Here are two of our favorite side dishes here at Buckeye Mountain. This salad is so good I sometimes skip the barbeque. From the cook book  “THE CULINARY CENTER OF KANSAS CITY".

Ruthie's Spinach Salad
Makes six servings

Dressing

• 1  cup salad oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Salad

• 8 cups spinach, stems removed
• thoroughly washed and dryed
• 1 cup dried cranberries and dried berries
• 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup slivered albonds, toasted

Rick the repair guy’s notes: This recipe calls for a medium red onion, but I’ve always used half an onion. Also, if you’ve never toasted almonds, you just toss them in a dry frying pan, stir occasionally, once they start to brown they will burn quickly, so watch them. And I know it’s tempting, but don’t drink the dressing right from the container…that’s not good.

Buckeye Mountain Mac n” Cheese

• 4 cups uncooked elbow mac
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 8 oz cheddar
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 4 oz. Velveeta
• 2 tsp Tabasco
• 2 tsp Dijon
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 beaten eggs

Topping

• 3 T butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Options I like:

• ¼ cup green olives diced
• ½ onion diced fine, sautéed in butter.

Cook the macaroni first and set aside. Heat the milk and cream in a pot and add the Tabasco, Dijon, and white pepper. Temper in the eggs. Grate the cheddar and stir it into the pot a little at a time. Stir until it’s melted. Cut up the Velveeta and cream cheese and add them to the pot. Keep stirring until they blend in. Mix the cheese sauce with the macaroni and pour into a baking dish. Check for salt. Melt the butter and mix with the Panko bread crumbs and top the mac with them. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.