DIY Dog Food for the Ailing Princess

Dateline: Sun 12 July. At this point, it’s not clear if Scarlett keeps managing to quickly slurp up something the proves unsettling to the stomach when she’s in the yard, or if she’s got something more chronic going on. But as we scooted toward mid-July, she was back to some problematic poops and I jumped onto the crockpot version of homemade dog food early Sunday morning before leaving town so that we’d have something to help get her system back on track.

Those two precious pups are amazing at how they welcome me home when I’ve had to be gone, but there is something akin to that exuberant joy when they realize what’s coming to them in their food bowls is some of Daddy’s doggy vittles.

Scarlett voraciously inhales it, and it actually causes Sumner to remain standing, contrary to his usual couchant supper posture. But the magic mix of brown rice, chicken breast, butternut squash, sweet potato, green beans, peas, and lentils proved itself once more and everything came out all right (again) in the end.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Sumner's 10th Birthday Cake

Dateline: Sat 27 June. Between the gastric distress afflicting both pups and the storm-driven power outage on Sumner’s official 10th birthday, it seemed prudent to delay making his special treat. But before that week was out, we got down to it.

I fully expected both Sumner and Scarlett to greet it with great trepidation, as they are subjected to a tightly-regulated and highly-scheduled diet and dining routine.

With little need for encouragement, permission, or assurances, those pups did indeed execute their best doggie dive into the suitable celebration snack, with its heavy concentration of pumpkin and homemade peanut butter and adorned with non-fat Greek yogurt with even more peanut butter.

Sumner was quite certain that his single small slice was not nearly enough.

And much to their delight, controlled portions could be offered up for midday snacks for a few days following. Also: here's the cake before it got cut up and served:

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”Dog Birthday Cake,” from Sofi Llansó of Broma Bakery, a baking blog founded by Sarah Fennel in 2010. [Updated 05 June 2026 ]

Little Scarlett Impia Blasts the Gastro Trouble

With the odds-on-favorite that little Miss Scarlett Impia had been gobbling up rabbit or rat poop or the occasional cat turds in the yard and in the landscaping, she ended up with quite a run of diarrhea right around the Summer Solstice. After false hope sprang from a couple of yard doodies that looked to be on the upswing, she was back to rousing me around 4 am and running out to the azaleas for a creamy hydrant torrent, if you know what I mean.

On the first day of summer, in fact, she was so docile as to cuddle for hours on the couch...before finding herself downstairs having a pee accident in her malaise. (At least it was just in the back hallway while she was trying to rest.) The winning home remedy at the Roediger House when dogs are dogged by dour doodies is a big ol' crockpot of DIY dog food, with brown rice, butternut squash, lentils, carrots, and sweet potato. She gobbled that stuff up when it was presented to her, and in short order she was soon getting back to her regular self.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Guess Who Lost the Rat Race

Dateline: Sat 06 June. As the first full week of June was drawing to a close, there was quite a bit of excitement happening. Let’s start with a first-time accomplishment by the house imp, Scarlett: she managed to pounce on and eliminate a yard rat.

Then, no more than 40 minutes later, I’ll be darned if she didn’t slay a second larger rat. That girl must’ve wanted to get in my good graces something fierce.

The next day, there was a third rat slaying by this girl. Not only did I have no idea we had such a rat problem, I had no clue that she was such a rat problem solver.

You go, Scarlett Impia!

But wait! There is more! When I was getting that Saturday morning started in the kitchen, the number and speeding intensity of a convoy of Winston-Salem police cars piqued my curiosity enough to tune into the scanner on Broadcastify.

Once the communications exchanges made clear there was a complete shutdown of Salem Parkway and US 421 just down from the house, I thought I’d stroll to see what was afoot. From the Peters Creek Parkway bridge over the highway I snapped these shots.

Eventually the local news had the fuller story: this was the conclusion of a vehicle chase that left one WSPD unit flipped onto its roof and another slightly smashed into a small SUV.

Sumner & Scarlett Get Down with Homemade Dog Food

The Harris Teeter at which I regularly shop had an oversupply of boneless skinless chicken breasts on Memorial Day and they were marked down to 0.98 a pound. Not only was that perfect for dinner Monday a week ago, but it proved to be a bonus for the house pooches. Brown rice, carrots, butternut squash, and green beans all went into the slow cooker with three breasts on top, which meant their breakfast Tuesday a week ago (and several succeeding meals) was a glorious feast voraciously consumed by two really happy pups.

Perhaps being so very satisfied is also why they looked so wiped out mid-day in the south parlour?

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Groundhog Vanquishing No. 1

Oh, gentle readers: this post comes with a warning if you are on the more skittish side of the natural world's cruelty line. But the RoHo blog favors full documentation of all things Roediger House, and last Monday offered up a new encounter with wildlife for the resident pooches.

It proved distracting, while sitting at the kitchen table in deep conversation with visiting friends and colleagues Donna and Ebbie, to see a groundhog traipsing across the neighboring gravel lot. But when it came back over to the backyard here, it brought back to mind the trouble caused by the one that took up residence in the crawl space right beneath us. Initially all I could do was corner it under my Camry.

I summoned for backup in the form of two eager household hunters and they were more than equal to the task. As that potentially pesky invader and destructive digger tried to bolt from under the car, Sumner was on him in a flash, and Scarlett was close behind. And yes: I was a proud papa punching up the camera app on his phone to document the battle royale. The rascal put up a good fight but he was not equal to the double-teaming of our yard guards. I will spare you the final photo of him but you may depend on the fact that he is now a 6-feet-under-ground-hog.

Groundhog sightings ain't the most regular part of life on this cozy quarter acre, but they have occurred from time to time (in 2022 and 2024). With the tag-team duo to dominate him, this particular groundhog will not be making camp under my house like one of his relations.

Meal No. 4098: Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Hot Honey Ranch

Mother's Day was pretty gorgeous in Winston-Salem, and maybe I ought to have planned on grilling out to take advantage of the perfect afternoon. But instead Sunday night’s supper was built around a recipe for chicken shawarma shared by my UNC chum Kelly. I stuck with the sheet pan, after a suitable marination, for its initial cooking. I sautéed diced onions and peppers and added bacon and baby spinach leaves. All of this got rolled, inexpertly, into a wrap for an especially messy tackle. A hot honey ranch gave it a luscious lubrication and made more likely the oozing trails that slipped down our forearms.

That night, there was a small portion of the homemade dog food left after I scooped out Sumner's portion, and it went into Scarlett's bowl with a supplement of her regular dry food. She dug into it like it was catnip. All I could catch was a mouthy blur of motion as she attacked it.

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"Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma," by Sam Sifton of New York Times Cooking. [Updated 23 January 2024]

Adapted from "Chicken Bacon Hot Honey Ranch Quesadillas," by Nick Nesgoda of Burnt Pellet BBQ. [Posted 10 October 2025]

Meal No. 4091: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Yesterday felt more like December than May, with afternoon temps that barely reached the low 50s and with chilling breezes under grey skies. I made the call early in the day that there would have to be soup for supper. With our street closed off for the EmpowerHER Women's & Mother's Day Parade, it kept me from a grocery run. So with pantry staples and a stash of taco-seasoned ground beef in the freezer, the soup choice was bacon cheeseburger soup. Hearty, somewhat cheesy, full of a triumphant mix of flavors and herbs, we were all inclined to go for seconds.

The day's winter-styled weather meant more inside time, and I don't think that bothered Sumner and Scarlett one bit.

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

Meal No. 4059: Chicken Katsu (A Japanese Fried Chicken Street Food)

It's been almost a decade since I made a much-loved recipe for chicken katsu, also known as Japanese fried chicken and often thought of as "street food." In the middle of the 2010s, it showed up here quite a few times, regularly accompanied by vinegar sushi rice and a soy-mirin-onion sauce. That was the direction I went this past Thursday night. Well-satisfied and happy to have time to bask in dinner's afterglow with ongoing conversation at the table, the testament to simple pleasure in good company was pronounced and convincing.

That warmth of fellowship seemed all the more fitting given how winter so pointedly reasserted itself that morning. After an exceptionally warm multi-day teaser of springtime, in rolled a bold front of cold and a turbulent upheaval of conflicted air masses, and then a protracted deluge of downpours followed the choppy winds of change. Ominous rolls of thunder came on forcefully enough that morning to rumble the sturdy timbers of this grand old manse, but still and steady was my most excellent Sumner as he cozied close and comfy along and across my outstretched legs.

Safely sequestered inside, the morning coffee was consumed and a decent start on my next Allende novel was achieved, but by late morning I had to switch over to PowerPoint presentation preparation thanks to an impending session in Richmond that I had high hopes for. Given the 20-degree tumble of temps from wake-up to yogurt snack, a little slideshow distraction was a useful occupation to avoid discomfiting awareness of meteorological misery.

Once the clouds moved out, we were graced with stunning sunshine and fully blue skies, and cruel harsh winds to counteract what might otherwise have been a glorious Winston-Salem afternoon. Still: the brilliant blooms on the lone surviving cherry tree were stunning against the fully blue heavens later that afternoon.

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"Japanese Fried Chicken," from Cuisine at Home, Issue 98, March/April 2013, p. 44-45.

"Vinegar Sushi Rice," from Cuisine at Home, Issue 98, March/April 2013, p. 45.

A Record-Breaking False Spring

The false spring that's played out over the last week was record-breaking on a couple of days, and as it came to its triumphant end on Wednesday before temps plunged down closer to normal, it at least tied the 1967 record of 86°F, at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Sumner and Scarlett found it to be exceptionally pleasing for some front yard hang time, which means a couchant perch to watch for Sumner, and plenty of sniff and startle for Scarlett.

Here at the Roediger House, I only saw it get to 85°F, and the breezes were strong and it was delightful. The Bradford pear's short-lived blossoms are already being pushed aside by the emerging green leafing, and the lone surviving nearby cherry tree is in full strut.

A couple of the camellia bushes are also busting out in bloom, out behind the house, so I snagged a couple of photos to memorialize this stage of our seasonal progress.

Because I planted a staggered row of these bushes between two evergreen trees, I am once more testifying to poor landscape planning, and they will either have to be moved or I'll just have to dig 'em up and do away with them.

But for now, I appreciate their earnest coloring and gorgeous display as I peer out the kitchen window when I'm working at the sink.

Meal No. 4055: Spiced Pecan & Blue Cheese Salad with Chicken

February exited the scene on a Saturday this year, and it turned into a lovely late winter day. I'd hoped to work out an evening for a special salad offering, based on the signature version at a local favorite special occasion restaurant. With herbed sous vide chicken as its centerpiece, on a bed of spring mixed greens, the bowl was a tribute to the iconic spiced pecan and blue cheese salad from Ryan's Steaks, Chops, and Seafood. I offered myself an abundance of sliced cucumber and not quite enough grape tomatoes, and the sweet and sour vinaigrette was generously splashed all over.

That final day of February had a particularly enticing event late morning: a Bobby Boy Bake Shop meetup with Ericka and Jesse Morgan and their family. Ericka was one of the graduate students in my social studies education program at Wake Forest University, graduating in 2004. I hadn't seen her in about 20 years, though, and now with five kids and an incredibly busy daily life, this reunion was an understandable long time in coming. It was terrific, of course, and her kids are just marvelous.

And it was pretty nice to then come home to my own superstars:

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"Spiced Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad," inspired by the signature salad at Ryan's Steaks, Chops, & Seafood (an excellent Winston-Salem restaurant). "Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette" from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, compiled and edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House (1999), p. 373. "Cinnamon Vanilla Glazed Walnuts" recipe from McCormick & Company. Thanks as always to Jimmy Randolph for helping me track down those recipes.

Meal No. 4035: Cuban Pork Sheet Pan Nachos

Hemmed in as we were by the back-to-back winter weather events, I went into the foodstuff reserves in order to make dinner for three of us on Monday evening of last week. That made me glad for some stored-away Cuban pulled pork that served as the heart of a large sheet pan of nachos. Oh, of course there was onion and black beans, a fair amount of corn, and an abundance of Mexican cheese atop the bed of tortilla chips. A fresh batch of well-garlicked lime crema was a figurative cherry on top.

Each day of that first full week of February involved some measure of time tackling the driveway. I'd only cleared the ice pack partially, and then we got two-thirds of a foot of marvelous snow the next weekend. I had plenty to do out there.

You know: like make a path across the driveway to get to the less treacherous strip of yard along the south property line, where the pooches take care of all of their needs.

As I'd mentioned, Scarlett is well-suited to the snow cover. She loves being out in it, sniffing here and there, lying flat upon the snow and/or ice pack, ready to flick and fling icy chunks and snowy splinters whilst she leaps and yaps and nudges Sumner to play along. But let's also all celebrate how marvelous they are about getting out there and doing their business promptly and in designated locations and, at least for Scarlett, on an incredibly regular schedule.

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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]