Meal No. 1193: Hamburger Supreme

On yesterday's miserably cold, dreary, wet and rainy January day in Winston-Salem, with the smallest accumulation of morning sleet, a comfort meal seemed called for when the dinner hour rolled around. With good friend and fellow CRISS trainer Jeff Means up for a visit, I should probably have made a better effort in the kitchen, but this soothing casserole seldom garners any complaints.

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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. 1192: Caramelized Party Ham Biscuits

I've been on a bit of a tear with these caramelized party ham biscuits of late, but I needed a breakfast for my overnight guests this morning. I went ahead and made up a horseradish sauce to give the innards some more flavor, and I was pretty pleased at the result.

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"Party Ham Biscuits," a recipe shared with our family by Susan Brown and recorded in my recipe collection in 1988. There are various versions of this recipe, of course. Pretty popular is the "caramelized" version, such as this one: "Caramelized Ham & Swiss Buns," by Iris Weihemuller of Baxter, MN, in Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 59.

The Day Brings

Meal No. 1191: Not So Cajun Chicken

Not as good as when I cook the chicken fresh and in the spices of this dish (tonight I used the rest of the rotisserie chicken I had on hand), but Not So Cajun chicken is always a hit in this house.

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Links To Recipe [in PDF]:

Not So Cajun Chicken, a dish I regularly enjoyed at Crowley's Old Time Favorites restaurant and bar on Medlin Drive in Raleigh, NC.  (Another version of the recipe can be found here.)

Meal No. 1190: Chicken Supreme

I'd picked up a rotisserie chicken when I made a shopping trip to Sam's Club yesterday, and tonight I used a fair portion of it to resurrect one of my oldest recipes: chicken supreme. When I moved away from home after college, this is one of the recipes my mother sent with me. It's really tasty but it's been about four years since I made it (and before that, it might have been as long as 20 years since I'd made it!).

Meal No. 1189: Another Party Requires Foodstuffs!

Lots of fun things going on 'round here this weekend and week, and on this fine January Monday, it was another occasion of fun and frivolity for which edible goodies were required. Here's a sampling:

Warm Swiss and Bacon Dip

Creamy Stuffed Eggs

Party Ham Biscuits

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

"Creamy Stuffed Eggs," a recipe shared with me by Barbara Huneycutt of Crozet, VA.

"Party Ham Biscuits," a recipe shared with our family by Susan Brown and recorded in my recipe collection in 1988. There are various versions of this recipe, of course. Pretty popular is the "caramelized" version, such as this one: "Caramelized Ham & Swiss Buns," by Iris Weihemuller of Baxter, MN, in Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 59.

Meal No. 1188: The Annual Chili Night

I realize I keep talking about having way too much going on, but there's just a lot going on, and so this year's annual chili cook-off was reduced to a small chili gathering instead. It was good but I regret not being able to make it the usual grand affair that has been a long-standing tradition at the Roediger House.

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"Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans," from Cook's Illustrated, Number Sixty-One [March-April 2003], p. 10-11.

"Granny Wilson's Cornbread," shared by Linda B. Dunlap in 2006.

Meal No. 1187: Cold Cuts and Eggy Potato Salad

A small bachelor party-style shindig for the fellas on this fine Saturday night was best handled with cold cuts in rolls along with some delicious eggy potato salad. Apparently, the pimento cheese I'd made was also quite a hit.

Eggy Potato Salad and Cold Cuts

Not everybody cared for my UNC plates.

First use ever of my Carolinaopoly game that I've had for years.

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"Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles," by Jenny Rosenstratch and Andy Ward. In Bon Appétit, May 2012, p. 36.

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

Wendy's To The Rescue

After being on the road all week, and coming in last night, I had thought I'd be able to return to my kitchen routines and put a good dinner on the table for a few folks tonight. Alas, the day was jam-packed with all kinds of things and I am embarrassed to report that we just went to Wendy's instead:

A Stunning January Sunrise

Holiday Goodies of 2014

During the stretch of time I got to be home over the Christmas holiday, the Roediger House kitchen cranked out some goodies. Here's the fun run-down.

Chocolate-Butterscotch Scotcheroos

Mother's Date Nut Balls

White Wine Coffee Cake

White Wine Coffee Cake

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Monster Chip Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Homemade Eggnog

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"Chocolate-Butterscotch Scotcheroos," from the Rice Krispies cereal box.  I first noted and recorded this recipe in 1988.

"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.

"Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies," from Hershey's Kitchens.

• On the Hershey's website: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=6197&name=Oatmeal7Cinnamon7Chips7Cookies

• PDF of the Roediger House Version can be found by clicking here.

"Monster Chip Cookies," by Judy Mabry [Myrtle Beach, SC]. Published in Taste of Home, October/November 2001.

"Premier White Chocolate and Macadamia Pieces Cookies," from Hershey's Mauna Loa. Found online at http://www.maunaloa.com/recipes/cookies.asp.

"Homemade Eggnog," by Beverly Sims. In Cuckoo Cooks from Gilboa Christian Church in Cuckoo, Virginia.

Meal No. 1186: Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

With a few folks over for dinner this past Saturday night, and some good looking wild-caught pink Argentinian shrimp on a nice special, I headed back into the delightful Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook and emerged with this bowl of deliciousness:

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"Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce," 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. 100-101, 179.

Source of creamy grits recipe: Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Meal No. 1185: Multigrain Pancakes for Saturday Lunch

Blog-worthy? Probably not. But in the accounting of meals at the Roediger House, this one counts.

Meal No. 1184: Hoisin-Soy Chicken Legs

On Friday night, the supper I put on the table was new for me, and it proved to be quite good. I also experimented with a different way to roast my chicken quarters: 450°F for 20 minutes followed by 375°F for 15 minutes, with more sauce-basting in the middle of that cooking time. The skin sealed the legs tight and then the meat came out tender and incredibly juicy. Lucky result, or a new approach I should begin using? Time will tell.

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Inspiration and ideas from "Sticky Soy-Hoisin Chicken Thighs," by Kate Parham in Cooking Light, December 2013; and from "Spicy Hoisin Chicken," from Gourmet, May 2003.

Meal No. 1183: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

With a pretty sizable construction crew here for the last several weeks, and nearing the end of the project, and with me hitting the road for the coming week, I wanted to put some food on the table for the guys. So Friday's mid-day break for them was centered on 16 juicy burgers, some homemade pimento cheese, and barbecue kettle chips. I was trying to get everything ready without running late, so I didn't snap my usual photo of the plate for the blog, though.

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"Grilled Juicy Burgers," from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine.

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

Meal No. 1182: Emeril's Skillet Beef Stroganoff

Last night, I went with a simple meal with the ingredients I had on hand. That's in part why there are no mushrooms in it, but it was still very good.

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"Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Dinner in a Skillet," by Emeril Lagasse. Found online at The Food Network.

Five Degrees of Consternation

It was cold this morning. By the way, the indoor temp always shows high because this clock sits right above a central air register. I don't actually keep the house that hot.

Meal No. 1181: Country Ham, Biscuits, and Rice

Breakfast for supper...you know you love it.

Meal No. 1180: Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard

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"Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard," by Nigel Slater and published in Food & Wine, September 2002.

Meal No. 1179: Roast Turkey

If the Harris Teeter is going to sell me a perfectly good free-range antibiotic-free 12-pound turkey for under six bucks, I reckon I'm going to have a fancy meal with a bunch of friends on a Monday night.

We feasted happily.

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"Simplest Roast Turkey," from Dana Cowin. In Food & Wine, November 2014, p. 64.

"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.

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a Jones family favorite.

"Mary Margaret's Dressing," from Mary Margaret McKnight of Buies Creek, NC. Recipe obtained November 2002.

Meal No. 1178: Roasted Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Amazing roasted leg of lamb, perfectly cooked, deliciously flavored, and happily accompanied by fresh-made Yukon gold mashed potatoes, a marsala and peppered beefstock cream sauce, and some Brussels sprouts. Well, and an Abita Mardi Gras Bock to wash it all down.

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Preparation and marinade based on "Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb," by Elise Bauer of SimplyRecipes.com. Roasting guidance from Sydney Oland and the recipe for "Butterflied Leg of Lamb."

Meal No. 1177: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Simple. Good. Not good for me.

Meal No. 1176: Chicken Marsala with Gorgonzola

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"Chicken Marsala with Gorgonzola," by Jill Anderson (Sleepy Eye, MN). In Taste of Home, February/March 2012, p. 34-35.

Meal No. 1175: Grilled Steaks with the Sneed Crew

The stars of Clemmons Flooring LLC, Ricky and Nubee Sneed, brought their better halves to the house today for a big New Year's Day lunch, so there was a big crowd around the table. Ricky brought the steaks and pork tenderloin, Nubee brought some amazing baked beans, and I put together some salad, baked potatoes, and garlic bread. We feasted. They left. Naps followed.

Meal No. 1174: New Year's Day Meatballs for New Year's Eve

For the New Year's Eve gathering (a quiet evening affair, by design), the menu was by request and included New Year's Day meatballs, company mashed potatoes, and lima beans.

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

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

Meal No. 1173: Linton Hopkins's Bucatini Carbonara

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

Meal No. 1172: Molasses-Mustard Glazed Grilled Pork Chops

Dinners at the Roediger House are almost always served buffet style from the long countertop. Tonight, though, I plated the food because I'd taken the extra steps to make both an apple chutney and some fresh apple butter and I wanted to give a couple of my more cautious guests NO choice about whether those elements of the dinner would appear on their plates.

And everybody was glad of it, raving about how all the flavors worked seamlessly together. Hey: I just follow the recipes. I'm glad when they come together to please the assorted palates at the table.

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"Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops," adapted by Nick Kindelsperger from Bobby Flay's Grill It! Found online at SeriousEats.com.

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

Meal No. 1171: Grilled Tuna Steaks with Sauce à la Moutarde

Even though the weather outside wasn't that great, I figured we needed some seafood tonight for the four of us on hand. The tuna steaks looked good and so I grilled them up and topped them with Julia Child's sauce à la moutarde, with jasmine rice and sugar snap peas. We all dug that sauce, let me tell you, and the dinner overall seemed to leave folks reasonably satisfied.

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"Sauce à la Moutarde," from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. 1961/1983/2001. [Seventeenth Printing, October 2009.] p. 64-66.

Meal No. 1170: Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken

Yet another full table at the Roediger House for dinner, so I did an 8-pound roaster in the style of Asheville's Tupelo Honey Cafe.

I borrowed from my best cookbook for kamado grill recipes to make the sauce to go with it. And I fell back on one of my favorite accompaniments for a meal like this: best potluck macaroni and cheese. We stuffed ourselves happily before most of the crew headed out for a night of holiday reunioning with friends.

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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.

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