Maple Macaroni: Ultimate Southern Biscuit Bar

I grew up in a sort of "New South." I lived in the suburbs. I didn't really eat traditional Southern food, unless you count barbecue, nor did my family make it. When I went out to eat meat and three-type food, it was overcooked and just not that exciting. And then I grew up, studied Southern culture, started cooking new things, studied Southern food, worked for Southern Living, and began to reclaim what it means to be a Southerner in my kitchen, with a fresh twist.

So last week I started dreaming up my version of a biscuit bar: biscuits, butters and jams as a base. But then my food-obsessed brain got a little over-excited about embracing this whole Southern, fresh thing, and making food from scratch. And this happened:

On my plate:
Buttermilk Biscuit with Pimiento Cheese and Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes
Blueberry Biscuit with Basil Butter and Blackberry Jam
Sweet Potato Biscuit with Ham, Swiss and Dijon
Fruity salad

It all started with these guys, biscuits that weren't exactly fluffy (I need to work on my biscuit skills) but still tasted buttery-yum.

There were cold toppings, with crown jewels basil butter and homemade pimiento cheese.

And there were Southernly delicious hot toppings: chicken tenders, bacon and oven-fried green tomaters.

And we had a pretty salad to balance out all those carbs.

Conclusion: Birthdays make good excuses for forcing your friends to play with you food, and spending hours brainstorming and prepping food to play with.

Ultimate Southern Biscuit Bar Menu

Blackberry Cocktail

Tiffany's Tea Room Salad

with Strawberries, Roasted Asparagus, Pine Nuts and Pecorino Romano cheese

Buttermilk Biscuits

Blueberry Biscuits

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

Bacon

Chicken Tenders (from Publix)

Pimiento Cheese

Deli Ham