The backlog of entries to this indulgent and obsessive blog finally got to a tipping point on the final Friday of June, compelling me to take stock of my life's choices and to reprioritize some of the inconsequential matters that I regularly confuse the importance of. In other words: here comes a catch-all catch-up of recent doings, all gathered into a single blog post, because I've rather let the enterprise get away from me. Above and below, for instance, you can see that Winston-Salem's skyline-defining structures were fully celebrating that June is Pride Month; these are photos from my downtown strolls on a couple of evenings.
As for kitchen endeavors, let's start with the very humble Meal No. 3637, what I was able to throw together after a couple of full days working with coaches from the local school district: bacon grilled cheese sandwiches. Please don't think I didn't appreciate how that simple griddled goodness struck just the right chord, even if soon afterwards I was face-first into the finishing portions of the previous evening's amazing chocolate pudding.
I guess it was simple and good enough to turn around and repeat that final Friday night, but with the wise addition of tomato slices. Technically that makes it Meal No. 3638, but the cheese and bacon made it thirty-GREAT.
And as long as we're sacrificing all principles by using a big ol' loaf of storebought white bread, why not make a batch of well-coated, well-buttered cinnamon toast?
These are small kitchen comforts as we finished out a week with continued heat and humidity, the pleasing song of cicadas, and the irritant of the occasional mosquito. Although a break in the weather that final June Thursday offered temporary relief with a few hours of rain showers and a pull-back in temps, it still seemed radically wrong that it was 78°F before 6 am before I headed off to work that morning!
But all that heat must have just been holding back until the official start of summer, and I'd enjoyed quite a few mornings of coffee and leisurely reading or unearthing recipes from old issues of some of my better food magazines.
This photo of Sumner shows him in his usual state of watchful calmness, which occurs less regularly than his couchant stretches in the sunshine, even on the pavement of the driveway. Scarlett, on the other hand, who popped up out of the monkey grass that final Friday with a skink hanging down like an extra tongue, was also the one who tracked down a small groundhog holed up under the firewood rack, back on June 14:
I'd also like to share how that adorable second pup of the household performed when confronted with her first-ever antler:
Finally, here's another chance for the cuteness overload meter to be tested for its capacity: a couple of snaps of those sleeping pups nestled into their crates on the first night of July:
Let's jump back to the penultimate day of June, another scorcher with unpleasant humidity. I was in need of a low-impact meal, and to the rescue came my beloved roasted salmon, perched atop fresh-chopped hearts of romaine, and heavily dressed with homemade creamy Caesar dressing. A sprinkling of roasted sunflower seeds was an added indulgence for Meal No. 3639.
June did not leave without making a final impression, in the form of mid-90s heat and a weighted humidity that made the RealFeel register at 105°F as the afternoon slowly plodded along. While there were many treks outside for the house pooches, they never lasted long. A mid-afternoon meal (Meal No. 3640), suitable and simple because of the sous vide, was a delicious dive back into pan-seared filet mignon, accompanied by homemade mashed potatoes. I needed a meal of substance because the coming week was most certain to involve a lot of not-very-wise eating!
In the meantime, as June wrapped up, I began early prepping for the guests who were arriving for a week's stay, starting on the first day of July. That included a double-batch both of sugar peanuts...
...and chocolate fudge, both nutless (above) and nutted (below):
I also whipped up a double-batch of pimento cheese, because the folks coming to stay have made it clear that they love it and they are counting on it.
Even more vital, from the advance intel I received, was preparing an ample supply of Mexican Restaurant White Dipping Sauce, a newer addition to the dips category here. It's a recipe I sort of worked out from trial-and-error but with helpful ideas gleaned from a few random posts here and there—all in tribute to the uniquely-Virginian Mexican restaurant sauce often served alongside the salsa and tortilla chips.
So: that's your summery summary to bring a whole lot of nothing together. But it's what I do, in this blogging sphere. You're a marvel if you read this far.
Adapted from "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim Hardesty of lowcarbmaven.com.
"South Carolina-Style Pimento Cheese." Recipe worked out by me, based on Sharon's Palmetto Pimento Cheese.
"Sugar Peanuts," long a staple of holiday gatherings in the Jones Family household. Recipe from my mother.
"Mexican Restaurant White Dipping Sauce," a recipe worked out by me, sampled by Spring Street, and approved of by all.
