Meal No. 1907: Pasta Carbonara

House projects have consumed a lot of energy and attention these last few days. When Wednesday's approaching dinnertime pulled me from the labors of the moment, the quick but delicious meal that I went with was pasta carbonara, and it sure satisfied.

Among those labors, by the way, was the receipt of the new theatre recliners to replace the incredibly cheap ones that I'd gotten just over two years ago for the new mancave. These are much nicer, for sure, and I think they ought to last us a good while!

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"Pasta Carbonara," a recipe shared by a former friend in Raleigh, NC

Meal No. 1906: Moravian Chicken Pie

With some isolated storms rolling through and making it a dark and dreary Tuesday night, the meal I served up for three of us seemed fittingly comforting: Moravian chicken pie, sweet potato souffle, and seasoned green beans. Thomas, the evening's guest, made the evening with a contribution of baklava that was darned delicious.

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"Moravian Chicken Pie," adapted from a recipe by Mimi Patterson and published in Cooking with Grace: A Collection of Favorite Recipes from Our Congregation to Your Home, by the Women's Fellowship of Grace Moravian Church in Mount Airy, NC (2001), p. 47.

"Sweet Potato Soufflé," by Eudell F. Smith of Clayton, NC. Published in Foundation Family Favorites. Cary, NC: North Carolina Baptist Foundation (1993), p. 205.

Meal No. 1905: Bistro BBQ Chicken, Feta, Onion, and Bacon Pizza

After a stunningly gorgeous Sunday here in Winston-Salem, dinner took place in two distinct stages, beginning with Caesar salads on the upstairs balcony:

Then closer to the usual Roediger House dinnertime, I served up a bistro-style barbecue chicken, feta, onion, and bacon pizza that was delicious:

It was with a full belly indeed that I finally pushed away from the table that night.

Tile Backsplash in the Kitchen

Yet another project on the house to-do list has now been completed: adding tile backsplash above the countertops in the kitchen. That's been on my list as long as the new kitchen has been in place...or, in other words, since spring 2009.

With the great craftsmanship of Mr. Todd Sink of Amazing Tile by Todd, this long overdue upgrade to the beautiful Roediger House kitchen happened in the waning days of August.

I wasn't interested in anything ridiculous or over-the-top: just a solid classic look with enough style to compliment what's already in place.

I'm pretty pleased with the final result.

Meal No. 1904: Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup

As the remnants of Hurricane Harvey passed over Winston-Salem this past weekend, it brought cooler temps and an overall dreariness that made one want to stay inside. When Saturday night's meal time arrived, I was drawn to something warm and comforting and settled on ultimate cream of tomato soup along with grilled cheese sandwiches. I was uncomfortably comfortable after all that.

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"Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup," from Cook's Illustrated, November 1999. Recipe can also be found online at Cookography.com.

Friday Night Boston Cream Pie

To go with Friday night's latest Roediger House Reading Party, I also wanted to have some dessert that could be prepared in advance. I'd also wanted to try out a new recipe for Boston cream pie, and that's what happened.

There's no doubt that it was pretty, and pretty good. It's hard to serve up a neat slice with that pastry cream clogging up the middle, though! I'd like to do some tinkering with this recipe but it was well-received by the gathered six that night.

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"Boston Cream Pie," by Michelle, who blogs at the BrownEyedBaker.com. [Published 19 April 2017]

Meal No. 1903: New Year's Day Meatballs

Friday night was the latest gathering for a Roediger House reading party, up in the comfy confines of the third floor entertainment space. To have a decent dinner that mostly cooked without me, I went with New Year's Day meatballs, company mashed potatoes, and layered green bean casserole. All those recipes are from the Jones family archives. Any shortcomings with the final products, though, are my own to own.

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

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a long-time Jones family favorite (received December 2001).

Meal No. 1902: Breakfast for Dinner

On the final night of August 2017, I was feeling like breakfast for dinner: sausage patties, fried sunny-side-up eggs (farm-fresh, from Clarke County VA!), creamy homemade grits, and hot buttered toast with an abundance of mixed fruit jelly...all washed down with a very tall cold glass of orange juice.

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"Creamy Grits," from Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Meal No. 1901: Chicken with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce

Occasionally I'll actually look at the emails I receive from Yummly, and recently upon doing so I found myself looking at a new recipe worth trying: chicken with tomato and basil cream sauce. That's what I served up on Tuesday night, and it really was amazingly delicious. It's a keeper and a repeater, that's for sure.

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"Chicken with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce," from Sally of GoodDinnerMom.com. [Published 27 March 2015]

Meal No. 1900: Chicken Katsu

The kitchen is in a bit of a disrupted space this week, as will be blogged about later, but I still wanted to cook some dinner and had come across a recipe that would allow me to use my soon-to-be-expiring chicken thighs: chicken katsu. It's very much like the Japanese fried chicken street-food-style dish that I've made a number of times. Chicken katsu has a unique dipping sauce and a really nice crunch to the fried chicken pieces, but I really like the mirin-onion sauce and sushi rice combo of the the street-food alternative. If it were a competition, the older recipe would win.

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"Chicken Katsu," by Teresa Morgan, published to JustAPinch.com.

French Yogurt Cake for Friends Frank & Karen

Last Saturday night was spent with delightful friends Frank and Karen over at their house for supper and catching up...and also being introduced to their new black lab Lance. Sumner was along for the ride and the boys had a wear-you-out good time running the fenced-in backyard at their warm and cozy abode. While Karen's creme brulee was the clear winner when it came time to partake of the meal-ending sweets, I figured a French yogurt cake from the Roediger House kitchen wasn't a terribly sad contribution.

Since it was so delicious, and I didn't yet know the key lime custard wasn't so great, I decided to make another one for home on Sunday night:

The frozen custard wasn't worth eating this time, but man-o-man, the French yogurt loaf was spot on and perfect in every way.

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"French Yogurt Cake," by Andrew Knowlton. In Bon Appétit, May 2012, p. 30.

Key Lime Custard Ice Cream

Here's one more element related to this past Friday's movie night: that morning, I managed to make a batch of key lime custard ice cream, based on a recipe from Willa Whitley that friend and colleague Donna Whitley-Smith shared with me a decade ago. It chilled in the fridge all through the afternoon and, when the burgers on the grill were finishing up, I added in the flavorings and the rennet tablets and got it all set up in the deep churn 6-quart ice cream freezer. I snapped the motor into place and switched it on and...nothing. The little light came on, but no action followed. It seems after all these years I must've finally burned that poor motor up. With guests outside, burgers about to overcook on the grill, and last-minute prep to do for the movie night, I just had to put the canister back in the fridge and mask my frustration and disappointment that we could not have this particular added favorite feature of a summer movie night.

I churned about a quart of it the next morning in the countertop Cuisinart just so it wouldn't all go to waste, with hopes it would be a nice cool dessert to have on hand for the next couple of nights. Unfortunately, the flavorings were off and, in the end, I was glad it didn't get served to a crowd, because I also fear I did not make it custard-y enough when I was cooking the base, leaving it more icy than creamy in the final result. Oh well!

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"Lemon Custard Ice Cream," from Willa Whitley and shared by Donna Whitley-Smith.

Meal No. 1899: Juicy Burgers for a Movie Night

In advance of the outdoor movie night this past Friday night, I also grilled up a mess of burgers and, with the weather being so nice, we actually all sat outside in the parking area and scarfed them down. There was also enough remaining chocolate fudge to share once we'd wiped the ketchup from our chins and before we settled in to watch Stand By Me.

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

Movie Night: Stand By Me

Since it's been a summer with a lot going on, and with June being wet and July just being hot, it took me until this past week to turn my thoughts to the joy of a Roediger House summer movie night. The forecast for this past Friday was highly promising, and it ended up being nearly picture-perfect to have some folks over and set up camp chairs out on the parking lot and set up the screen and speakers and light citronella...and I was glad all over again to have gotten a cornhole set for our pre-movie entertainment.

The selection was Stand By Me, the 1986 classic based on a Stephen King novella, The Body, and directed by Rob Reiner. It's been a long time since I've seen it, and it sure was good all over again. That night was also a fine chance to see how sharp and bright the image could be with the new projector and better screen in place.

Speaking of screens, if you were local and watched the Friday morning WXII-12 newscast, you would yet again have been able to spot the Roediger House in the background while Bethany Moore did her live feed:

Center for Confectious MePleases

Chocolate Fudge.

First time I've made it since December 2013.

Awesome and amazing.

Meal No. 1898: Planked Salmon with Agrodolce Sauce

I've had salmon on my mind for a little while now, and this past Wednesday night I managed to get ahold of some and serve it up for supper. The dependable pearl couscous was a must but I also liked the serious flavoring of the thin red onion slices in the agrodolce sauce that went with it all.

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"Planked Salmon Platter," from BettyCrocker.com

"Striped Bass in Agrodolce Sauce,"from Gourmet, December 2004.

Couscous recipe based partially on "Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley, from Bon Appétit, December 2004.

Meal No. 1897: Afro-Caribbean Macaroni Beef Casserole

Although it had a spicy kick to it that might have exceeded my hopes for this dish, the Tuesday evening supper from AfricanBites.com featured a flavorful macaroni and beef casserole: lots of zip, lots of cheese, lots of umph in each heaping spoonful. I balanced it out with yet even more of my homemade applesauce, just because I could.

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"Macaroni Beef Casserole," from Imma Adamu of Immaculate Bites, a blog found at AfricanBites.com.

Meal No. 1896: Hamburger Supreme

When I dug into the meat drawer of the fridge and discovered I'd overbought ground beef, that led me to a long-time family favorite for Monday night's meal: hamburger supreme, with hot buttered corn and homemade applesauce.

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

Great American Eclipse 2017

Tracking all the way across the country, from Oregon to South Carolina, the spectacularly-hyped solar eclipse of 2017 was not a disappointment. Although I'd briefly toyed with the idea of trying to get somewhere along its 70-mile-wide path of totality, in the end I decided I would enjoy it from the comfort of my own yard. We had 94.3 percent obscurity at the 2:41 pm peak yesterday, and it remained a reasonably bright and sunny day. I thought it had a slight graying, like the way they used to film "night" scenes on Perry Mason back in the day. I had proper eclipse glasses and loved watching it proceed through the mid-afternoon. I snagged a shot of myself just before the near-totality moment:

Inspired by a post by my friend and colleague John Lloyd, I also had my own colander eclipse shadow moment:

Chocolate Pizzert Dessert Pizza

Following last night's delicious dinner of poppy seed chicken casserole, I also did an experimental dessert that I'd really like to try to perfect: chocolate pizzert pizza. I had scoured the web a year or so ago hoping others were also fond of this concoction...and maybe someone had a close approximation to it. I found that at a defunct website called 2CrochetHooks.com.

The inspiration comes from the Texas-based Pizza Inn chain, which had a location in Dunn, near where I grew up in Buies Creek. One of our favorite items on the Tuesday night buffet was their 'pizzert' — pizza dessert — and most especially the basic chocolate one.

When houseguests were here to visit last summer, we drove down to High Point, the closest Pizza Inn location to Winston-Salem, and I must say I was terribly disappointed that they no longer offer chocolate pizzert.

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"Pizzert Dessert Pizza," an in-process adaptation from 2 Crochet Hooks (Millie & Kristina of Durham, NC).

Meal No. 1895: Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Although it was just a dinner for two tonight, I still made up the full batch of poppy seed chicken casserole. The leftovers are also pretty good! This morning, I also managed to make yet another pot of homemade applesauce, and if you could taste this latest version, you'd understand why I keep making it so often. It is just hard to beat.

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"Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole," by Ashley Moore in Cook's Country, February/March 2015, p. 20.

Guidance for Homemade Applesauce from:

• "Spiced Country Applesauce," from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Published 11 September 2009.
• "Homemade Applesauce," from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Published 16 October 2013.
• "Sarah's Applesauce," from PHATCAT on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1894: Barbecue Chicken, Bacon, Feta, and Onion Bistro Pizza

As an accompaniment to Captain America: Winter Soldier, I whipped up a speedy bistro pizza topped with barbecue chicken, bacon, feta, and sautéed red onion, and finished with sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Yum. Alas, because of the rush to get back up to resume the movie, it was also the rare occasion where I completely forgot to snap a photo of the good dinner. Shucks.

Meal No. 1893: One-Pan Pork Tenderloin

With a full work week including some on-the-road time, and late afternoons both Thursday and Friday, and guests at the table this evening, it seemed my best choice was a rapid return to a recently-fixed meal: one-pan pork tenderloin with green beans and potatoes. It turned out pretty well. And since it's prepared and cooked all together, it meant I was a more present participant in the first-ever Roediger House Reading Party up on the third floor. Yes: a bunch of us sat around reading on a Friday night. Don't be jealous.

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"One-Pan Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes," by Christie Morrison. In Cook's Country, October/November 2015, p. 27.

Meal No. 1892: Grilled Bacon and Cheese Sandwiches

It's nearly a five hour drive when I'm coming back home from Berryville, Virginia, and along with an abundance of bacon in the fridge, that led to last night's simple supper: grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches with lots of cold refreshing orange juice. Worth blogging about? Maybe not. Worth eating? Heck yeah.

By the way, look at who showed up again behind the house doing a live report this past Monday morning:

Meal No. 1891: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Last Sunday night, for one final meal before I had to head out of town to Virginia for two days of work, I tried a new main dish recipe and supplemented it with leftovers from the previous night's meal. And I added some hot buttered peas in as well. On the menu and on our plates: bacon-wrapped chicken breasts, company mashed potatoes, homemade applesauce, peas, and fluffy southern hoecake-style biscuits.

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"Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts," by Ashley Moore. In Cook's Country, August/September 2017, p. 11.

Meal No. 1890: Oven-Fried Chicken with White Milk Gravy

It turned out to be a fine Saturday night for a great southern feast: oven-friend chicken breasts with a savory white milk gravy; company mashed potatoes; hot buttered corn; fluffy southern-style hoecakes; and homemade cinnamon applesauce. Woo-eeee! It was frickin' awesome.

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Based on "Oven-Fried Chicken with Waffles and White Gravy," from Ashley of BakerByNature.com. [Published 12 November 2015]

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

"Fluffy Southern-Style Hoecakes," by Erica of My Busy Bees and Me. Recipe first encountered through her YouTube video.

Guidance for Homemade Applesauce from:

• "Spiced Country Applesauce," from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Published 11 September 2009.
• "Homemade Applesauce," from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Published 16 October 2013.
• "Sarah's Applesauce," from PHATCAT on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1889: World's Best Lasagna

Last Friday night, the wonderful neighbors Deborah and Alaina were up after too long of an absence, and they brought their friend Mike with them, and at dinnertime we all sat down to hearty plates of fresh-baked lasagna together with Caesar salad and toasted garlic bread. The ladies were kind enough to bring a cherry crumble and some vanilla custard for dessert. It was another delightful evening!

A distinct advantage of this recipe is that it makes a lot, and it makes great leftovers:

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"World's Best Lasagna," by John Chandler (Dallas, TX). Found online at AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1888: Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin

It's hard to walk past the Harris Teeter beef tenderloin when it's on a big sale, and that leads to a great excuse to have the table full of the regularest regulars of the Roediger House, even on a weeknight, as occurred this past Thursday. Slow-roasted to a perfect temperature, and then broiled briefly with a shallot-thyme butter dousing to give it a crusty goodness on the outside, the amazing beef was joined by layered green bean casserole and homemade creamy mashed potatoes. For some of us, the beef tenderloin can't be complete without spicy horseradish sauce. It was heart-warming to see all plates return to the buffet counter for seconds, and for there to be at least one nomination for "best beef tenderloin yet."

Gern was ready.

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"Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Managing Culinary Director of SeriousEats.com.

"Spicy Horseradish Sauce" from "Beef Tenderloin in Wine Sauce," from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Compiled and Edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Oxmoor Press (2006), p. 295, 296.

"Creamy Mashed Potatoes," from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Published online 03 November 2007.

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

Meal No. 1887: Beef Puff Pastry with Indian Spices

After a couple of days on the road to do a training with teachers at a high school in Virginia Beach, it was nice to be back home and in my kitchen again. When dinnertime rolled around on Wednesday night, I felt like trying a new recipe but then fell short on creating anything to go with it. So on the plates sat two beautifully golden and wonderfully flavorful beef-stuffed puff pastries with a real South Asian flair. Piping hot, satisfying, and worth having again sometime.

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"Beef Puff Pastry," from Thas of the ThasNeen.com blog.