Baby Beets and Beet Greens

Until last year I had never eaten beet greens. In fact, I had just cut them off and thrown them away. I am ashamed to say that, because they are soo GOOD!! I was thinning my beet rows the other day and was quite surprised to see beets the size of quarters on the end of my greens. It will not be long before the pickling begins... But until then we will eat these tiny beets with the greens. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

Beets with the tops or greens still attached
Water
Oil
Salt to taste
Butter

I like my beets boiled, not roasted, but that is up to you. Wash your beets very well and remove the greens. You will wash the greens very well and then wash them again. They are like spinach and can get very sandy. Cover beets with water in a pot and cook until fork tender. I honestly cannot tell you how long that is because it depends how big your beets are. I boiled the ones pictured for about 20 minutes. Once boiled, peel with your hands under cool water. NOTE:Beets stain your hands!! So use gloves if you don't want purple hands. I place my greens in a cast iron skillet and add about a half inch of water to the skillet. Salt and pepper now and cook over a medium high heat until most of the water is gone, now add a little oil and saute for a couple of minutes. These greens are like any other green you have cooked before. I don't like my greens soggy, I like them with a little bite left in them. I serve the greens with the baby beets.

A Spring Roast

I decided to roast some veggies that were fresh from my garden last night. I had chicken quarters laid out and added them to the roasting pan too. I am glad that I did because everyone loved the dinner! This is definitely going to be a repeat dinner. I love roasted veggies but with the chicken on top they tasted even better, if that is possible. My tomatoes are starting to bloom so home grown tomatoes are not far off. Oh the things I will make with those tomatoes.... This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:

6 chicken leg quarters
5 Roma tomatoes-sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 purple onion-sliced in 1/4 inch rings
1 head of cauliflower-fresh from my garden-broken into florets
2 pounds broccoli-fresh from my garden
3 T chives-fresh from my garden-chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves-minced

Preheat oven to 450'. While oven is heating up mix veggies with oil, salt and pepper, chives, and garlic and spread in a large roasting pan. Now add your chicken quarters on top and salt and pepper the heck out of them. Place in hot oven and roast for 40 minutes. Just make sure the juices from the chicken run clear. I served our dinner with quinoa and everyone loved it.

Chocolate Cupcakes

I cannot wait for Martha's new Cupcake Cookbook to come out. Yes, I love Martha Stewart and for the most part all of her recipes turn out well. This is a bonus when making something you have never made before. Back to this recipe, Ransome has been wanting cupcakes this week and I have just been too busy, sad to say that I have not made him any until today. June is coming up and we have 4 birthdays in our family in June, the idea of cake in any form is not appealing right now. I will be baking CAKES next month for Ransome on the 8th, Raven and the 21st, Mom on the 25th , and Raine on the 27th. That is a lot of baking but I do love making decorated cakes!! This is practice for Raven's cake, she loves chocolate cake and I had to try this recipe before then anyway. The icing on the cupcakes is a butter cream and is really good on chocolate cupcakes. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek this Memorial Day!

Needed:

1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream together in your Kitchen Aide Mixer the following, Crisco and sugar, once creamy add the eggs one at a time, applesauce, and sour cream. When all of this is mixed well add sifted mixture a little at a time until well mixed. Now place 1/3 cup of mixture into a lined muffin pan, this will make 12 cupcakes. Bake at 350' for 20 minutes. Cool completely and then ice with butter cream frosting!

Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob

I love corn and I love it grilled then smothered with mayo, dusted with cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese. Soo good... Anyway, grilling corn is easy and the kids think using the husks as handles is cool. This is What's Cookin this weekend on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
7 ears of corn-silks removed but husks left
sink full of water
grill

Soak corn in water for 1 hour, this helps steam the corn and keeps husks from burning up. Cook over medium coals for 10-15 minutes. This is so good with anything else grilled.

The Softest Oatmeal Cookies You Have Ever Eaten

I have been busy canning preserves and have not been a good blogger, bad Stacey, bad Stacey. I made these cookies yesterday and all are gone. Sean and Ransome love oatmeal cookies and these are favorites. I think the softness comes from the applesauce, of course I used home canned apple sauce but any will do. This is What's Cookin again today on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
5 T softened butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 egg-beaten
1 cup applesauce
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and set aside. Mix in your Kitchen Aid Mixer, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and egg, until fluffy, now add your applesauce and mix well. I add 1/2 of flour mixture and then add 1/2 of the oats and then repeat the process, the raisins are last to go in. Drop by the tablespoon on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350' for 12 minutes. I keep checking to make sure I don't over bake them. 12 minutes cooks them the way we like them but you might cook yours anywhere from 12-15 minutes but all ovens are different. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Stilwell Strawberry Preserves

Yes, you betcha it is time for Stilwell, Oklahoma strawberries!!! Can you tell I am excited?? Stilwell strawberries are the best I have ever eaten. When I buy them I eat way more than one person should. They are so sweet right out of the box and even better as preserves. This is my tried and true recipe. If you've never made your own preserves, try this recipe and you will never eat store bought again! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

8 pints of Stilwell strawberries(you can use other strawberries, at least I think you can)-cleaned
21 cups sugar
2 boxes pectin

I clean and cut my strawberries in half and place them in a huge heavy bottom soup pot. Now add your sugar and smash berries as they heat up and stir, stir, stir. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes,stirring constantly, now stir in pectin. Stir and skim off foam for 5 more minutes, now ladle into sterilized pint jars and seal with flat and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from hot water bath and let cool completely. If jar does not seal place in fridge and use within a couple of weeks.

Baked Chicken and Dumplings

This is my fast version of chicken and dumplings. Meaning this one does not have rolled out dumplings. We like these every once in a while and that time was the other day. I like these dumplings when they get a little crusty from being under the broiler for a few minutes. This is an all in one dish too, makes for an easy clean-up. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
1 whole chicken
1 bag baby carrots
2 T ground sage
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups Bisquick
Water

First make your "dumplings". I take 3 cups of Bisquick to 1 1/2 cups milk and stir until a sticky dough forms. This is what you will drop into your broth.

Cover chicken with water and add salt, pepper, sage and carrots. Boil until chicken falls off the bone. Remove chicken and bone, add chicken back to pot and return to a boil. Drop "dumplings" by the spoon full and cover with a lid for 10 minutes, now preheat oven to 450' and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, after done baking broil for 5 minutes or until "dumplings" brown slightly.

Cornbread Stacey's Way

I just love a pan of crispy cornbread. I can eat it with pinto beans, which I am tonight, or with greens or in a glass of ice cold milk. The last item listed grosses my husband out to no end. I was the kid in the cafeteria with cornbread in my milk carton. You should have tried it, you would have liked it. I think to start off with you need a cast iron skillet. I use the one my grandmother used and I cannot imagine making cornbread without it. Another key to crispy cornbread is a HOT oven. I bake mine at 450' and I think it makes all the difference in crispness. My cornbread is pure southern cornbread. Meaning there is NO FLOUR OR SUGAR in it. Don't get me wrong, I like sweet cornbread sometimes but sweet is like a cup cake. This is What's Cookin tonight on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
3 1/2 cups white cornmeal
1 T baking baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix all of the ingredients together and then pour into a greased cast iron skillet. Cook at 450' until golden and crispy.

Cherry Limeade Pie

I am not much of the lime pie fan but this one is sweet enough for me. I don't like to pucker when I am eating pie. Know what I mean??? It has been getting warm and humid on Beaty's Creek and this pie hit the spot. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek. Don't email me, I know this is "NOT" cookin but at least I do it in the kitchen.

Needed:
I graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 frozen container of limeade
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
1 container Extra Creamy Cool Whip-thawed

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, limeade, cherry juice, and Cool Whip, when thoroughly mixed pour into your graham cracker crust. I made my crust from scratch but you can use a store bought one too. Now place pie covered in freezer over night. Serve with a cherry on top. This will make you think of your favorite cherry limeade drink.

Fluffy Cake

This cake is always at our family picnics. It is one of Raven's favorites and now Raine's. I made this one with black cherry Jello but whatever flavor you like will do. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
1 angel food cake (from the bakery, box, or homemade)
1 box Jello-whatever flavor your family likes
1 container Extra Creamy Cool Whip-thawed


Make Jello according package directions, once made place in fridge until just about set. Now is the time to add the Cool Whip to the Jello, stir, stir, stir. Once completely mixed ice your angel food cake with mixture. You must store this cake in the fridge. Soo good!!

Mother's Day

I will be quite honest with you, Mother's Day snuck up on me this year. Not my children or dear husband but definitely on me, sorry mom. Now I am scrambling to come up with a nice menu for me, yes, I like to cook on Mother's Day. I need a rich dessert for my mother, my mom is an ant transformed into a human, seriously addicted to sweets. Mom, you know this is true. Anyway here is What's Cookin on Mother's Day on Beaty's Creek, let's hope the rain stays away while I grill.

Bar-B-Que Baloney-(Okie Steak)
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Blueberry Cobbler

I think I will make my mother a limeade pie. Sounds good and refreshing to me. If you have never grilled baloney, you are missing out. Give it a try.

Strawberry Napoleon

Ransome wanted a Napoleon that he saw on the box of puff pastry I was thawing out in the fridge. I had to put my thinking hat on so I came up with this easy recipe for Napoleons. He loved it and so did the rest of the crew. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1 package of frozen puff pastry-thawed in the fridge overnight
1 package instant vanilla pudding-made according to package directions
1/2 of a tub of Extra Creamy Cool Whip-thawed
1 pint strawberries-sliced
Powdered sugar

Slice puff pastry on the fold lines and bake according to package directions. Once baked cool completely. Now fold Cool Whip into pudding, I told told you this was easy. Layer Napoleon in the this order, puff pastry, pudding mixture, sliced strawberries, puff pastry until you have 3 layers of puff pastry. Sift powdered sugar over top of Napoleon and enjoy!

Peach Betty

I had some peaches in the freezer and could not decide what to make with them. I was not in the mood for pie so I made an old stand by here on Beaty's Creek, the Betty. I have made this recipe with all kinds of fruit but peaches are one of my favorites to use. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

10 peaches- peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
3 T all purpose flour
10 slices of day old bread-I used wheat
1 stick butter

Blend peaches, sugar, and flour together and mix very well. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Take your bread and put in your food processor and process until fine, now spread evenly on top of peach mixture. Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle on top of bread crumbs and bake at 350' for 35 minutes or until fruit is bubbling. I like it with vanilla ice-cream on top.

Multi Grain Peasant Bread

This is a good loaf to have with soup but I like it with fresh butter and a salad too. Weird I know but what can I say, I like weird sometimes. It's easy as going to the bakery to buy your bread and you will be glad you did it yourself. It looks like bakery bread with the slashes on top. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today. The creek is up today due to all of the rain the last few days, Spring is definitely here.

Needed:

3 1/2 cups water
2 T granulated yeast or 2 packets
1 T kosher salt
1 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup gluten flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour water into your Kitchen Aid Mixer, sprinkle yeast on top of water, let it set until slightly foamy, now add the rest of your ingredients and mix until you have a sticky dough. I knead in my mixer for 15 minutes, not very long when you think about how good this bread is. Let bread double in size covered in a warm spot in your kitchen. When doubled, break dough into 3 pieces, which you will make into round loaves, you achieve this by rolling the dough under in your hand. I place mine on a Silpat and then let the loaves rise for 1 hour, once bread has risen slash the top of the loaves a couple of times. Bake at 450' for 25 minutes.