Meal No. 1420: New Year's Day Meatballs

A small mid-week gathering of dear Roediger House regulars last Wednesday night proved to be a fantastically wonderful and enjoyable time. We gathered in the dining room and partook of one of the RoHo's much-loved meals: New Year's Day meatballs with company mashed potatoes, named for the holiday on which I first experienced them. This time I also had steamed asparagus to go with it.

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

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

Meal No. 1419: Simple Korean BBQ

Full of great flavor, simple to prepare, with thinly-sliced boneless beef short rib, and served over Basmati rice...I tried out a basic Korean bulgogi recipe last Tuesday night and it made me quite happy.

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"Basic Bulgogi," by Chris Morocco. In Bon Appétit, November 2015, p. 44.

Meal No. 1418: Chicken on a Throne

I haven't made this meal since June 2014. I haven't even used the kamado grill since then. I guess I was getting really frustrated with two or three occasions either of really slow cooking meals, or problems keeping the charcoal going. When my remote temperature gauge crapped out on me, I'd just had enough.

But a week ago Sunday (I am quite behind on blog entries!), I took advantage of a combination of lovely weather and a tad more gumption than usual, and I put the kamado back to work.

This is politely called "Chicken on a Throne," or less politely: beer can chicken. Either way, I call it mighty tasty when it comes out right!

Kamado Meal #30

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

Meal No. 1417: Doctor Who Brunch for "Sleep No More"

A week ago Sunday, schedules coalesced in a way that permitted another edition of brunch and Doctor Who.  (Around here, without the benefit of cable or satellite, current shows in which there is high interest are watched either by purchasing the streaming from Amazon Prime, or by waiting until the season is released on Netflix, Hulu, or DVD.)

For the crew, I made some breakfast before we went upstairs to watch the show. It included zucchini bread, sausage balls, and fresh fruit.

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"Zucchini Bread," a recipe shared with me by Laura Thomas on August 23, 2000, in Woodstock, Virginia.

Meal No. 1416: Sausage & Beef Manicotti

I ventured into a completely new kind of dish for me last Saturday night: sausage and beef-stuffed manicotti. I guess I'm limited on my Italian dishes, at least the pasta-based ones, and manicotti isn't something I'm drawn to when I'm eating out.

But the recipe struck me as quite promising, so I gave it a try. I'd classify it as involved but not terribly taxing. Stuffing the manicotti with the beef and sausage mixture was actually easier than I expected.

The verdict? Pretty darned good, if I may say so. I need to try to eliminate a bit of the greasiness from the meat in it, but I would not change anything else about it.

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"Sausage & Beef Manicotti with Homemade Marinara," from Celebrate the Seasons: Autumn Classics from Cuisine at Home. Issue No. 6, October/November 2015, p. 18.

Scotch Chocolate Cake

At the end of last week, on a night when I didn't cook dinner and just had cereal instead, I still managed to scrounge up something in the kitchen, which turned out to be a scotch chocolate cake. This was one of my mother's specialties when I was in my youth, and I can remember how good it was to take back with me to UNC-Chapel Hill or Wake Forest after a weekend at home. When I was at the University of Virginia, I heard for the first time this dessert being referred to as Texas sheet cake, thanks to friend and mentor Tom Estes. When I moved back to Winston-Salem, I stumbled across an article in the food section of the local daily paper where it was called Scotch chocolate cake.

I just call it delicious and happily serve it up to whoever's around for dinner.

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"Scotch Chocolate Cake," [in my world, also known as Texas Sheetcake]. Credited to Susie Timmons. From "Popular: Cake Request Gets 22 Responses," by Michael Hastings, Food Editor of the Winston-Salem Journal. Published October 6, 2010.

Meal No. 1415: Baked Mustard Chicken

Oh my goodness: this was a delicious weeknight feast. Dinner a week ago tonight was a new find for me, from the latest issue of Cook's Country. It's called Baked Mustard Chicken, and it was more involved than I realized, but it paid off. Alongside, some stuffing and buttered corn.

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"Baked Mustard Chicken," by Ceclia Jenkins. In Cook's Country, October/November 2015, p. 12.

Meal No. 1414: Holiday Stuffed Pork Roast

On Veteran's Day, a crew came to dinner and I made it a special menu: holiday stuffed pork roast along with candied sweet potatoes and seasoned green beans. We feasted in the dining room and our bellies were full and content.

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"Holiday Stuffed Pork Roast," by Meghan Erwin, in Cook's Country, December/January 2009, p. 18.

"Candied Sweet Potatoes," by Cecilia Jenkins. In Cook's Country, October/November 2015, p. 21.

Meal No. 1413: Steak au Poivre

Last Tuesday night, I returned to one of my earliest recipe finds after I relocated to Winston-Salem from Charlottesville and again had a kitchen to cook in: steak au poivre. It's been quite a while since I'd made this. It tasted really good, but I was wishing I'd gotten the sauce to be a bit thicker.

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"Steak au Poivre," by Dawn Yanagihara. In Cook's Illustrated, September & October 2001, p. 8-9.

Final Cutting of the Grass

I cannot believe that, on the 15th of November, I still had to give the grass a full cutting. It's been wonderfully mild and also rather wet this fall, which extended the grass-growing season a good bit, I guess.

In 2014, I mowed the lawn 14 times between April 13th and October 5th. In 2015, there were 16 mowings of the lawn, between April 3rd and November 15th.

Meal No. 1412: Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Maple-Sage Butter

Last Monday night, I thought I'd try a decently simple but delicious new recipe from the latest issue of Cook's Country. The dish was pork chops seared in the skillet, topped with caramelized onions and slices of apple, along with a maple-sage butter. The sweet potato and buttered white corn were tasty accompaniments.

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"Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Maple-Sage Butter," in Cook's Country, October/November 2015, center recipe cards.

Meal No. 1411: Shrimp Po'Boys

This past Sunday night, I figured it was about time to revisit the really delicious recipe that I use to make shrimp po'boys.

And they're good. Not New Orleans good, because I don't have access to that perfect French baguette that true po'boys are made with. But really good for homemade!

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"Shrimp Po'Boy," in Bon Appétit, June 2011, p. 118-119.

"Rémoulade," online at bonappetit.com.

Meal No. 1410: Rotini Carbonara

It was rainy and dreary and I must confess to being tuckered after two weeks on the road and a short weekend in between. I took care of bills and invoices and then spent time looking at some recent issues of recipe magazines. I think I just wanted to veg today. One Roediger House regular came by in the afternoon for seven games of pool (and left on the losing end of a 0-7 record), and another came 'round for supper and a little more pool that night. I didn't bother with going to the grocery store and was happy with the rotini carbonara that was possible only with what I had on hand here at the house. The full belly that resulted also led me to a bedtime just shy of 9:30 pm that night.

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"Pasta Carbonara," a recipe shared by Monie Lawrence of Raleigh, NC.

Sweet Unsettled Cyprus

This is what rejection and refusal looks like.

Poor sweet diabetic blind Cyprus: she's been on a run of about a week or more of not eating, or eating very little. When she doesn't eat, she can't get her insulin, and when she doesn't get her insulin, she doesn't feel good, so she doesn't eat. As has been noted in the past, when we get into this cycle, it can sometimes really spiral out of control, so I've been on edge about this.

I have no idea what's going on with her, or why her appetite seems so off. She's eaten small portions on and off at mealtime, but she sure has skipped a lot of food lately.

This past Saturday morning was the first time she seemed to eagerly scoop up every last morsel, with enthusiasm, so it was a good sign for sure.

Meal No. 1409: Eggs on Toast

The mid-day meal this past Saturday was a clear throwback to my childhood: scrambled eggs on toast with jelly. A tall glass of cold vitamin D milk made it all come together.

Meal No. 1408: Party Ham Biscuits for the Slumber Party

As noted on an earlier entry, Halloween this year was celebrated at the Roediger House with a big slumber party. After our late night of eating and pool playing and movies, people still got up surprisingly early. Fortunately, I was prepared with a big pan of party ham biscuits and some more of the creamy stuffed eggs from the night before.

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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.

You Should See My November Azaleas

Yesterday, which was Sunday November 8th, I had to head outside with my camera because most of my azaleas are blooming something fierce.

They are putting on quite a show right now, as if all the trees weren't losing their leaves, and daylight savings time hasn't ended, and Halloween hasn't passed.

I'll enjoy them while they last!

The iris is also putting out some lovely blooms:

Halloween 2015: A RoHo Slumber Party

I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry that there was no big outlandish Halloween Party at the Roediger House this year. Instead, the occasion was honored with a big sleepover instead. I've learned from the last two of these that the crowd (1) brings its own candy and (2) will definitely want snacks but finds it unnecessary for me to go overboard with these.

So I made three things, and not all of them were even eaten:

Warm Swiss and Bacon Dip
(served around 1 am and quickly devoured)

Homemade Palmetto-Style Pimento Cheese

Creamy Stuffed Eggs

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

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

"Creamy Stuffed Eggs," a recipe shared with me by Barbara Huneycutt of Crozet, VA. Technique for cooking eggs greatly enhanced by Chow Hound's video short: How To Make the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg.

Meal No. 1407: Indoor Pulled Pork BBQ

Halloween 2010

For quite a number of years, the Roediger House has been the site of a pretty big Halloween party. Since this blog didn't begin until 2008, with the first major renovation and addition project, you will only find 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 chronicled here.

With the house in disarray with last fall's next round of major renovation work, there was no Halloween 2014 party, though. And now that the house is mostly finished—and much nicer as a result—I don't really want to open up the place to as many as 60 or 70 people for that kind of shindig.

For Halloween 2015, there was a crew of eight folks on hand for dinner, snacks, pool, scary movies, drinking, more eating, and sleeping over. And it really was a great time. Since daylight savings time ended that night as well, we were more willing to stay up until about 2:30 (formerly 3:30 am!) watching World War Z. And eating more snacks (to be blogged about later).

Our dinner: indoor pulled pork barbecue and blue cheese coleslaw. We feasted on the good food, and then we lingered at the dining room table for quite a while afterwards.

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"Indoor Pulled Pork," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2010 (No. 102), p. 6-7.

"Blue Cheese Coleslaw," from Ina Garten, from the Food Network website.

Monster Chip Cookies for a Professional Development

Monday a week ago, I spent the day with the faculty of a middle school in a neighboring county, with whom I'm working all this year. They've been working hard in our previous sessions and I promised to bring some cookies when I could. The batch I made was monster chip cookies, which typically prove to be huge and amazing.

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

Meal No. 1406: Grilled Ribeyes and French Fries

On the last Friday of October, I drove in from a week of work and teaching in Virginia with a late arrival, thanks to more wrecks on the interstate and a need to hit the grocery store on my way in. A quick meal on a lovely Friday night was called for, and that led me to ribeyes and fries. Perfectly cooked, I might add:

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

For the birthday dinner party a week ago, I also made a favorite Roediger House dessert: dulce de leche cheesecake bars. They are mighty rich but we all did our best to conquer our respective slices.

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"Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars," by Cindy Mushet. In Bon Appétit, June 2010, p. 96.

Five Flavor Pound Cake

When I botched the red velvet pound cake recently, thanks to the unfortunate inadvertent substitution of self-rising flour, I figured I'd better make another dessert for that next night's meal. I still liked the idea of doing a pound cake, and another new version I went for is called Five Flavor Pound Cake. It was perfectly complimented by both the fresh fruit and whipped cream brought by the evening's guests and by the super decadent double chocolate liqueur ice cream I'd made a couple of days prior.

We all had to have small slivers, though, because the meal that night was mighty good.

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"Five Flavor Pound Cake I," by P J Coward. Recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Red Velvet Pound Cake

Another new recipe that I'd had on my mind to try was a red velvet pound cake. Things were going along swimmingly but then I realized my flour canister was empty right in the middle of making the cake. I grabbed the final sack of it from the butler's pantry and finished putting it all together. Into the oven it went and I turned my attention to clean-up.

As I was wrapping up the bag of flour, I was startled to discover it was a sack of self-rising flour, which spelled trouble for my cake, for sure! Which proved to be the case: it swelled up something fierce and, within a few minutes of the end of the cook time, collapsed mightily in the middle.

So, it wasn't pretty, and it had the elements of the density of chewy brownies, but it sure still packed a solidly appealing taste. I ended up throwing a lot of it out (there were quite a few desserts simultaneously available that week) but quite a few choice pieces found their way into a collection of bellies.

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"Red Velvet Pound Cake," from JudyHayes1965. Found online at Spark Recipes [http://recipes.sparkpeople.com].

WSSU Homecoming Parade 2015

Situated just south of the intersection of West Fourth Street and North Spring Street, the Roediger House often finds itself in the middle or on the path of various events centered downtown here in Winston-Salem. Over the last 12 years, I've really enjoyed having a front-row seat for parades and 5K races and cycling events and so on.

The Komen Race for the Cure, the Winston-Salem Criterium cycling race, the Jaycees Christmas Parade, the Veteran's Day Parade, the semi-regular Cycling Sunday Funday, the Winston-Salem Pride Parade, and the Winston-Salem State University Homecoming Parade...they either staged in front of the house or they passed by here on the route.

Closed Street
(but no action!)

But the times, they are a-changing. Whereas I used to look down on the mayor in his convertible from my front porch, while the Christmas parade was being staged, it seems that things have shifted a bit to the east. My street might still be closed off, but it's no longer the heart of the activity. That was the case yesterday for the Winston-Salem State University Homecoming Parade. This year I wasn't even able to hear the marching bands warming up.

This is on 4th Street, around the corner from the house.

I'm guessing a couple of key factors might have caused the shift: the new office building, 751 West Fourth, was constructed on a large paved parking lot that was useful for staging and parking, and the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter has continued to grow and serves to shift the center of activity a little more eastward.

I'll miss my free porch-gallery entertainment and spectacle that were previously available to me without having to leave the comfort of the house or my warm mug of coffee. I wonder, though, if it might lead to fewer street closures...?