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Nikki’s Recipe Book: Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Tomatoes

Nov 17, 2021 | Creekside Dreams, Food and Wine, Nikki's Recipe Book

Nikki’s Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Tomatoess
The Palace Hotel in Creekside, Arizona expereinces the best of every season. Flowers in bloom covering trees in Spring bring love to the town. A lite dust of snow calls for cozy nights by the fire with family in Winter.  During the chilly times of year, Nikki warms the hearts of her community with comfort food. For ages she has served a twist of Macaroni and Cheese. Her recipes is NOT from a box. Instead she shreds the cheese and adds flavor with ham and juicy tomatoes. 

Ingredients
2 Tb. Butter
Cooked Ham cut into small cubes
12 dry pasta
¼ cu of white wine
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
¼ cup frozen peas (optional)
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (not pre-packaged grated)
1 additional Tb of butter
Water
Salt & pepper

Directions

  1. Drain liquid from tomatoes into 1 cup measure – set tomatoes aside
  2. Add wine and water to measuring cup to make 1 cup
  3. Melt butter in large skillet
  4. Add liquid, pasta, ham, peas and tomatoes to skillet
  5. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, 9 to 15 minutes, until pasta is cooked
  6. Add salt and pepper and last butter, stir
  7. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts
  8. Let sit one minute then serve

Literary Titan Award Winner

Jun 9, 2021 | Creekside Dreams, Sweet Dreams at The Palace Hotel

The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed Literary Titan with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.

I am THRILLED to achieve this award of excellence from a forefront of the literary world for my debut novel, “Sweet Dreams at The Palace Hotel”. I appreciate everyone who helped me on my author journey including my family, editor Melanie and Wild Rose Press.

Check out the full list of award winning books for your next week. June 2021 Winners

 

Nikki’s Recipe Book: Palace Potato Salad

May 19, 2021 | Creekside Dreams, Food and Wine, Nikki's Recipe Book

Palace Potato Salad

Nikki Benton, from Sweet Dreams at The Palace Hotel is always looking for fun ways to put together dinner for her growing family while running her business. One meal her family loves is spare ribs from the slow cooker and potato salad. Add a basic green salad and dinner is on the table without turning on the oven or standing over the stove. What makes this Potato Salad unique is the minimal amount of mayo. Having the reduction of the creamy white condiment changes not only the color, but lifts the focus of the dish to be the potato. Yum!

 

Ingredients
5 white or gold potatoes – washed
3 eggs – hard cooked and peeled
3 stalks of celery – cut into thin slices or small chunks
3 green onions – sliced including green tops
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. yellow mustard
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp celery salt
Pinch of celery seed (optional)
6 baby sweet pickles, cut into small pieces

Directions
1. Cover potatoes with water in saucepan, sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil and cook until fork tender, skins may begin to split. (about 20 minutes, depends upon size of potatoes)
2. Drain potatoes.
3. While potatoes cool slightly, combine onion, celery, and pickles in large bowl. Peel and chop eggs and lightly toss with celery mixture.
4. Blend pepper, celery salt, mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.
5. When potatoes are cool enough to touch, peel and chop into chunks. Gently stir into celery mixture.
6. Add Mayo/mustard mixture to bowl and stir to just coat.
7. Sprinkle with celery seed.

OPTION:
Store covered in refrigerator. May be served immediately slightly warm or later thoroughly cooled. Nikki usually makes the potato salad the night before, pops the spare ribs in the slow cooker in the morning and her teenagers manage assembling a green salad and getting dinner on the table. Dinner is family time for Nikki, a chance to relax around the table and catch up on the day.
Like Nikki, potato salad always sparks my memories of summer and the time I spent in the kitchen with mom and grandma putting together potato salad and slicing fresh tomatoes. What food(s) trigger your summer memories?