Meal No. 1022: Chicken on a Throne

The Roediger House is in the middle of its annual summer visit by friend, colleague, and former student Tim Schwarz, who teaches down in New Orleans. This evening, the meal was also a chance to bring in one of his fellow Wake Forest graduate students, Bradley Phillis, who's back in town for the summer to teach at the Governor's School.

I figured a special kamado grill meal was in order, and set to work on chicken on a throne. Which is supposed to cook in only about four hours.

And which didn't finish cooking until after about seven hours. So we ate in two shifts: first, the macaroni and cheese and lima beans at the intended dinner time:

Then, around 10:30, when the chicken was finally cooked properly, we also served ourselves a sampling of it, with Alabama Great White Sauce to bolster its goodness.

Then, Tim and I enjoyed several meals off the leftovers. It's hard to beat a chicken sandwich slathered with more of that white sauce, when lunchtime rolls around.

Kamado Meal #29

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"Chicken on a Throne" (p. 171-173), "Old-Fashioned High-Cholesterol Great-Tasting Southern Sauce" (p. 351), and "Alabama Great White Sauce" (p. 362). In Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 2003.

"Best Potluck Macaroni and Cheese," from Cook's Country, April/May 2007, p. 11.

Meal No. 1021: Glorious Beef & Mushroom Stir-Fry

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"Glorious Beef with Mushrooms," in Wok Fast by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Ten Speed Press, 2002, p. 87 (recipe) and p. 26-27 (marinade and sauce).

Meal No. 1020: Herb-Roasted Salmon Fillet

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Salmon based on "Herb-Roasted Salmon Fillets," by Luanne Asta of New York, NY. In Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 28.

Chilled Rosemary Dijon Cream Sauce, from "Poached Salmon," in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, compiled and edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House (1999), p. 216.

Meal No. 1019: Grilled Tuna with Soy Buerre Blanc

Pretty amazing meal for something thrown together when I drove in from Richmond after a week of work with the good folks of Saint Christopher's School.

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Sauce based on "Sesame-Crusted Mahi Mahi with Soy Shiso Ginger Butter Sauce," by Ryan Nomura. Recipe found online at AllRecipes.com, through Yummly.com.

But How Pretty Are the Flowers Now?

Mighty pretty, to my eye:

After 8 Oriental Lily

Berry Dazzle Dwarf Crepe Myrtle

Brilliant Miniature Hollyhock

Calypso Daylily

Gay Butterflies Butterfly Bush

Golden Joy Asiatic Lily

Lavender

Mini Penny Hydrangea

Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Strutters Ball Daylily

Strutters Ball Daylily

Tango Crossover Asiatic Lily

Terrace Tour at 751 W Fourth Building

Just to the north of the house, across West Fourth Street, I'm getting an imposing new neighbor: 751 W. Fourth Street. It's being developed and marketed by Commercial Realty Advisors here in Winston-Salem, led by Managing Partner John Reece. I'm pleased for downtown and for the City that this project is underway.

A week or so ago, when John invited me to join in on a discussion of landscaping of the lots that border mine (these are also going to be developed at some point by John and CRA), he invited me to take a tour with camera in hand of the building, and in particular, the top-floor terrace. It delighted me to take him up on that offer, and here are the shots I snapped on that slightly-rainy afternoon:

Fifth Floor Terrace, looking east at the Winston-Salem skyline

Fifth Floor Terrace: view of Fourth & Broad intersection
West End Village in foreground; WFU Baptist Medical Center in distance

Foreground: Roediger House
Mid-Distance: The Hawthorne Inn
Far Distance: UNC School of the Arts

Looking South with Roediger House (C) and lots for future development (R)

Commercial Realty has big plans all around me, as you can see here.

Looking down on North Spring Street (L) and Roediger House (C)

When John and I were talking in the gravel lot next to the house, he mentioned the two rental houses on the other side of me and asked what I'd think of CRA buying them to expand the development plans they could undertake around me. He also asked if I'd thought about selling the Roediger House.

That threw me for quite a loop and, quite frankly, has toyed with my mind. Don't get me wrong: I ain't selling the Roediger House. But if CRA purchased 300 and 308 N. Spring...and if they could talk the four owners of the townhouse offices (foreground in the picture above) into selling, then someday, if you come visit me, this is what you might encounter:

With tribute and apologies to the dear late Edith Macefield of Seattle, WA.

Eviction Notice for Porch-Squatting Squirrel

I didn't realize it had been five years since I noticed that the small south gable of the front porch had become the domicile of one of my yard squirrels [see this blog entry from February 2009]. On the one hand, I'd like to believe there's been no harm, and no foul. But the reality of an invader like this is that there's no accounting for what kind of damage and other havoc might result. So I've been meaning to take care of this for quite a long time.

McNeely Pest Control not only does my pest service, but they also have a team of wildlife specialists. I've got Ed Brown on the job now, and he's attached a one-way trap on that opening to make sure we get the squirrel out of the porch attic, and then he'll screen it to prevent future Occupy Roediger House movements from settling in.

And while I love my yard squirrels, and enjoy how much Cyprus loves to chase them, Ed makes a good point about bringing down their numbers. I did not want him to be zealous about it, and here I'd rather not report the total thus far that he has successfully trapped. But I'll still share pics of a couple of them:

Red Velvet Cookies for Gallery Hop

Last Friday night was the monthly first-Friday gallery hop in the downtown arts district, and I pretty regularly try to whip up some cookies to take to Delurk Gallery. This time around, it was a return to the red velvet cookies that are both pretty and tasty.

Update: On Sunday night, after the small dinner gathering for grilled country-style pork ribs, I was strongly encouraged to whip up a batch of cookies. I went with Cap'n Crunch cookies, since they don't require the wait time of softened butter. The part of the batch that remained traveled with me to Richmond Monday to share with the instructional leaders at St. Christopher's School.

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"Red Velvet Cookies," in Cuisine at Home, September/October 2013, p. 46.

"Cap'n Crunch Cookies," found online at The Capitol Baker, with credit going to The Sugar Plum Blog for inspiration and the source of the adapted recipe.

Meal No. 1018: Savory Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs

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"Savory Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs," from Ray Lampe's Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook (St. Martin's Griffin Press) and found online in this article.

"Apple-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce," by Chris Lilly. Published in Food & Wine, June 2011, p. 88, 90.

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

Meal No. 1017: Grilled T-Bone Steak and Crinkle-Cut Fries

The calendar of seasons does not yet proclaim it so, but it is summer to me. These warm sunny days of late and the great feeling of being outside in it puts me in the mood for grilling some steak. With T-bones and porterhouses on sale this week, I can't resist reaching into the fresh meat case for 'em.

I tend to be much more of a shoestring potatoes guy, but these crinkle-cut ones--which I cooked about four times longer than recommended because they need to be crisp!--were spot-on. I overdid it yet again but you all will be able to tell that by the size of my stomach the next time you see me.

Meal No. 1016: Hamburger Supreme

Had a few folks over before going together out to Gallery Hop tonight and didn't really have a better idea than this for dinner:

It's the much-loved Jones family favorite of hamburger supreme (as we call it): a comfort casserole that came to us thanks to my older sister Janice's first mother-in-law.

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

Meal No. 1015: Sesame-Crusted Mahi Mahi with Soy Ginger Butter Sauce

I very seldom feel drawn to do any meals based around mahi mahi, not because I don't care for it, but just because it's hard to keep it on my radar. Specials at the seafood counter are known to turn my head. so I brought this home and went in search of a decent recipe for getting it to my dinner plate.

This mahi mahi cooked up pretty perfectly, and it was all good with sides of broccolini and Israeli couscous. But that soy ginger butter sauce was out of this world. It's a manipulated buerre blanc and next time I'll pull back a bit on the lemon in it. It was plate-licking good, though.

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"Sesame-Crusted Mahi Mahi with Soy Shiso Ginger Butter Sauce," by Ryan Nomura. Recipe found online at AllRecipes.com, through Yummly.com.

Meal No. 1014: Brendan's Moroccan Bistro Chicken

I hope good friend and former student Brendan Shanley doesn't hate that I have stuck with this name for this dish, which he introduced to me a few years ago on the yearly Christmas visit with him and his family. It is always a hit when I serve it up to people, so I owe him a debt of gratitude.

Payable, perhaps, by honoring him in the name of the recipe.

Anyway: this was dinner for a full table of moviegoers tonight, just before we jetted off to catch The Amazing Spider-Man 2 up at the Grand Theatre.

Meal No. 1013: Silky Shrimp Bisque with Sherry

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"Silky Shrimp Bisque with Sherry," by Dara of Cookin' Canuck. Recipe online.

Meal No. 1012: New Year's Day Meatballs

I spent a fair amount of time outside working in the grove, where I'm digging up hard clay and roots and construction debris from the building of the parking area and retaining wall 15 or 20 years ago. Twice during the day, big rigs pulled up in front of the house to deliver loads to addresses up the street, but it sure made it look like the Roediger House was raking in the shipments:

Come evening, though, and there was a tableful of great friends of the Roediger House for dinner and some Doctor Who watching. For this crowd, I put together a comfort-food menu, including New Year's Day meatballs (so named because of when these were first served to the family), sweet onion corn bake, and seasoned green beans:

For dessert, there was a chocolate pecan pie:

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

"Sweet Onion Corn Bake," by Jeanette Travis of Fort Worth, TX. Published in Taste of Home, April/May 2003, p. 37-38.

Meal No. 1011: Kingston Jerk Chicken

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"Kingston Jerk Chicken," in Weber's Big Book of Grilling by Jamie Purviance and Sandra S. McRae. San Francisco: Chronicle Books (2001), p. 241.

Meal No. 1010: Basil Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops

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"Basil Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops," from the Sprouts Farmers Market website.

Meal No. 1009: Grilled Bone-In Ribeye Steak

Today was the first spotting of a goldfinch for the season:

I snagged that picture with my smartphone whilst sitting in my old man's chair by the fireside. And then that goldfinch flitted off before I could try to get any better shots.

And for dinner on a beautiful late spring evening: grilled ribeye and baked sweet potato. I'm going to love steak all the way until the day after my first heart attack.

Meal No. 1008: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Spicy Miso Mayo

This recipe required that I track down some exotic ingredients, including yuzu kosho paste and yuzu juice, which were a mystery to the folks at the local Asian grocery. So I ordered them from Amazon.com. Glad I did. This was a terrific dish, and the very simple spicy miso mayo was a great condiment alongside.

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"Grilled Chicken Thighs with Spicy Miso Mayo," from Ricardo Zarate. In Food & Wine, March 2014, p. 103. (Recipe Clipping)

Meal No. 1007: Garlic-Lime Grilled Pork Tenderloin Steaks

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"Grilled Pork Tenderloin Steaks," by Dan Souza. In Cook's Illustrated, Issue No. 128, May & June 2014, p. 6-7.