Sweet Milk Vanilla Ice Cream

Dateline: Fri 24 July. While the churning of vanilla ice cream coincided with National Vanilla Ice Cream Day back on July 23rd, it did not get served until after the next evening’s supper. And as is always the case, it was sweet and delicious and much appreciated by its partakers. Some chocolate fudge sauce was an added touch of grandness and it did not take long for the desserts to be disposed of.

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Based on "Sweet Milk Ice Cream," published in the King Arthur Flour catalogue some years ago, but the recipe is no longer available on their website.

Maple Pecan Praline Ice Cream

Dateline: Wed 01 July. Pushed into action by the most recent occurrence of National Pralines Day, I whipped up a batch unsuccessfully using a recipe that I've now thrown away. And then I made a maple ice cream base into which the pieces of praline could be mixed. It was a sugar-intense result in the end but served as a delightful sweet evening-concluder on the opening day of July.

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Adapted from "Maple Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream," from Alanna Taylor-Tobin of The Bojon Gourmet. [Published 29 September 2012 / Updated 22 April 2025]

"Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines," by Nancie McDermott and Jill O'Connor, from Southern Living online. [Printed 24 June 2019 / Updated 10 October 2022]

Meal No. 4139: Detroit-Style Pizza

Dateline: Wed 24 June. As summer started up, we had one night of intense storm activity, and the resulting power loss on one evening threw off my best-laid plans that week. But I also made a promise to dear friend Amy that we would have pizza on her regular Wednesday visit, so the celebration of National Detroit-Style Pizza Day was a day late...but not a dollop short of sauce! Although I felt like this was a less successful attempt, we still wolfed down our respective portions. The take-away lesson is that it only gets better with practice.

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"King Arthur's Detroit-Style Pizza," from King Arthur Baking and inspired by SeriousEats.com [Updated 21 September 2025]. See also the accompanying blog post, "A Pair of Pan Pizza Recipes," by PJ Hamel. [Published 18 June 2019]

Chocolate Frosty Shakes

The first Sunday of June was also National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, apparently, and it was therefore fitting that I'd made a new batch of homemade chocolate milk to freeze into cubes to then be developed into a blender-based chocolate frosty shake...à la Wendy's. This was my second attempt to make a Frosty this way, and once again I was very disappointed that my very expensive Vitamix blender seems unable to handle the job. Of course, once I research it further, I'm sure I'll find out it's just user error. But with guests waiting for their dessert, I did not like that my hosting efforts were jeopardized when that expensive appliance did not perform as expected.

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"Homemade Chocolate Frosty," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Updated 04 August 2025]

Meal No. 4042: Tomato & Corn Pie

After a good full week of work in southern Georgia and after belatedly letting it catch my eye that this past Friday the 13th was also National Cheddar Day, I satisfied a menu craving and honored that occasion with tomato and corn pie for supper. Because I'm bringing ideas from several recipes together, the result always seems to vary just a bit but I'm also almost always pleased. With the exception of how the pieces absolutely fell apart as I tried to serve each slice, making for an unsightly presentation, it was still all really tasty. My beloved roasted broccoli florets were there as well, plus a smattering of Caesar-topped spring mix.

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Pulled together and based on the following evolving recipe history:

• "Tomato Pie," from the Swamp Rabbit Café in Greenville, SC.
• "Tomato and Corn Pie," from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. [Published 27 August 2009]
• "Tomato and Corn Pie," by Maggie Ruggiero in Gourmet, August 2009, p. 42-43. [Published Online 15 July 2009]
• "Quick Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic and Thyme," from Suzy Karadsheh of The Mediterranean Dish. [First Published in 2015 / Updated 11 September 2020]

Meal No. 4037: Egg Drop Soup & Japanese Coleslaw

As National Homemade Soup Day arrived Wednesday a week ago, I was ready for something lighter than my usual thick or hearty or cheesy soups. That's when I thought it might be fun to bring back a recipe I'd made only once before, almost exactly 10 years ago: egg drop soup. I reviewed my printed recipe for it, tucked away in the Soups binder, but I also took another look at Bill Leung's Youtube video for it. I certainly don't have his technique but it was a pleasing bowl of delicious soup nonetheless. And alongside I had a ginger-dressed Japanese coleslaw. As temps dropped outside and some more winter mix of weather moved in, I was more than happy to indulge in an evening of Asian Soup and Salad!

As a tasty treat at evening's end, I thought I'd try to be clever and fell far short. There was a fair portion of speculoos mousse remaining from the previous evening's carrot cake shells, so I made two small round Biscoff crusts and then topped them with all that remained of that mousse. It worked, but it was also unglorious.

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"Egg Drop Soup," by Bill Leung of The Woks of Life: A Culinary Genealogy. [Published November 2015 / Updated 16 April 2025]

Based on "Japanese Coleslaw," by Dan Coombs of The Curry Guy. [Published 24 August 2023]

"Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie Mayo)," by Namiko Hirasawa Chen of Just One Cookbook. [Published 01 April 2025]

Speculoos Mousse in Carrot Cake Shells

When National Carrot Cake Day rolled around Tuesday a week ago, I knew I didn't need to make a whole layer cake...even though we do enjoy a perfect recipe for it around here, from time to time. Instead, with three at dinner that night, I reached way back into the pandemic era for something I'd made just once before: carrot cake shells filled with speculoos cookie butter mousse. I'll blame my lack of practice with dessert shells of this sort for the unfortunate structural complications of the finished shells: my special pan does not come with a set of recipes or enough guidance. So I was experimenting. Still: that mousse is sort of addictive, and once one begins to dig into this, the well-formed shellscape is quickly compromised anyway, right? Plus: sugar.

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"Speculoos Cookie Butter Mousse," from Erin Vasicek of TheSpiffyCookie.com. [Published 23 February 2015]

Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 28 March 2024]

Meal No. 3996: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I was really disturbed by the deep chill that rolled in to the northwest Piedmont on Thanksgiving and then lingered for almost three weeks. But if daytime temps are gonna remain in the low 30s on a Tuesday in early December, I’ll just go ahead and rail against it with a hearty pot of bacon cheeseburger soup. Well-seasoned and happily herbed, built from a Marsala-spiked mirepoix base, meaty with beef and bacon, populated with potatoes and with cheeses that pleases: our steaming bowls were eagerly attacked while a grey afternoon light barely penetrated the kitchen nook.

But kitchen pursuits were not wholly concluded with dinner cleanup, especially since that was National Pastry Day and I had something on my mind to prepare for it. While one is guaranteed of a far superior result if creating cream cheese danish pastries from scratch, as I did back in 2021, the trade-off involved in shortcutting the process with storebought refrigerated puff pastry does still have its compensations. That's how I handled dessert last Tuesday evening, knowing we were pretty full from that delicious soup, and still craving something sweet to finish up the night.

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

"Starbucks Cheese Danish (Better Than the Coffee Shop Version!)," by Chahinez Tabet Aoul of Lifestyle of a Foodie. [Updated 11 October 2025]

Meal No. 3959: National Sausage Pizza Day

Making only its fourth appearance at the Roediger House on Saturday night a week ago: Detroit-style pizza.

This time, it was in recognition of National Sausage Pizza Day, so I subbed sweet Italian sausage for the more traditional pepperoni. That's not the only ingredient that requires an alternative, because I cannot easily obtain true Wisconsin-style cheddar and have to make do with what is available here. On these limited trials of this marvelous rectangular pie, though, I've not yet been faulted for these alterations.

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"King Arthur's Detroit-Style Pizza," from King Arthur Baking and inspired by SeriousEats.com. See also the accompanying blog post, "A Pair of Pan Pizza Recipes," by PJ Hamel. [Published 18 June 2019]

National Cinnamon Buns Day

My first full day at home after quite a stretch of "travel weeks" coincided with National Cinnamon Buns Day, and I was fully committed to its celebration. Well, not committed enough to make one of my better and more involved recipes, which is how I fell back onto what still proved to be an excellent choice: Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls, the 2021 Recipe of the Year from King Arthur Baking. With a truly incredible soft dough and just the right amount of filling, adorned with my own cream cheese frosting (extra thick for oozing on a hot bun), these were a welcome return to these marvelous confections...the first version I've made since February 2024!

In the ongoing chronicle of all kinds of things here at the Roediger House, this was the 24th batch of something from the realm of actual cinnamon buns or cinnamon rolls or cinnamon roll sticky buns.

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"Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls," from PJ Hamel and the Test Kitchen Team at King Arthur Baking.

Butterscotch Budino with Vanilla Bourbon Salted Caramel

A diversionary tactic with inclusionary goals has been to pay occasional attention to the “National Day of...” lists; playing along propels me to make dishes and desserts that I’d otherwise overlook or ignore. As variety is destined to spice up our lives, the gimmick asks little of me, but I’ve not been as invested in it lately. Ah, but Friday September 19 was National Butterscotch Pudding Day, and I was ready for it.

Mixed results over the years did not dissuade me from once again using the New York Times Cooking recommendation for the base pudding. This latest attempt lacked structural integrity—the pudding-like consistency was mysteriously absent—but the flavor was still there. I finally decided to just throw out that NYT recipe, though, so that I’m not tempted to try—and fail again with—it in the future.

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"Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce," by Frank Bruni of New York Times Cooking; adapted from Dahlia Narvaez of Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles.

"Vanilla Bourbon Salted Caramel," from Jennifer and Trevor Debth. [Published 22 April 2015]

Useful guidance also found in "Stabilized Whipped Cream," from Alyssa Rivers of TheRecipeCritic.com. [Published 02 November 2023]

Meal No. 3886: National Detroit-Style Pizza Day

Ah, June 23: you rolled up on us with the extra gift of a National Day celebration of Detroit-style pizza, and I was ready to do my part to mark the occasion. No one has demanded that I employ tricks upon myself to increase variation in meals and other culinary pursuits...I just need these ruses to help me shake things up from time to time. Like the Dungeons & Dragons dice roll I created a year or so ago, following along with the National Day of "_____" calendar also forces my hand a bit. That’s how Monday a week ago found me getting an early afternoon start on Detroit-style pizza, for National Detroit-Style Pizza Day.

Sticking with a standard approach and depending still on the recipe I’d used the two previous times I’d made it, the outcome was just what I’d hoped for. These are gorgeous gracious loaded squares, once cut from the special pan, all cheesed and amply (and freshly) sauced, the charred bits giving crunch and the pepperonis giving slight heat. It was especially good that night, a joyous dinnertime where the delights were all culinary in all the best ways.

I was glad for the leftovers as well, because the following evening I had a chance to bring a virtual presentation to a group of doctoral students working under Dr. Zwadyk, and an early microwaved supper helped me work around that happy commitment. It was also wise to keep the oven off...and I forewent my evening stroll since that Tuesday night it was still almost 90°F (and real-feel of 102°F!) at 9:30 pm!

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"King Arthur's Detroit-Style Pizza," from King Arthur Baking and inspired by SeriousEats.com. See also the accompanying blog post, "A Pair of Pan Pizza Recipes," by PJ Hamel. [Published 18 June 2019]

National Donut Day

It's been a while since I managed to meet the moment of a "National Day of..." But last Friday was National Donut Day, observed the first Friday of June, and I had a recipe that looked perfect for how my time was working out late that afternoon. Take a gander at these marvelous glazed yeast doughnuts, with an Amish spin, that turned out just about perfect. Fresh and hot, well-coated in a sweet vanilla glaze, I'd consumed two in short order and then spent the evening knowing I'm a weak man.

The storm that blew up on us just after I'd passed two doughnuts over to our neighbors was anything but weak: the rush of water down the street, the flashes of lightning, the roll of thunder, the ominous darkness that beat the dusk into submission: while technically we are still in late spring, let's call it the first great storm of the summer.

Lots of water came down, but not as much as my college roommate Jimmy endured the day before in Sanford, when his office parking lot flooded after about 4 inches of rain fell and his Honda CRV ended up submerged.

Our radar here shows it was small in scope but intense in packed punch:

And good lord: what a bald spot this old man is sporting nowadays:

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"Amish Donuts," from Julie Clark. From Tastes of Lizzy T. [Published 01 June 2024]

Meal No. 3758: Cheddar Crust Chicken Pot Pie

This past Monday was National Pastry Day, and "pastry" is a term that covers a multitude of sins. The day's dreary rainy beginning and persistent grey coloring, along with cooler temps and a general blah, led me to opt for a cheddar crust chicken pot pie in honor of the day's designation. The menu choice had one additional virtue: it promised plentiful leftovers and I was eyeing Wednesday's need for such, because I was working down in Sampson County and that's a long drive back.

When I made this on a hot day near summer's end, that blog post noted how the dish is better suited for fall weather. I'm glad I rose to this moment, because that was a terrific bowl of soothing December goodness. And it was better suited to the Monday weather than to the day before, a lazy gorgeous Sunday afternoon with a welcome but temporary spike in temps all the way up to 68°F—the pups and I loved our outside time that day!

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

Eggnog Sugar Cookies

The butter was set out to soften but I was a day late in celebrating National Cookie Day. Therefore it was Thursday afternoon before I was pulling soft and chewy eggnog sugar cookies out of the oven, with a couple for me and many of the rest to share with neighbors.

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"Soft & Chewy Eggnog Cookies," by Lindsay Conchar of LifeLoveandSugar.com. [Published 26 November 2019 / Updated 15 March 2023]

Meal No. 3752: Vegetarian Chorizo Sheet Pan Nachos

Last Tuesday's company invited a different take on our much-loved sheet pan nachos, this time with a heaping helping of plant-based chorizo crumbles. That just ain't my thing, so I passed on the supper, which is why I forgot to take a picture of one of the plates once it was served up. (There is joy in sharing foods and feasts that I like to make; it's more a chore when otherwise.) I can attest to the sexiness of the lime crema, though.

And then came time for dessert, and I tried a new recipe so that I could use some of the amazing cinnamon last week's guests gifted me with, plus a small bit of honey given by my UNC chum Kelly on his recent visit. We all rather liked this new thing: honeybun cake. Layers of cinnamon and brown sugar alternating with a moist yellow cake, but tender and moist once baked, the slices oozed casually with the vanilla and honey glaze applied to the hot cake. That may not be the style of cake that the crafters of this National Day intended, but I think it fit the bill for us.

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Sheet Pan Nachos based on "Loaded Sweet Pork Sheet Pan Nachos," from Elyse of Six Sisters Stuff. [Published 14 March 2018 / Updated 20 September 2024]

"Easy Lime Crema," from Lisa Bryan of DownShiftology.com. [Published 22 April 2020 / Updated 07 May 2020]

"Honeybun Cake (From-Scratch)," from Monique Kilgore of DivasCanCook.com. [Published 11 September 2022]

Cinnamon Biscuits with Eggnog Glaze

Following last Sunday's early supper, and knowing I'd missed a chance at something more impressive for National Homemade Bread Day, I took an easy sweet course of action: cinnamon biscuits with an eggnog glaze. These are in keeping with the long-ago cinnamon biscuits that used to be available at Bojangle's, and which I loved. Absolutely tender and deliciously topped with some of my favorite flavors, these tasty treats were an end-of-weekend indulgence that I'll have to bring back again soon.

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Bojangle's Copycat "Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Icing," by Whitney Reist of SweetCayenne.com. [Published 03 November 2021 / Updated 11 March 2023]

Meal No. 3733: National Oatmeal Day

On the final Tuesday of October, the simple supper aligned with National Oatmeal Day, so a steaming bowl of that lifelong favorite was the sustenance. It's not impressive or sexy, and there are plenty of meals that I enjoy posting about that seem more worth any reader's time...but the policy here is to document it all. The photo here brings to mind a snatch of childhood memory, of my sister Janice (14 years older than me) reaching across the breakfast bar and slapping me on the face for putting too much sugar on my oatmeal. I'm grown now. I'll sugar my oatmeal as I damn well please.

Meal No. 3728: Creamy Basil Chicken

The Roediger House celebrated National Pasta Day with a callback recipe to meals of old: creamy basil chicken over fettuccine. I believe it appeared a few times in the old kitchen, over sixteen years ago. But only twice in the new one: once in 2009, with a different recipe; and then in 2018, with the one I used Thursday a week ago. It proved plenty pleasing for that repast on a chilly late week afternoon.

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"Basil Cream Chicken," from MizzNezz on GeniusKitchen.com (now Food.com).

Meal No. 3722: National Salmon Day

Last Tuesday was National Salmon Day, and I was all in for it. Spiced nicely along with an olive oil coating, roasted to perfection thanks to my wireless monitoring probe, and accompanied with a large, large pile of roasted broccoli: I was living large and eating heartily this latest offering of one of my favorite meals.