Fabu Mac and Cheese

This is my best attempt at recreating my sister-in-laws fabulous macaroni and cheese recipe. The key ingredients are farm-fresh gouda (Taylor Farm Gouda is our favorite), Vermont cheddar, cream cheese and 3 drops of hot sauce. Not to worry; there is no kick to this dish. The tabasco only enhances the flavor of the cheese. We also prefer pasta shells; they cup the cheese so nicely. Enjoy!

Fabu Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 cups/16 oz Macaroni or orecchiette/shells
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
  
• 4 TBSP Butter
• 3 TBSP Flour
• Pinch pepper
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
  
• 2 cups Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1.5 cups or 12 oz grated Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup or 8 oz. cubed Gouda (or Fontina if preferred)
• 4 oz Neufchatel or cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
  
• 4 TBSP melted Butter
• 1 cup cubed bread slices or 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP Parsley

Directions

1. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water then drain (pasta should NOT be fully cooked).
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Add the flour, pepper, paprika and stir with a whisk, constantly, for about a minute. (flour should not brown).
5. Mix in milk and cream and stir continuously until steaming, but not boiling.
6. Add cheeses, slowly, until they melt.
7. Add hot sauce and stir in pasta.
8. Mix and turn into greased, large casserole dish.
9. Mix bread crumbs/crackers, melted butter, parmesan cheese and parsley and sprinkle on top.
10. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

cc2.0 image by robjtak

Dog Team Sticky Buns

As I don't know how long the Dog Team restaurant's website will stay up--and this is the top search that brings folks to my other site--I thought I would post this cherished recipe here. You can buy "DT Sticky Buns" (made by a former employee) at various markets in Vermont.

Dog Team Sticky Buns

Ingredients

• 3⁄4 lb potatoes, peeled and cube
• 1⁄4 lb (1 stick) margarine, at room temp
• 2 3⁄4 cups sugar
• 1 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1⁄2 lb (2 sticks) lightly salted butter, melted
• 1⁄4 cup ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Boil potatoes in salted water to cover until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 ½ cups of the cooking liquid, and mash.
3. Measure 1 Cup of the mashed potatoes and reserve the rest for another use.
4. Stir together the mashed potatoes, margarine, ½ cup of the sugar and salt.
5. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast, eggs and the reserved 1 ½ cups cooking liquid and mix well.
6. Add flour and stir. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic.
7. Set in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
8. Punch down and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
9. Butter three 9-inch round or square baking dishes.
10. Distribute brown sugar evenly among the pans.
11. Sprinkle with enough water to make the sugar very wet.
12. Distribute walnuts evenly over the brown sugar.
13. Roll out the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle on a well-floured surface.
14. Brush with melted butter.
15. Stir together the remaining 2 ¼ cups sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the buttered dough.
16. Roll up the dough as you would a jelly roll. Cut into ½-inch-thick slices.
17. Arrange the slices cut-side up in the prepared pans so that they are almost touching.
18. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
19. One hour later, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
20. Bake the sticky buns until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
21. Immediately invert the buns onto a plate.

Makes 6-8 sticky buns per pan. (18-24 total)

cc2.0 image courtesy of TheWanderingEater

Food Shopping Online

A comment from a reader asked for sources online for buying high quality foods, so here are my recommendations:

First, if you must buy online, I would recommend searching for growers in your immediate area, possibly your local farmer's market is online. This will ensure you receive the freshest food possible, support your local farmers, and reduce the environmental impact of the packaging and transport needed for the food to arrive at your door.

I don't know where the commenter was from, but for me (in Vermont) that means shopping through organizations such as these:

Dakin Farm
A Vermont family farm since 1792, Dakin offers a full line of mouthwatering meats, deliciously aged cheeses, fresh crops of pure maple syrup prepared at the farm using time-honored methods. They also offer a wide range of other Vermont specialty foods and products.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
The coffee beans may not be grown here, but this Vermont business creates some wonderful coffee - including fair-trade and organic blends. And you have to love a company who's purpose/mission statement is: "We create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch from tree to cup – transforming the way the world understands business."

Vermont Specialty Foods Association
Supported by Vermont's Department of Agriculture, the Vermont Specialty Food Association has grown to over 100 members; made up of small to large Vermont food businesses who all share the same philosophy of providing the consumer with a fabulous specialty food.

However, here are some national sites worth exploring, too:

WellnessGrocer (link currently down)
WellnessGrocer is the internet's leading e-tailer offering natural, organic, and gluten free products delivered to your doorstep. They market premium brands that are found in Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other health food stores/co-ops around the country.

Farmer's Market Online
Virtual booths provided to farmers, from around the globe, and others you might expect at an actual open-air farmers market.

Seeds of Change
Purchasing their worldly products helps support their mission to "make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture."

Lastly, since the commenter specifically mentioned steak, here are two more sites for consideration:

Diamond Organics
Since 1990, Diamond Organics has been the nation's premier source for farm fresh, all-organic food, with guaranteed nationwide overnight home delivery, fresh from Monterey County, California.

Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks manufactures, markets and distributes a wide variety of premium steaks, red meats and other gourmet foods. We've received a gift from Omaha Steaks every year as a gift from my mother-in-law, and the meat is always lean, high-quality, tender and delicious.

Photo courtesy of Dakin Farm

Fettucine Alfredo

So this is not an authentic recipe - nor is it lowfat by any means - but it is fast, easy, and should impress (most) guests. Definitely better than the hotpot alfredo I made in college!

Fettucine Alfredo


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 TBSP. cream cheese
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 tsp. minced garlic (or garlic powder in a pinch)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
• fresh parsley (to garnish)
• 1 lb. fettuccine, prepared as directed

Directions

1. Prepare fettuccine/pasta as directed.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter.
3. When butter is melted, add cream cheese.
4. When the cream cheese is softened, add heavy cream.
5. Season with garlic, salt, and pepper.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
7. Slowly add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and continue stirring another 5 minutes.
8. Reserve 2 TBSP. parmesan, then slowly add remaining cheese and stir another 5 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and stir in hot fettucine noodles, and coat pasta completely.
10. Serve garnished with remaining fresh parmesan and parsley.

Makes 6 servings. 25 min total.

Photo courtesy of nestle.ca

Panko Mustard Chicken

Another delicious, yet deceptively easy recipe. I recommend the panko (japanese style) whole-wheat bread crumbs - for their slightly nutty flavor and crisper texture; although regular crumbs as just fine. I also highly recommend making this recipe using Sugarbush Farm's Maple Horseradish Mustard...to die for!

Panko Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, washed & patted dry
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. Dijon or maple-horseradish mustard
• 1/2 c. whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 tbsp. parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Mix melted butter, garlic and mustard. Set aside.
3. Mix panko/bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper. Set aside.
4. Dip chicken in mustard sauce and coat on both sides.
5. Place chicken "cozily" in a small baking pan.
6. Top each breast with ample crumb mixture.
7. Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe modified from Cooks.com

Maple Syrup Recipes

During late March and early April, you can't drive down a Vermont back road without the sweet and steamy aroma of boiling maple sap wafting in from a nearby sugarhouse. So I thought it timely to share some links to Maple recipes.

• Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association
• Vermont Public Radio (scroll down a bit)
• Vermonter.com
• RuralVermont's recipes from southern VT Inns
• Carman Brook Maple and Dairy Farm
• Pieces of Vermont Grade B recipes

And thanks to a soon-to-be-gone jar of fresh Maple Cream from our friends at Howling Hound Homemade, miniMaple's recommended recipe is a thin layer of maple cream spread on a blueberry Eggo waffle. A two year old, with sweet maple cream, on a waffle... a WHOLE new meaning to "Le'go my Eggo!"

1st image: "Sugaring" Oil Painting by Michael McGovern, courtesy of woodstockvt.com

2nd image: GRUPPE, Emile; American (1896-1978); "Maple Sugaring, Vermont"; Oil on Canvas, 1952; courtesy of clarkegalleries.com

Helen Hosmer's Wassail Recipe

I stumbled across this recipe today and wanted to ensure it didn't get lost as it was passed down through my music fraternity over the years. I was quite honored to sing at this amazing educator's bedside a week before her passing.

was·sail n. 1: an early English toast to someone's health. 2: a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. 3: riotous drinking:revelry.

Wassail Recipe of Helen M. Hosmer

Ingredients and Directions

To each gallon of cider add:

• 3 tsp. Allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 sticks of cinnamon
• 8 oranges, juice of (or 2 cans frozen concentrate)
• 4 lemons, juice of (or 1 can frozen lemonade)
• Up to 2 cups sugar

Let mixture slowly come to a boil and serve hot.
Recipe meant to be improvised.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

We tried this recipe the other night. A quick, family meal that is easy to assemble and generally nutritious.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients

• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
2. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.
3. PLACE chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.
4. BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 310 / Total fat 7g / Saturated fat 3g / Cholesterol 80mg /
Sodium 710mg / Carbohydrate 25g / Dietary fiber 2g / Sugars 4g /
Protein 33g / Vitamin A 10%DV /Vitamin C 15%DV /
Calcium 20%DV / Iron 15%DV / WW POINTS = 6
Recipe and photo courtesy of Kraft Foods.