The Buttercreme Baker

Back To Basics

Nothing is more satisfying than a good old-fashioned, Southern dinner.

Country ham biscuits, greens and a macaroni & cheese I can be proud of; it's a compilation of several other really good recipes. Gouda is the secret to its smoky flavor-something the other recipes were lacking.

These were quite a bargain on Amazon.com. I think I only spent $25.00 on all three.

Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb ziti pasta

8T salted butter

1/2C mild Cheddar, shredded

1/2C sharp Cheddar, shredded

1/2C Monterey Jack, shredded

1/2C smoked Gouda, shredded

2C half-and-half

1C (8oz) Velveeta, cubed

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¼ t seasoned salt

¼ t pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 ½ quart casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add ziti and cook 8 min. or until al dente (tender). Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan melt 8T of the butter. Pour in the half-and-half and bring to a boil; remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack, Velveeta, Gouda and mild Cheddar cheeses until melted.

Pour slightly beaten egg over ziti and toss to coat. Combine pasta with cheese mixture. Pour into greased dish and sprinkle with remaining sharp Cheddar.

Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Serve hot.

 

 

My New Store

I am very excited to announce the soon to be opening of my Wildtree store on my very own Wildtree site. It should be up and running by tomorrow afternoon. All of the spice blends I've featured in some of my recipes will be for sale and even some products I have yet to try myself. They are all preservative-free and most importantly, you don't have to compromise in the taste department.

Now to plan my launch party…

Over the weekend I made barbecued ribs as well as a macaroni salad. I was on the phone with Debi and was about to open up one of those boxed pasta salad mixes when she suggested I try the "Dill Dip Blend". I was very pleased with the results.

There is a barbecue sauce recipe that I have been using for years now that is just the right balance of sweetness and tang. However, that day, I decided to add a little heat so, I added about 1 t of the"Cajun Seasoning" and in the words of Goldilocks, "it was just right."

Barbecued Spareribs

4 lbs pork ribs, cut-up

1 medium onion, quartered

2 t kosher salt

¼ t pepper

Sauce:

½ C cider vinegar

½ C packed brown sugar

½C ketchup

¼ C chili sauce

¼ C Worcestershire sauce

2 T chopped onion

1 T lemon juice

½ t ground mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper

1. Place the ribs and onion in a Dutch oven; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover ribs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until tender, drain.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Arrange ribs on a rack in a broiler pan. Brush with sauce. Broil 5" from the heat for 5 minutes on each side, brushing frequently with sauce.

*Note-I am not a fan of pieces of onion and garlic in my barbecue sauce so, I omit them when I make this sauce.

Fredericksburg & Strawberry Shortcake Cake

The family and I decided we needed a change of scenery so; we packed up and came to visit a friend and colleague of John's, Terry English. He is the General Manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites-Fredericksburg. And although I've seen every hotel known to man, Terry and his staff went above and beyond to make us feel at home. There was even a lovely box of Belgian chocolates in our suite along with a basket of other goodies; now that's hospitality.

Terry also prepared dinner at his home for us. I didn't know that he was originally a formally trained chef but, after our meal, there was no doubt. Best meal I've had in a long time-the filet mignon was so tender. I rarely eat steak without A-1 but, with this steak, I didn't even miss it. He also grilled shrimp skewers, sweet corn and new potatoes-delectable! Desert was a store-bought cake (Johns' idea)-normally, I'm not a fan unless it's from Ukrop's but, this cake was from a grocery store called, Bloom and it was fantastic. The cake was moist, the strawberries sweet and fresh and the whipped cream icing balanced it all perfectly.

The search is on for a duplicate recipe!

The book for my newly formed book club has been chosen: Searching for Virginia Dare by Marjorie Hudson. I can't wait to delve into it; the legends about Virginia Dare and The Lost Colony are fascinating and always leave me wondering…what really happened?