Meal No. 2488: Simple Chicken Salad

With some chicken leftover from preparing the previous night's poppy seed chicken casserole, it was easy enough to whip up a batch of really delicious chicken salad, substituting mini-disks made from asparagus spears in place of the celery that I just don't care for. It was a well-timed evening snack the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the perfect meal at mid-day on Thanksgiving Eve.

Meal No. 2487: Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

The Monday before Thanksgiving dawned bright and sunny but still pretty cold, and I made a start-of-day run to Costco for some much-needed restocking. It was all too easy to grab a fresh rotisserie chicken to put to use that night in the always fantastic poppy seed chicken casserole, along with roasted broccoli florets. I hadn't made this dish in about 18 months so it was certainly a most welcome return to the Roediger House supper table. (Confession: thanks to a cracked molar that goes all the way down into the root, I left out the poppy seeds. Can't be chewing on those until the damage is dealt with.)

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

Vanilla Layer Cake and Buttermilk Ice Cream

After our Friendsgiving feast the Sunday night before Thanksgiving, I offered up to our crew the option to also indulge in dessert. And it did feel like an indulgence, with silky vanilla cake with old-fashioned vanilla buttercream, along with rich and thick buttermilk ice cream that has rather a dreamy flavor. We might have done ourselves in, but at least there were several days for recovering before we all dove into our respective Thanksgiving meal ordeals.

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"Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream," by Jenn Segal of OnceUponAChef.com.

"Buttermilk Ice Cream," from Bi-Rite Creamery's Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press (2012), p. 37.

Meal No. 2486: New Year's Day Meatballs

The Sunday before Thanksgiving was the time for Friendsgiving, since our most regular regulars have settled into their newly-married lives and now must rise to the challenge of making time for their own families. We had eight at the table and I served up New Year's Day meatballs, slow-cooker scalloped potatoes, and the traditional Campbell's Kitchens green bean casserole.

There was also dessert that night, and that'll be the focus of tomorrow's blog post.

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

"Slow-Cooker Scalloped Potatoes," by Kelly Price. In Cook's Country, January 2011, p. 6.

"Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole," by Dorcas Reilly, Kitchen Manager at the Campbell Test Kitchen, 1955.

DoubleTree-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the years I suppose I've made grand-sized chocolate chip cookies with three different recipes. For a long while, the go-to was from Judy Mabry and Taste of Home: monster chip cookies. A former colleague from up in Frederick County, Virginia, pointed me to a similar one that I got some good mileage out of. For the last while, though, my dependably delicious cookie recipe along these lines has come from the Foolproof Living blog. Its bold claim to being a replica of the famous DoubleTree Hotel's amazing cookies very nearly holds up to scrutiny but falling just shy of gospel truth. Still, I don't remember getting any complaints from folks when I've offered these up for them to sample. These pictures are from my latest batch, made back on November 21st, so that I could take some to share with colleagues I was working with at Matoaca Middle School, just south of Richmond.

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"DoubleTree Hotel's Chocolate Chip Cookies," by Ayşegül Sanford and her blog, Foolproof Living. [Published December 29, 2013.] Official DoubleTree recipe from Hilton.com was released to the public on 09 April 2020.

Meal No. 2485: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I had a quick overnight work trip to Virginia at the end of the week prior to Thanksgiving. Before I left that Thursday afternoon, I made a filling lunch thanks to a gorgeous pot of bacon cheeseburger soup that I whipped up. I took a lot of time with the prep on this second round of making this particular recipe and it paid off with steaming bowls of goodness.

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"Bacon Cheeseburger Soup," from Catalina Castravet and Holly Nilsson of SpendwithPennies.com. [Published 01 March 2018]

Meal No. 2484: Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

A comforting late afternoon meal Tuesday a week ago, after I'd spent an excellent day working with instructional leaders in Thomasville City Schools, was a bowl of biscuits smothered in a creamy and flavorful sausage gravy...just what the Doctor (Jones) ordered!

Classic Yellow Cake with Fudge Frosting

Back on November 17th, not only did we enjoy our lamb meat loaf dinner, but after a brief break, we returned to the table and partook of a new dessert offering: classic single-layer yellow cake with a delicious fudge frosting...along with scoops of the recently-made Vietnamese coffee ice cream. It had us smacking our lips.

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"Classic Yellow Cake with Fudge Frosting," from the bakers at King Arthur Flour.

Meal No. 2483: Lamb & Mushroom Meat Loaf

For four of us on hand Sunday a week ago at dinnertime, I served up some delicious lamb and mushroom meatloaf, along with reheated creamy four-cheese mac-n-cheese and buttered garden peas. This version of meat loaf always comes out tasty and good, so I'm glad I was gifted with the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook (from which it came) after a houseguest's visit to Asheville.

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"Lamb and Multi-Mushroom Meat Loaf" (p. 150), 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.

Meal No. 2482: Potato Cheddar Soup

The cold and bluster of mid-November drew me back to the excellent and easy potato cheddar soup recipe that I received several years ago. I think this batch might be better referred to as "cheddar chowder" because I think I shorted our bowls on the chunks of potato. But was it still good? For sure.

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Adapted from "Potato and Cheese Soup," provided in a cooking class at KitchenArt in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie with Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream and Coffee Caramel

Yesterday's blog post catalogued a mid-November visit to the Roediger House by Bradley Phillis. Not only did we have a delightful dinner, but I offered up a tasty dessert later in the evening. The base of it was a chocolate chunk salted caramel oatmeal skillet cookie. I added to the cookie slice a couple of scoops of homemade Vietnamese coffee ice cream, and then I drizzled coffee caramel sauce on top of it all. We liked it right much.

The good fortune of my friendship with Bradley began when he came to a chili gathering of my 2006 Wake Forest social studies education crew, as he was applying to my graduate program. He was most deservedly admitted for the Class of 2007 and then remained here in Winston for several years, teaching at Atkins High School. He and his wife Lauren relocated to Knoxville for several years while he completed his PhD at Tennessee. Now he is back in North Carolina, in his second year on the faculty of Gardner-Webb University. It's good to have them reasonably close again.

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Adapted from "Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Salted Coffee Caramel Apple Skillet Cookie," from Tieghan Girard of the Half-Baked Harvest blog. [Published 29 October 2013]

"Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream," by David Lebovitz. In The Perfect Scoop. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press (2007), p. 35.

Meal No. 2481: Baby Back Ribs

Perhaps a revision to Webster's is called for, because a suitable addition to the meaning of "treat" is receiving an overnight visit from friend, colleague, and former Wake Forest grad student Dr. Bradley Phillis. That's what occurred on Thursday, November 14th, when he was in the area for a conference of fellow medievalists. I promised supper, and supper was delivered in the form of baby back pork ribs with homemade barbecue sauce, a creamy four-cheese casserole monstrosity of mac-n-cheese, and some seasoned green beans for good measure. We talked late into the evening, catching up but also bouncing around article ideas because both of us should be writing more, and we should definitely be writing together.

Turns out Bradley had not ever had a rack of pork ribs before, and he made clear this will not be his last go at them.

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"How to Make Great Ribs in the Oven," by Emma Christensen. From The Kitchn. [Published 01 July 2017]

"Homemade BBQ Sauce," from Ali of GimmeSomeOven.com. [Published 03 July 2014]

"Creamy Brie Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese," from Tieghan Girard of the Half-Baked Harvest blog. [Published 21 November 2013]

Meal No. 2480: Sheet Pan Garlic Ginger Chicken and Broccoli

On the 13th of November, a rare night for me to be fixing a meal all to myself, I thought I'd venture into a new recipe. I had a package of chicken thighs I needed to use up and some broccoli that was about to get long in the tooth, and there was this saved recipe for sheet pan garlic and ginger chicken and broccoli that seemed worth experimenting with.

Let me add that that Wednesday morning dawned extra cold for this time of year, with a reading here at the house of 19.6°F outside, although officially it was proclaimed a low of 20°F:

This was following the previous day's cold front passing through, creating miserably chilly and windy wet conditions outside. Briefly, at mid-day, there was sleet dropping on me as I got out of my truck up on the north side of town.

Interestingly, that day began with my first venture out with Sumner for his morning potty break and finding at the bottom of the driveway an abandoned small bicycle:

Don't know if it was stolen or broken down, but I guess at some point I'll have to drop it off on Patterson Avenue at the city police department's evidence bureau.

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"Sheet Pan Garlic Ginger Chicken & Broccoli," by Lindsay of PinchofYum.com. [Published 12 January 2018]

Meal No. 2479: Rotisserie-Style Whole Chicken

Brian and Bethany, the neighbors across the street, were available for dinner Tuesday night a week ago, when the weather had turned bitterly cold and the warmth of fellowship at the kitchen table was called for. We feasted on herb-seasoned whole chicken with Alabama great white sauce, stuffing à la Mary Margaret McKnight, roasted garlic-parmesan asparagus cuts, and super baked beans. For dessert, I was able to offer from the plate of cinnamon-chai oatmeal cookies, followed by the delightful surprise treat of the last of the red velvet ice cream with cream cheese frosting swirl.

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"How to Cook Instant Pot Whole Chicken - Rotisserie Style," by Sheena from GlutenFreePressureCooker.com.

"Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning," by Judith Hannemann, The Midnight Baker. [Published 22 March 2017]

"Alabama Great White Sauce" (p. 362), in Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 2003.

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

Cinnamon-Chai Oatmeal Cookies

The cookie-making streak persists as we move rapidly through the fall and into the holiday season. On Veterans Day, I took time mid-day to bake up a new batch of the remarkable cinnamon-chai oatmeal cookies. With a glass of cold whole milk, it was easy to down three of 'em before I even stopped to consider the ramifications.

One plate of those delicious cookies went home with Mr. Michael Preston, who came by that afternoon to tune the piano in the south parlour:

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Based on: "Caramel-Chai Oatmeal Cookies," in Cuisine at Home, September/October 2013, p. 47.

Rare Sighting of a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Over the Veterans Day weekend, a strange bird call compelled me to try to investigate because I was sure I'd heard nothing like it before. To me, it sounded like a squeezed rubber ducky, an odd mewing in a pitch and register that was highly unusual for my normal bird traffic. I spotted the noisemaker high in a tree along the back wall of the property and could tell he was acting in a woodpeckerly manner. I grabbed my long lens and did the best I could with the trajectory from which I had to shoot and with the sun coming at a bad angle, making it very shadowy around the bird in question. In the end, with assistance from good friend Jimmy Randolph and a follow-up consult with my bird guide, I decided I might have had my first encounter with a yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Swirl

The special dessert treat Sunday night a week ago was red velvet ice cream with a cream cheese frosting swirl. That's some good stuff. We all partook liberally of it.

Just to be clear, and I hope without being insufferable, I made this delicious ice cream. It did not come from a store or an ice cream shop. True: I didn't develop the recipe but I made this deliciously consumable product from it.

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"Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Frosting Swirl," from Annie's Eats, a food blog. Accessed May 2015.

Meal No. 2478: Filipino Chicken Adobo

With six at the table on Sunday night a week ago, it seemed like a good hearty meal might be called for. I reached into the archives for a meal that hadn't shown up here in about eighteen months: Filipino chicken adobo. Served with rice and Brussels sprouts gratin, it was my firm intention that folks would find it hard to go hungry.

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"Introducing Chicken Adobo," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2012, p. 6-7.

"Brussels Sprouts Gratin," by Alison Roman. From Cooking on newyorktimes.com.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

With guests here last Sunday morning, I tried out a new recipe: buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake. It was pretty easy to put together and it smelled so great whilst it cooked...and then it went down easy with steaming cups of coffee and good conversation amongst friends.

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"Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake," from Alexandra Stafford of AlexandraCooks.com. [Published 29 June 2011]

Meal No. 2477: Poker-Break Pulled Beef Sandwiches

Last Saturday night I tried out a new recipe, hoping it would prove satisfying and satisfactory to my weekend guests. It's called "Poker-Break Pulled Beef Sandwiches," and comes from Amy Thielen on Food52.com. We piled this shredded beef high on brioche buns and slurped up the accompanying souped-up baked beans, and then called it a day.

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"Poker-Break Pulled Beef Sandwiches," by Amy Thielen on Food52.com.

"Homemade BBQ Sauce," from Ali of GimmeSomeOven.com. [Published 03 July 2014]

"Baked Beans," from Redith Mozelle Newman Quesenberry (1927-2019) of Carroll County, Virginia, via Cindy Coulson of Cana, VA.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Last weekend, Winston-Salem played host to the North Carolina Music Educators Association conference, which meets downtown at the Benton Convention Center and in the neighboring hotels (all of that is known as the Twin City Quarter). Friend and colleague Jeremy Craft and a former student of his were presenting at the conference and so they came here for the weekend.

And Jeremy loves sugar cookies and regularly requests them, although I'm not always able to produce them. That changed last Saturday, while the house was empty during conference time. Thems was some tasty treats!

I hadn't made them since last December, so I guess it was overdue.

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"Chewy Sugar Cookies," by Katie Leaird. In Cook's Country, December/January 2018, p. 24-25.

Meal No. 2476: Kung Pao Chicken Stir-Fry

While wok-based stir-fry meals used to be quite a regular feature for dinners at the Roediger House, they've been few and far between since I have really cut back on my rice consumption. But last Friday, I wanted nothing more than a bowl full of Asian-inspired goodness for the day's main meal, and that brought me to a long-time favorite: kung pao chicken over basmati rice. It was as good as I ever remember making it.

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"Kung Pao [Chicken]" (p. 80) with Szechwan Marinade (p. 28) and Spicy Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce (p. 27). In Wok Fast, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Ten Speed Press (Berkeley/Toronto), 2002.

Meal No. 2475: Ultimate Beef Stew

A nice special on beef chuck roasts was more than enough motivation to try out a new beef stew recipe, that turned out tasty and delicious. Tyler Florence likes to call it "The Ultimate Beef Stew," and while I can't go quite that far, I promise you it was quite good for last Tuesday night's supper.

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"The Ultimate Beef Stew," from Tyler Florence of The FoodNetwork.com.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

With a tub of sour cream nearing the end of its shelf life, it dawned on me that one of my older recipes might provide a reasonable last-legs use: sour cream pound cake with vanilla butter and nut flavoring. I uncovered this recipe back in the early 2000s, thanks to suggestions made by dear friend Cindy Coulson. It's been a semi-regular and always loved baked good at the Roediger House.

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"Sour Cream Pound Cake," from McCormick. Found online and on the Vanilla Butter & Nut flavoring's packaging box.

Veterans Day Parade 2019

Temps were around 30°F last Saturday morning as floats and vehicles began lining up for the annual Veterans Day Parade here in downtown Winston-Salem. It was another morning for North Spring Street to be blocked off; some of the parade staging occurs in front of the house. Before the parade got underway, I tooled around and snapped a few photos.

Meal No. 2474: Roasted Salmon Caesar Salad

Sunday night's simple supper of salmon Caesar salad was suspiciously alliterative.

Perfect Carrot Cake

With Sunday night's chili gathering and movie watching, we took a break between the two films and I brought out a special dessert: carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I don't think anyone minded. Not one bit.

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"Perfect Carrot Cake," by Shelly Jaronsky of CookiesandCups.com. [Published 11 April 2018]

Meal No. 2473: Simple Beef Chili with Beans

Halloween is now behind us, but last Saturday night we gathered for a double-bill movie night: Friday the 13th Part 2 and Friday the 13th Part III. It was my job to have dinner ready at the start of the evening, and the hard-to-adjust-to-chill in the fall air drew me to make the first fall batch of beef chili, as well as another pan of sweet southern cornbread.

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

Sweet Southern Cornbread adapted from "Golden Sweet Cornbread," from bluegirl on AllRecipes.com.

Winston-Salem State Homecoming Parade

The Winston-Salem State University Rams held their annual Homecoming Parade this past Saturday morning, and over the years this has meant varying levels of activity here at the house. At a minimum, the street out front is always closed off for this event. For the last couple of years, this has been the staging area just for the horse riders, and those majestic beasts put Sumner in quite a stew. He had to keep going outside to see what they were up to!

Meal No. 2472: Broccoli Cheese Soup

With the turn of the fall weather into rather a chilly day last Friday, soup was elevated from a want to a need. To satisfy the late afternoon hungers, I made a big pot of broccoli cheese soup, with the novel addition this time of a half block of Dubliner cheese. I'd like to have had a better sharpness to the cheesy element, but it was all still quite good.

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Based on "Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup," by ChefNini and posted to GeniusKitchen.com.