Meal No. 3879: Salad & Broccoli

Last Monday was a fridge clean-out meal, suitable in part because I really did need it to just be light and uncomplicated. There was a smattering of salad and a few drizzles of Thousand Island to use up, and a few crowns of broccoli whose date of arrival at the house might have been hard to pin down with certainty. So: not broccoli salad but salad and broccoli (which I'd roasted and spiced and herbed...just the way I like it!).

From the pseudo-bunkbed positioning of Sumner and Scarlett on the previous morning, you'd think it was a very lazy Sunday around here. But they were happily napping and I was awkwardly working on my laptop so as not to disturb them too much.

That Sunday was also a chance to snag a few more photos of lovely blooms in the yard, so here ya go...

Squirrel No. 13

One might suggest that the above photo captures Sumner's triumphant application of war paint, of a sorts. And yes: it's a testament to his predatory cunning while patroling the yard for the always-present and regularly invasive squirrel horde.

While opinions may differ, in this household, we have no issue with the dogs operating on their well-developed instincts and appreciate that the natural order of things leads to moments like this one, from last Saturday.

Faithfully supported and cheered on by his younger sister, Sumner has now scored his 13th squirrel kill here. The little guy did not know what hit him and his own sense of self-preservation was mighty in the face of the larger, and more empowered, foe. Sumner's victory would not be denied, even if it proved to be a more fully engaged battle. The triumph left him well-marked as a champion, and we are more than happy to see a subtraction from the yard rodent census.

Super Epic Rainbow Cake

The middle of June brought a lot of activity to downtown Winston-Salem, and Saturday June 14th was really packed. It started with the Winston-Salem Pride parade, and tagged onto the end of it was the March for No Kings anti-Trump/anti-immigration round-ups protest ("Deportation: Literally Biting the Hands that Feed You"). The Winston-Salem Dash had an evening game and the Summer on Fourth concert series took place around the corner from the house. The typical quiet of Spring Street was happily put aside while the throngs massed and the calls were responded to and the colors waved and the people danced.

Let's throw in a few pictures here from the gathering for the No Kings protest while we're at it. Above is what I was watching emerge from the kitchen, looking out toward Fourth Street, so I went upstairs to grab a better angle on it. Then I walked the half-block to the intersection of Fourth and Spring and snagged a few more photos:

These are not good days in America, and the damage is far-reaching and unfathomable. I regret that an infantile obsession with the price of eggs triumphed over the good of our nation in the last election. The stakes were incredibly high and too many people thought it didn't matter.

In honor of Pride, I was once more ready to tackle the interesting endeavor of a super epic rainbow cake. It is always pleasing, both on the eyes and on the tongue.

I'd let almost four years pass since the last one. And it's a bit of a production but also really do-able.

I do really like the base white cake batter, and getting the right range of colors from the gel is a fun and imperfect science.

Frosting and icing are not universally loved among our regular crew, so I thought I'd see if I could get away with just the one batch of lemony Swiss meringue buttercream. That way I kept the filling thinner and the outer decoration almost skimpy. Still, it all seemed to work quite well. Then again: it's a striking cake.

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"Say It With Cake: Super Epic Rainbow Cake," from Kaitlin Flannery of the Whisk Kid blog. [Published 19 August 2009]

Meal No. 3878: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

The latest happy gathering of the six most regular regulars occurrred last Saturday night, in the midst of all the buzz and activity of a very happening downtown weekend. This is such a great crew, though, and all the time we get to spend together is treasured. In the spirit of the approaching summertime, we seemed content enough for it to be a night of bacon cheeseburgers, hot off the grill, with our special sauce and the extra treat of that bacon being the chile spice-rubbed version. With choice of chips to go alongside, we dug in deeply to our two-handed suppers and reveled in community and fellowship.

The oldest daylilies in the yard are those that had been planted before I bought the house, running along the left side of the front porch steps coming up from the street. And 22 years after I bought the place, they continue to impress with their golden yellow color and reddish-orange accents. Here's the blooming frontrunner of the season.

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Adapted from "Grilled Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003, p. 52-53. After Pillsbury was purchased in 2001 by General Mills, home of Betty Crocker (founded in 1921, mind you!), it basically ceased to exist as a company and lives on just as a brand. I guess that's why a Pillsbury cookbook recipe from 2003 is now only found on the Betty Crocker website.

"Chile-Rubbed Bacon," by Rick Martinez. In "D.I.Y. B.L.T. O.M.G.: Bake Better Bacon (Upgrade Idea No. 1)," Bon Appétit, July 2016, p. 44.

Meal No. 3877: Herbed Chicken on Salad Greens

With the trusty sous vide immersion circulator and the ongoing frustration of discouraging morning weigh-ins, it was a salad kind of night last Thursday evening. I put together a refreshed batch of Thousand Island dressing, my own tinkered take on a recipe I'd snagged quite a few years ago. It's thick and creamy and has great flavors in a concerted balance.

In the ongoing late spring updates on the yard, let's note the first blooming of a lily, where I've planted them across the front of the house. A moth even helpfully appeared in frame when I snapped a shot, giving us an interesting visual variation.

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"Thousand Island Dressing," which was based on a version from Graybert on GeniusKitchen.com.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Toffee Cookies

When the morning rolled around for the delightful extended stay of my brother-in-law to conclude, I didn't want him to hit the road empty-handed. His favorable remarks about our new recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, to which I like to add some crumbled toffee pieces, led me to some late-night kitchen duties Monday a week ago. This time the larger cookie scoop gave bakery-style kinda big 'uns, slightly crisped around the edges with soft chewy centers and a sugar kick straight to the tongue.

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"THE BEST White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Published 19 February 2025]

Meal No. 3876: Biscuits 'N Gravy

Once more a diner's dinner request determined our menu this past Monday evening, a long overdue return to shallow bowls brimming with biscuits and sausage gravy. We like ours to have a bit of kick, so it's always the hot breakfast sausage that gets crumbled and browned before the rest of the gravying occurs. The biscuits were storebought, which saved some time, letting me get supper on the table in about 45 minutes from start to finish.

That morning I also spotted an early bloomer amongst the daylilies along the front steps, a promise of some gorgeous colors to follow as we head further into June.

Tres Leches Cake

For our gathering of the four good guys last Sunday night, the dessert selection was that wonderful treat of tres leches cake. I've got a few recipes that I bounce around for this particular goodie, and the one chosen for last weekend could be tackled with confidence because it comes from those smart folks at America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country. Once more, it came through in glorious goodness, richly milked and fully sweet, a really nice whipped cream topping enhanced with vanilla powder, and not so heavy following our full servings of baked spaghetti earlier in the evening. I should have plotted for myself a much longer downtown stroll before bedtime, though.

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Adapted from "Tres Leches Cake," by Cali Rich in Cook's Country, August-September 2007, p. 26. [Online version revised in July 2021.] I also referred to an adaptation from Danae, the Busty Baker: "Tres Leches with Dulce de Leche and Whipped Cream." [Published 21 February 2009].

Meal No. 3875: Baked Spaghetti

Last Sunday night was a bonus visit from the smart and skilled cinematographer who's just graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. We got to know Grant back in November when The Last Peaceful Year was shot on location here at the house, and as previous blog posts have noted, we really loved getting to know the students involved in these various productions this year. This was a free final week for him before loading up the U-Haul to head home to Colorado, and it was perfect for a night of baked spaghetti and a side salad with Caesar dressing. We also really enjoyed some fresh-baked focaccia, using a shortcut King Arthur mix that was a gift of dear Virginia friend and colleague Donna (and let's also note that the olive oil she also gifted us with was put to multiple good uses that night). It was a fine supper gathering, followed by quite a few rounds of pool up on the third floor. Grant's a great guy and a pleasure to be around, so that final evening to hang out was much appreciated.

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"Baked Spaghetti," by Margaret Coalson via Stick Coulson, 13 July 1997.

National Donut Day

It's been a while since I managed to meet the moment of a "National Day of..." But last Friday was National Donut Day, observed the first Friday of June, and I had a recipe that looked perfect for how my time was working out late that afternoon. Take a gander at these marvelous glazed yeast doughnuts, with an Amish spin, that turned out just about perfect. Fresh and hot, well-coated in a sweet vanilla glaze, I'd consumed two in short order and then spent the evening knowing I'm a weak man.

The storm that blew up on us just after I'd passed two doughnuts over to our neighbors was anything but weak: the rush of water down the street, the flashes of lightning, the roll of thunder, the ominous darkness that beat the dusk into submission: while technically we are still in late spring, let's call it the first great storm of the summer.

Lots of water came down, but not as much as my college roommate Jimmy endured the day before in Sanford, when his office parking lot flooded after about 4 inches of rain fell and his Honda CRV ended up submerged.

Our radar here shows it was small in scope but intense in packed punch:

And good lord: what a bald spot this old man is sporting nowadays:

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"Amish Donuts," from Julie Clark. From Tastes of Lizzy T. [Published 01 June 2024]

Meal No. 3874: Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Friday's supper had to be quick, thanks to all the other things that day contained. It was a good reason to let my scramble for ideas lead me into a new dish: creamy Italian sausage penne pasta. With spinach mixed in, and parmesan cheese as well, the warm goodness pleased our three appetites that night and also left room for a ridiculous dessert...to be described in tomorrow's blog post!

It was hot and humid to finish out the week, and I was too lazy to cut the grass. Sumner appreciated its lushness for his morning sit, but it also helped me spot the early blooms of the astra blue balloon flower.

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"Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta," from Nichole Clevenger of The Salty Marshmallow. [Published 17 August 2018 / Updated 30 March 2022]

Meal No. 3873: Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches

It's been just over two years, and just over 500 meals ago, that I last made Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches. Based on a Detroit variation on Sloppy Joe's, these rascals found a home here after I came across an article in Cook's Country, although I'm more likely to render them in an open-faced format on buns rather than in split sub rolls. And they've always been well-received, with this past Thursday night being no exception to that warm reception.

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Adapted from "Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwiches," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Country, April/May 2018, p. 4-5.

Meal No. 3872: Jollof Rice with Spiced Chicken

The first Wednesday of June rolled in with plenty of good vibes, and by special request the evening menu offered up a slightly different take on jollof rice with spiced chicken. This time it was the oven-baked route, and I probably left it in too long, but boy howdy was it all delicious. And abundant, so there were leftovers to share around and some to keep on hand.

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"Jollof Rice," from Imma Adamu of Immaculate Bites, a blog found at AfricanBites.com. [Published 02 February 2022]

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

In this household, we are sold on our new recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and last Tuesday offered an ideal opportunity to bring 'em back for a post-dinner snack. Fresh from the oven—which is absolutely impossible to beat—these were pretty outstanding all over again. I added in toffee pieces this time, and no complaints were heard.

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"THE BEST White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Published 19 February 2025]

Meal No. 3871: Caesar-Dressed Greens with Herbed Chicken

The good weather of late spring is worth noting and celebrating. Even though we were getting some smoky haze from distant Canadian wildfires on the first Tuesday of June, it was still a glorious sunny day with nice breezes. Now that the closer Fourth Street CVS has been shuttered, my treks to the pharmacy are an incentive for a walk that clocks in at just under 3-and-a-half miles, and that helped me work up a fine appetite for dinner. With the sous vide to provide spiced and herbed chicken (previouly sealed and tucked away in the freezer), and a small portion of leftover salmon, the salads were well-topped with protein and graciously dressed with homemade creamy Caesar dressing. The abundant bowls were nicely suited to the three at the table, and enough room remained for a small dessert offering later in the evening.

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Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim Hardesty of lowcarbmaven.com.

Meal No. 3870: Skillet Pan Pizzas

I'd let too much time pass since the last round of skillet pan pizzas, but fortunately I've got an easy and stress-free approach to them, thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. In the spirit of the personal versions that were a staple of college and early working years, when I'd take in lunch at a local Pizza Hut, these slices that come from a larger 12-inch skillet were crispy with the right degree of chew, and they carried well the base of homemade tomato sauce and toppings. It was a pepperoni kind of night on the first Monday of June, and there were no leftovers once we'd done all the damage we could.

Out busted the first blooms of the Strutter's Ball daylilies by the back door that morning, and once again they are so very lovely. And so too is the young lady of the house, as captured in one of her precious moments up on the third floor.

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Pizza Crust based on "Fool-Proof Pan Pizza," by J. Kenji López-Alt, culinary consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Updated 30 March 2023]

"How to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce," by Chef John Mitzewich, on AllRecipes.com. [Clipping Originally Printed 01 September 2016 / Web Recipe Updated 19 March 2024]

Meal No. 3869: Roasted Salmon & Broccoli

Roasted salmon returned to the University of Virginia dinner plates this past Sunday night, nicely spiced and perfectly cooked. Reason tempered my hand with the accompanying roasted herbed broccoli florets, leaving me certain there was not nearly enough to satisfy. With a 15-year-old late harvest Riesling, though, its age only slightly noticeable, one might argue that this household had a fine Sunday dinner on an early summertime evening.

Homemade Cruffins

On the final day of May, I found myself wide awake at about 4:30 am and I knew there would be no more immediate sleeping. I started my day with an energetic vibe in spite of the shorter night of sleep and was ready to take advantage of this beginning-of-summer work break to tackle a fun kitchen endeavor. I decided to try my hand at homemade cruffins, those evil little concoctions that combine croissantery with muffinery and gild it with plenty of cinnamon sugar. The timing was almost just right to bring them out hot and fresh for the after dinner hangtime while a movie was watched upstairs.

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"Homemade Cruffins," from Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking Addiction. [Published 01 March 2025 / Updated 27 March 2025]

Meal No. 3868: Simple Beef Chili with Beans

Before we get too deep into the warm or balmy months of summer, last Saturday I thought I'd serve up a pot of beef chili for our gathering of four. It was a mostly sunny and pleasant day, with storms expected by late afternoon, but the goodness of these steaming bowls is not entirely dependent upon whether we had to shed a winter coat after coming into the house. With some cheese for all and sour cream for a few takers, enough heat and bean bulk to make you take each spoonful with a measure of gravity, the bowlsful of beefy goodness were merrily and masterfully tackled.

As that final week of May played out, it proved to be a wet one for the majority of it. We were just shy of twice our average rainfall for the month, with a couple of days left to go. I was willing to let that recent history pull me in a chili direction, even though the weather had by then become much more favorable to outside endeavors.

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

Meal No. 3867: Afro-Caribbean Macaroni Beef Casserole

By special request, the dinner for the three of us Friday night was the irresistible Afro-Caribbean macaroni beef casserole. It's tasty and can pack a spice punch but I tried to be careful this time. We happily dug into its full-flavored goodness and might have found seconds easy to pursue before plates were ultimately cleared away.

Friday represented the first full day of the summer season for me, so far as work is concerned. It proved to be a much busier late spring than usual, especially with the multi-day travel to distant locales that occurred three of four weeks in May.

And given the extra bump in the road from that final trip to DC, a couple of higher-stakes presentations that I sunk hours and hours into preparing, and then the very social final week of May...well, let's just say Friday felt like a sweet a glorious release. Let's celebrate with the first blooming of some bee balm at the edge of the parking area, shall we?

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

Scarlett & The Baby Possum

The awesome pups of the Roediger House are not only a delightful sorta-sibling pair, but they are also avid stalkers and hunters in the small space of this downtown yard. Ever watchful through windowed vantage points when upstairs or in the kitchen, their mad sprints out the back door are a wonder to behold as they engage in eager pursuit of prey or quarry. A potty break is often delayed whilst they eyeball the scurrying squirrels high above them, as the photo above might suggest. Ah, but young Scarlett has scored her first slaughter and it wasn't the one we might have expected: she took out a baby possum this past Thursday before it was clear what was even going on. I'd not seen any signs of a possum family around here, so whether they are too well tucked in for me to spot or if this wee tyke had fallen off the mommy wagon on its way through recently...who knows? Nonetheless, this one was clearly not just playing dead.

Meal No. 3866: Pork Medallions with Ginger-Soy-Shiitake Sauce

The fantastic week continued Wednesday evening with four at the dinner table for scrumptious servings of a long-time house favorite: pan-seared pork medallions with an amazing ginger-soy-shiitake cream sauce. The entree begs for the companionship of a side dish of company mashed potatoes, and my out-of-necessity reliance these last few meals on canned vegetables continued with a pot of whole kernel corn. We were pleased with the result and even happier when the remaining slices of lemon-buttermilk pie numbered exactly four.

A touch of meal history here: the first meal with pork medallions was No. 3 in the new kitchen, albeit with a dijon mushroom cream sauce; this ginger-soy-shiitake cream sauce was first prepared to go with seared tuna steaks, for Meal No. 70; and my first record of using this same sauce with pork medallions was only a few meals later: No. 76.

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Based on "Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce," from The Bon Appétit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild, 2006, p. 398-399.

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones Family favorite.