Porch Repairs, At Last!

It was just over a year ago that porch rot at the front steps finally manifested itself with a hole in the decking. After a second hole was punched by foot traffic, I simply moved the planters from my mother's house into strategic position over them in hopes that I'd soon get these things fixed. A little over a year later, I finally have.

Jake Alspaugh has now replaced that whole section of flooring in front of the front door, and it's been primed. He'll paint it in another week or so.

He's already put additional rubber and seal so that the run-off from the upstairs porch will now channel into the gutter, instead of between the gutter and the fascia board. It's really cost me dearly between the failure of my general contractor Peter R. "Pete" LaRoque to correctly install this, and with my own lethargic attention to it in a timely fashion.

Jake has also replaced a few rotted clapboard pieces along the porch on the south side of the house:

And he's remade the coal chute window well cover that's on the north side of the house, and covered it anew with a rubber topping:

Meal No. 1027: Moravian Chicken Pie

I can't believe it's been over two years since I last made this Winston-Salem classic. But that's the truth of the matter. I've lost some of my touch with it, but it was still delicious when I made it last night for dinner.

Meal No. 1026: Sunday Morning Breakfast

It's rare that I make breakfast, but on this Sunday morning I was hankering for fried eggs and grits and bacon. And there it is:

Meal No. 1025: Grilled Shoulder Lamb Chops

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

Meal No. 1024: Stuffed Grilled Pork Chops

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"Stuffed Pork Rib Chops with Plum-Pecan Relish," from Cuisine at Home, Issue 93 (May/June 2012), p. 26-27.

Meal No. 1023: Patty Melts

This was going to be the Tuesday evening meal, except there was that little HVAC crisis. Then, I left town to speak at a conference at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and this was the evening meal when I drove back into town tonight:

I'm not traditional with these, especially since I do not care for rye bread. But on buttered and toasted sourdough with a classic burger sauce and caramelized onions, plus whatever combination of cheese slices I have, it doesn't take much to feel mighty satisfied.

Classic Burger Sauce

from Cook's Illustrated, July-August 2008, p. 11.

4 T mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
1 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Christmas in June

Yes...it is still up. And it's very nearly July.

I definitely have trouble getting around to things sometimes. This is a prime example. Even the public shaming of overhearing passersby comment on it has been an insufficient incentive to put this away.

'Sup with the Sump Pump?

The visiting Tim Schwarz and I caught an afternoon movie today, The Edge of Tomorrow, but when we returned to the house, it was noticeably stuffy and warm in the kitchen. The thermostat showed it was about 84 degrees, well above the temp set for the AC, and it purported to be in a cooling cycle of the system. The outside unit wasn't running, however, and all my attempts to diagnose the problem (check the fuses, reset the system, check the power to the sump pump) all resulted in no change.

That meant an after-hours high-dollar call to Webb Heating and Air, who have faithfully and excellently taken over my HVAC service after Barnette Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., of Mocksville botched so many aspects of my system. Turns out I had the same technician who came out previously to fix something Barnette had royally screwed up, and he worked quickly and smartly to get the problem figured out and remediated.

Since the Barnette crew left an ineffective filter in the cellar air handler/furnace and also didn't seal that unit, there was a build-up of dust and trash that had clogged the condensate drain pump. Once that was cleared, everything was back up and running.

In the meantime, this kept me from whipping up any supper so Tim and I enjoyed more of that leftover chicken from the kamado grill.

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.