Meal No. 3875: Baked Spaghetti

Last Sunday night was a bonus visit from the smart and skilled cinematographer who's just graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. We got to know Grant back in November when The Last Peaceful Year was shot on location here at the house, and as previous blog posts have noted, we really loved getting to know the students involved in these various productions this year. This was a free final week for him before loading up the U-Haul to head home to Colorado, and it was perfect for a night of baked spaghetti and a side salad with Caesar dressing. We also really enjoyed some fresh-baked focaccia, using a shortcut King Arthur mix that was a gift of dear Virginia friend and colleague Donna (and let's also note that the olive oil she also gifted us with was put to multiple good uses that night). It was a fine supper gathering, followed by quite a few rounds of pool up on the third floor. Grant's a great guy and a pleasure to be around, so that final evening to hang out was much appreciated.

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"Baked Spaghetti," by Margaret Coalson via Stick Coulson, 13 July 1997.

Meal No. 3864: Cheddar Crust Chicken Pot Pie

The Monday evening of Memorial Day was a very special treat at the Roediger House: the director and cinematographer of the film production that occurred here in November came for dinner and a wonderful post-supper visit. It'd been about six months since I offered up the marvelous cheddar crust chicken pot pie, which was last made on a dreary December day. That's what we were dealt here in Winston-Salem Monday: cool temps, lots of drizzle and mist with random occasional showers, so I had to have comfort food for our guests. Along with green beans, and with a few folks partaking of seconds, I'd say this entree was a hit. Hank brought a terrific chocolate ice cream cake for our dessert, and there was plenty of pool playing upstairs after we left the kitchen.

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

Meal No. 3500: Skillet Pan Pizzas

When Amy and Gern are willing to come over for supper and socializing, it’s wise to clear that calendar and plan a decent menu. The canine caretaking kept me from a grocery run but I had an alternative that could work last Sunday night for what was on hand: deep dish skillet pizzas in two variations.

The easy prep of the pizza dough the night before, the long simmer of New York-style pizza sauce, the sous vide cook of prepped barbecue-spiced chicken thighs…I think we enjoyed both the barbecue chicken pizza (with bacon and sautéed shallots) and the standard pepperoni with that homemade sauce.

We retreated upstairs after supper, for a bit of pool-playing. As seen in this shot, Amy made it quite the competitive match with Gern, although in the end he emerged triumphant.

The next day, I decided I did not feel too bad for selfishly reserving the two leftover slices, as they made for a fine quiet lunch.

With a weighty oppression and unforgiving persistence, that Sunday morning felt undawned under full gathered storm clouds, sporadic flashes of lightning and muted rolls of thunder less audible for the steady drumming of fat raindrops. Here in downtown Winston-Salem, it set the course for an all-day affair in the key of blah *and* humbug. For a guy who is constitutionally incapable of taming his distaste for being in the rain, it proved inconvenient to be a two-dog household.

While a limited set of sporadic breaks did occur, it was nonetheless a steady rainfall for very nearly 24 hours, with those bands forming and reforming from the south.

That mucks with my otherwise even-keeled state of being, but add a dog to tend to and then also add a new puppy who is not yet well-trained, and it stretched me pretty thin. There was an ugly breakdown at day’s end that I am glad had no witnesses, and then I had to spend time trying to make it up to the precious pups.

I can love the pooches and loathe the precipitation, and with the bright spot of warm fellowship with that companionable couple of Amy and Gern for our dinnertime hang, a most reprieving cure was achieved for my sour disposition, at least for a few hours. Our sequestered day in began, as shown above, with the old men’s chairs occupied by one of each, and me on the hearth with a hearty warm cup of coffee. When it reached nearly bedtime, our day ended very much as it had begun: with each in a fireside chair and me on the hearth, looking at them both.

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Pizza Crust based on "Fool-Proof Pan Pizza," by J. Kenji López-Alt, culinary consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Updated 30 March 2023]

"Homemade NY-Style Pizza Sauce," by J. Kenji López-Alt, culinary consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Updated 17 February 2023]

Ray's the Bar Sign

When architect Sam Binkley designed the kitchen addition in 2008, he did so with excellent vision and foresight. It has been a marvelous expansion of and improvement to the life of the Roediger House. The west gable added to the roof back then would, he predicted, make an excellent space for a pool table, if and when I decided to finish out the attic. Sam was spot-on yet again in 2014 when he designed that attic renovation into a massive man cave, perfect for the pool table, plenty of seating for large gatherings for movies and games, and smart uses for the smaller north and south gables.

That south gable is outfitted with a sink and cabinets and a double undercounter beer cooler, all under a unique bar top made from salvaged old wood from a theatre demolition in the North Carolina Sandhills region. Aptly and cleverly named “Ray’s the Bar,” all it has needed to be complete is a couple of key signs. I’ve got a spot above the window where someday I hope to have a Foothills Brewery beer sign. And Sam envisioned a woodcut sign on the exposed chimney beside the bar area, and we even positioned a dedicated spot light on it. Finally, over seven years later, I finally got that sign, and it’s a beauty, if I my say so myself.

Meal No. 3127: The RoHo Regulars and Juicy Burgers

Last Friday night was a gathering of seven, for a meal, pool-playing, TV-watching, and hanging out. With summer in full swing and an earnest desire to be part of the festive occasion instead of just a kitchen lackey, I prepped burgers for easy quick grilling and also had on hand some appetizer munchables. This time, it made more sense to bring everything up to Ray's the Bar on the third floor and serve from there...which might be why I broke my routine and forgot to snap a photo of a fixed dinner plate. Above are the three leftover cheeseburgers.

One of snacks I made was pimento cheese, based on a recipe I settled on a few years ago when it was clearly way too expensive to keep buying the enticing Palmetto brand.

I also had a batch of Virginia-style Mexican restaurant white dipping sauce, a bewitching concoction that's heavy on the garlic, slightly spicy on the tongue, and unfailingly seductive for repeated chip-dippings.

I snuck in a kitchen endeavor early in the day, by the way: a fresh good loaf of Carolyn's banana bread, excellent with the last of the morning coffee.

We finished off our evening with portions of luscious banana pudding with toasted meringue topping, which I'd made earlier in the day in hopes it could set up properly for serving after supper. It was about as good as I can ever remember it being...all from a simple recipe found years ago on a box of Murray's vanilla wafers.

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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 in 1921, 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.

"South Carolina-Style Pimento Cheese." Recipe worked out by me, based on Sharon's Palmetto Pimento Cheese.

"Mexican Restaurant White Dipping Sauce," a recipe worked out by me, sampled by Spring Street, and approved of by all.

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

"Murray's Old Fashioned Nana Puddin'," from the Murray Vanilla Wafers package. Also found online at http://melissaannbrook.blogspot.com/2011/04/banana-and-vanilla-wafer-with-pudding.html.

Quick reference on meringue topping credited to "Banana Pudding with Meringue," from Christin Mahrlig of SpicySouthernKithchen.com. [Published 16 August 2019]

Meal No. 3099: Mexican Chicken & Rice

We hit a multi-day rainy dreariness weekend before last and for that Saturday supper I was drawn to something comforting but with a touch of heat. The perfect recipe seemed to be arroz con pollo, along with an easy but awesome white cheese dip. It did the three of us right that night. After dinner, those rains returned with a vengeance, but Mooks and I were safe inside around the pool table for a continuation of our friendly rivalry.

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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. 3008: World's Best Lasagna

This past week was a small return to work for me following the holidays, with an hour-long online virtual session last Wednesday and an all-day masked in-person session Thursday on the campus of High Point University. The Roediger House then was the overnight stopping point in the wee hours Wednesday night, including a huge U-Haul and the supporting players helping with a home relocation to Charlotte, involving guests who are not always clear about their plans or their needs. So we just try to graciously roll with it.

For Friday night's dinner, we had lasagna along with cheesy garlic bread.

I also made homemade Thousand Island dressing for our garden sald, plus homemade croutons. We cleaned our plates pretty well, I'd say, but still left a bit of room for dessert...to be featured in tomorrow's blog post.

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"World's Best Lasagna," by John Chandler (Dallas, TX). Found online at AllRecipes.com.

Adapted from "Thousand Island Dressing," from Graybert on GeniusKitchen.com.

"Croutons," by Marg CaymanDesigns on GeniusKitchen.com.

Meal No. 2911: New Year's Day Meatballs

A long-ago made plan for a grand gathering of six this past Saturday night presented a terrific opportunity for busting out the recipe for what we call New Year's Day meatballs. Also on the plate were the delicious sides of company mashed potatoes and layered green bean casserole.

Just before heavy storms with lots of lightning rolled across the city this past Saturday afternoon, temps had really climbed into their oppressive unpleasant tier. Not hot enough for me to pine away for winter, but it sure inspired gratitude that this latest front brought a welcome break in the steamy August summertime. Ah, but one cost we bore was losing two of the dinner guests, who had to stay home and tackle clean-up from a clogged gutter at their condo...and the resulting water that came into their downstairs as a result. But at least the evening still offered quite a few rounds of pool up in the 3rd floor man cave.

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"New Year's Day Meatballs," from Carol Fultz of Indiana (2001).

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a Jones family favorite (received December 2001).

Meal No. 2846: Grilled Burgers for the First Post-Pandemic Gathering

When the Roediger House regulars came over last Friday night for supper and pool and hanging out on the third floor, it was the first time we'd gotten together inside the house in 14 months and a day. We are all vaccinated now, post-gestation, and it felt so good to have the crew back in the house once more. Sumner was very excited. I'd been out of town that week for work, so I kept supper simple: juicy burgers on the grill with chips and homemade potato salad.

Boy howdy, was it nice to get back to some pool playing!

Naturally, there had to be a dessert, and a long-time and oft-requested favorite seemed called for: chocolate eclair cake. Yum.

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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.

Potato Salad loosely based on "Best Ever Potato Salad," by Michelle, who blogs at the BrownEyedBaker.com. [Published 06 June 2016]

Guidance for Hard-Boiled Eggs from "Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs," by Jill Winger of the Prairie Homestead [Published April 2016]; and from "Instant Pot Recipes Everyone Should Know," by Alina Bradford from c|net.com. [Published 17 May 2018]

"Chocolate Éclair Cake," a common and popular recipe.

Quanto Basta Confab

Across the street from the house, in a building that once housed the county elections board (Historical Note: I walked across the street to register to vote after I bought the Roediger House in 2003), there is a popular and wonderful Italian restaurant called Quanto Basta. It's coming up on its fifth anniversary, and back on February 11th, the Roediger House happily played host to a gathering of members of the kitchen and front of house staffs.

It always makes me a little nervous cooking for chefs but we couldn't leave them without some goodies to snack on. I relied that night on three tried-and-true recipes, plus three brand-new ones. Pictured above are vanilla cashew clusters, and I didn't like them all that much. Below is the faithful party favorite: Rotel cups.

The much-loved Swiss and bacon dip came hot out of the oven once the evening got underway and most people were here:

I tried a simple and cool take on homemade garlic-and-parmesan cheez-its, which I really liked:

It's been quite some time since I made the gnarly garlic dip, this time using herbs from my kitchen garden, which is holding up well this winter:

And for a touch of sweet, I tried a new recipe for chocolate Bailey's Irish Cream cookies:

Overall, it was a terrific evening. Since I hardly ever drink beer anymore, it was nice to see the bounty of the Collinwood cooler getting some attention by the guests. And the pool table got some good use by better players than I manage to be. 

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"Vanilla Cashew Clusters," by Sheela Prakash of TheKitchn.com. [Published 14 June 2017]

"Rotel Cups," a recipe passed around on Facebook. Two online versions that match up to the recipe I used can be found at NormalCooking.com and RealHouseMoms.com.

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

"Garlic Parmesan Cheez Its," from Jen the Beantown Baker. [Published 15 November 2016]

"Gnarly Garlic Dip," a recipe shared with me by Ann Cunningham in 2005. Her original name for it was "Garlic-Parsley Alouette Cheese."

"Bailey's Chocolate Cookies," by Ali of GimmeSomeOven.com. [Published 11 March 2012]

Alexa-Focused Attic Schematic

[CLICK on graphic to get a large version]

Starting tomorrow, the Roediger House is going to play host to a family troupe of six, which means a couple of people will be sleeping in the nook up in the attic. This is the first set of visitors who will be crashing up there since the conversion to smart switches and such. So I managed to whip up a schematic of sorts to help with identifying the various lights by the names that the Alexa voice assistant recognizes, along with a few of the basic commands. I'm rather proud of how it turned out and even more glad that it wasn't as time-consuming as it appears on first glance.

Meal No. 2291: Vierling Saloon Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Saturday was raw and chilly, albeit sunny, and with six of us at dinner that night I loved the idea of a giant pot of the incredibly delicious Vierling Saloon chicken and wild rice soup.

There was a good bit of pool playing beforehand, which is always fun to do.

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"Vierling Saloon Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup," formerly offered at the Vierling Saloon in Marquette, Michigan. Another online version of the recipe can be found at Miss Mary's Blog.

Meal No. 2198: Smothered Pork Chops with Onion-Thyme Gravy

When Amy and Gern were back over for dinner last Saturday night, it was again a goal to have the meal mostly cooking so there'd be plenty of pool time before supper was served. The long braise of smothered pork chops in onion-thyme gravy, along with brown rice and the original Campbell's green bean casserole, allowed for that mostly hands-free prep and a delightful time upstairs before it all came together and was served. The chops were moist and delicious, just like they're supposed to be. It was a fine meal at the apex of the weekend. All that, and still some cinnamon roll cookies-n-cream ice cream remained for offering small servings to cap off the night? Why, yes. Yes indeed.

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"Smothered Pork Chops," by Erika Bruce. In Cook's Country, April/May 2011, p. 22-23.

"Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole," from Campbell's Kitchen. Recipe available online.

Meal No. 1558: Herb Roasted Chickens

Last Saturday night was a great and grand dinner party, with six of us around a happy table for a full and most enjoyable evening. Delightful dear friends Frank and Karen were stars of the group, and I was most chagrined to look back and see that it had been very nearly two years since the last occasion of their visit.

On the menu: two herb-roasted whole chickens, scalloped potatoes, layered green bean casserole, and some more homemade apple sauce.

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"Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken with Savory Pan Gravy," in Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen, by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (2011), p. 136-137.

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

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a long-time Jones family favorite (received December 2001).

"Slow-Cooker Scalloped Potatoes," by Kelly Price. In Cook's Country, January 2011, p. 6.

Guidance for Homemade Applesauce from:

• "Spiced Country Applesauce," from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Published 11 September 2009.
• "Homemade Applesauce," from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Published 16 October 2013.
• "Sarah's Applesauce," from PHATCAT on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1556: Bucatini Carbonara

The Roediger House got another new neighbor recently, and this past Thursday night Jeff popped over for beers, pool, and a bit of supper. I shifted the menu a bit and went with a typically pleasing scaled-up version of carbonara...but I somehow blew the sauce and ended up with more puddles and less silk. Tasty, but not up to par. Still, it was a good evening to visit.

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"Bucatini Carbonara," by Linton Hopkins. In Food & Wine, July 2009.

Meal No. 1528: Lamb and Mushroom Meat Loaf

On this fine Saturday night, it is a pleasure for the Roediger House to welcome back Jay Brown for an overnight visit. Jay is my oldest friend in the world; we grew up across the street from one another in Buies Creek, and we were roommates in a cool old downtown apartment in Raleigh back in my teaching days. He and his wife Tracy are headed to the mountains to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary, and he came as far as Winston a day ahead so we could have some time to hang out.

On the dinner menu: the Tupelo Honey Cafe recipe for lamb and mushroom meat loaf, along with smashed sweet potatoes and green beans. It was a fine meal for us and really hit the spot before we headed upstairs for beer and pool.

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"Lamb and Multi-Mushroom Meat Loaf" (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, LLC, 2011.

Chapel Hill Night Lights

Back before Christmas, with the incentive of some folks who were new to the Roediger House coming over for a dinner party, I got motivated to hang up three prints from my Chapel Hill days in the pool table area in the recently-renovated attic.

Two of those framed prints are "Chapel Hill Night Lights" posters, made by my friend and fraternity brother Walt Boyle. They feature (mostly) matchbooks from a whole host of restaurants, bars, and other Chapel Hill attractions. He very kindly invited me to work with him on the second edition of it (the one on the right), which was a very cool experience. Walt is incredibly talented and he has a particular eye for design and detail. These are awesome keepsakes and I'm glad they now adorn either side of the main gable window looking out the rear of the attic space.

Meal No. 1450: Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Last Friday night, the first day of the new year was another casual gathering of the crew, with five of us here for dinner, pool, and hanging out. I made no run to the grocery store but I could still put supper in front of everybody by making ultimate cream of tomato soup along with buttered grilled cheese sandwiches.

I've got to figure out how to use the panini press without cooking half of the cheese out of the grilled cheese sandwiches. Fortunately, several diners indicated preferences for burned cheese.

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

Meal No. 1443: Christmas Eve Eve Feast 2015

The most regular regulars of the Roediger House do understandably scatter at Christmas. But we've still got to have our own special holiday meal together, which occurred this year a couple of days before Christmas Day.

The menu? It's the Thanksgiving Feast all over again. And I do mean feast.

Since that night was another in a nice series of sleepovers for a crowd that have been happening lately, we had no compunction about taking in our dessert at nearly midnight. It took that long to be ready for it, after the huge meal earlier in the evening.

And the pool playing was intense and hilarious, with the following moment captured right after Mookie managed to scratch on the 8-ball to lose the game:

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"Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast," Betty Crocker: Holiday Entrées, Sides, Brunches, & More, November 2001, p. 22-23.

"Beef Tenderloin in Wine Sauce" (p. 296) and "Spicy Horseradish Sauce" (p. 295), from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Compiled and Edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Oxmoor Press (2006).

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

"Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping," from Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook,  (Oxmoor House, 2006), p. 234-235.

"Cornbread Stuffing with Apples and Bacon," from David Venable. From "In The Kitchen with David," on QVC.com.

"Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake (1981)," also known as "Best Carrot Cake (October, 1997)," from Southern Living. Compiled in the Southern Living 1981 Annual Recipes, Birmingham: Oxmoor Press. Also found online. The recipe I follow was recommended to and shared with me by John & Ebbie Linaburg of Woodstock, Virginia.