm off to a good start with getting out and getting healthier!

Monday involved another important milestone: I got my second dose of the Pfizer COVID19 vaccine. So I'm counting down the two-week last-stage gestation period so that I can re-enter more regular life...and get back to work!

Meal No. 2831: Cheeseburgers

Among the items that have been prepped, vacuum-sealed, and frozen for the stockpiling efforts of this past year's pandemic were burgers, full of flavorful goodness, suitable to be cooked to a perfect temperature via sous vide and then finished on the grill with the addition of American cheese. With Sun Chips for a snacky crunch, these were great this past Monday night.

I was ready for the red meat, because early afternoon found me venturing out yet again on my bike. This time, I traveled the Long Branch Trail down to the Salem Creek Greenway, and took it east to Salem Lake, and did the complete 7-mile circuit of the lake, and then huffed and puffed back home. Overall, it was about a 17.5-mile journey, although I thought I'd feel more depleted than I did. After supper, I headed back out with Sumner so we could get in just shy of 3.5 miles on our downtown walk.

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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 100 years ago this year, 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.

Meal No. 2825: Chicken Breast with French Herb Sauce

Among the tucked-away proteins stockpiled in the freezer are skinless boneless chicken breasts, and last Friday night seemed a good time to try to do something with them. The sous vide still makes it a simple prep with a guaranteed perfectly-cooked result...but still it seemed a plain option. So I dug into the interwebs and up came a recipe that appealed: a creamy French mustard herb sauce that really came out great. I added peas and, in hindsight, perhaps the unwise choice of a bit of stuffing.

Although we were under threat for some rain showers, they never materialized and it was a glorious day for outside time. That included a little professional lit reading in the camp chairs but also a 5-mile walk with Sumner and a 10-mile bike ride. You'd think with all that activity and a relatively light dinner, I would not have gained weight...but the next-morning weigh-in was disappointing.

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Inspired by "Creamy French Mustard Chicken," from Karina Carrel of CafeDelites.com.

Meal No. 2811: Chicken Salad Sandwiches

With the bright sunshine making the March breezes of last Sunday morning feel less chilling, it was a fine day for outside time. It also allowed me to draw my attention to the lovely blooms on camelia bushes.

Without smartly planning their placement in advance, I put them along the back property line because it needs some screening.

Over time, as they grow, I expect they'll become quite spectacular.

Early afternoon I set up the sous vide for some prepped split chicken breasts, which were vacuum-sealed with fresh rosemary sprigs and lemon slices. I diced red onion, apple, and pecans to add in to the herby dressing, with a fine chicken salad the ultimate outcome. That made for a tasty sandwich to eat outside on the driveway, with Sumner at my feet.

The grove continues with its early spring adornment, although this year's Bradford pear blossoming seems only to be busting out on the lower half...but I see the beginning pinkening of the cherry trees as well.

It was absolutely a red-letter day in the life of this old man, in the following respect: not only did Sumner and I complete roughly four-and-a-half miles on foot, I also pumped up my mountain bike tires and pulled on my helmet and took my first serious ride in over 20 years. I managed just over five miles and came home to discover I seemed to have the rubberiest legs.

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Adapted from "The Best Classic Chicken Salad Recipe," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Chief Culinary Consultant of SeriousEats.com. [Published 03 June 2015 / Updated 17 April 2020]

Haro Extreme Mountain Bike Refurbished

Another long-time to-do item has been achieved: I fetched my early 90s Haro Extreme mountain bike out of the cellar, where it's been for 15 years, and got it fixed and tuned up by the great guys at Mock Orange Bikes. I'm pretty excited to have it back up and running!