Look who’s cooking: Retiree Bubba Aldridge

NATCHEZ—Bubba Aldridge of Natchez is one of a number of men who enjoy cooking, sharing their creations and collaborating with other cooks on the Natchez Cook Club Facebook page.

Aldridge, who operated Quality Body Shop in Vidalia, Louisiana, for 27 years, only began cooking a few years ago after retirement.

“It just started as a hobby. I started outside grilling, but moved to the kitchen. I cook lunch for my wife every day,” Aldridge said.

His wife, Karla Aldridge, works at Blankenstein’s Supplies and Equipment. Truth be told, he often also makes lunch for the entire Blankenstein’s crew.

“It’s great having a husband who cooks. That means I don’t have to do it,” Karla said. She said he is an excellent home chef.

“He knows what I like and what I don’t like. He looks stuff up online and often surprises me. He brings lunch for all of us sometimes,” she said.

Aldridge’s favorite thing to cook is pizza in his pizza oven.

“I do pizzas and give them away to people for their birthdays,” Aldridge said. “I’ve probably given away a hundred of them.”

Karla Aldridge’s favorite is Bubba’s pepperoni pizza drizzled in hot honey.

Aldridge gets creative with his pizza toppings. One of his favorites is his bacon, lettuce and tomato pizza.

Karla is also a fan of one of his recent creations, baked tilapia in a lemon sauce.

Aldridge said he gets inspiration from cooking videos on YouTube, often tweaking them and making them his own.

Recently, he made and shared a baked spinach and artichoke dip with his wife Karla and her co-workers. Here’s the recipe.

Baked spinach artichoke dip

6 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped green onions, plus more for garnish

8 ounces cream cheese, quartered.

1 cup sour cream

14 ounces can quartered artichoke hearts in water, well-drained and coarsely chopped.

10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T minced garlic, about 3 cloves

1 tsp hot sauce, optional

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, added to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add green onions and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat, add the cream cheese and sour cream, and stir until smooth. The heat from the skillet will melt everything together.

Add artichokes, drained spinach, parmesan, half of the mozzarella, garlic and hot sauce, if using. Stir together to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and spread the mixture evenly in the skillet. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until the dip is bubbling and the cheese has melted. For a golden topping, broil for 2 minutes until the cheese begins to brown. Cool slightly then garnish with green onion if desired and serve with chips or toast.

Do you know someone who likes to cook for fun and is good at it? Contact jan.griffey@natchezdemocrat.com.

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