Fall Pasta Salad

Last year I had the most wonderful pasta salad from Whole Foods. It had butternut squash in it and let me tell you it was delish!! I came up with this similar recipe and it is really good also. Give this a try if you have butternut squash running out of your ears and are looking for new recipes. I like butternut squash any way you can make it! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1 pound whole wheat pasta-boiled al dente
A 2 pound butternut squash-peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound of baby green beans-blanched with pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese-grated
2 T garlic powder
1 T oregano
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

I place the butternut squash on a parchment lined cookie sheet with sides and pour olive oil on it. I then sprinkle on the garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I like to coat my pieces evenly because I want every bite to taste good! Roast in the oven at 450' for 45 minutes. I like mine a little dark. Just check yours at 30 minutes if you just want the squash to cook through. Cook pasta til al dente. I put my green beans in the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta. Once pasta and green beans are done, drain completely and mix with butternut squash and stir. I add a little more olive oil and salt and pepper to the pasta mixture. You can eat it warm but I like mine after it has been in the fridge overnight. I place a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top right before serving.

Beef and Vegetable Noodle Soup

A little bit of a tongue twister but by any name it is tasty. I made a homemade yeast cornbread with it and yes, all enjoyed. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

1 rump roast
2 cans green beans-I used home canned
1 can diced tomatoes-home canned
2 cans of whole kernel corn
1 can peas
1 whole white onion-chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 pound baby carrots-whole
2 T garlic powder
2 T sea salt
2 T black pepper
1/2 pound dry egg noodles
Water

Cook roast in a large stock pot with enough water to cover meat. I add in at this time the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until meat falls apart. I cooked mine for approximately 5 hours. At this time add all of your veggies with canning liquid. Add carrots and noodles now too. Cook until carrots and noodles are done, this happened in about 20 minutes on my watch. You may need to add a little more water to your soup. I added about 3 cups, the noodles soak up a lot of the broth. Serve with a good homemade bread.

Coconut Cream Cake

I was wanting something sweet and cool and came up with this recipe. Fall is oh so close and this is a late summer dessert for sure. You might give this a try if you need an easy dessert. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.



Needed:

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 cup butter-softened
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 t salt
2 cups sugar
2 t vanilla
Coconut Pudding
Cool Whip

Sift all of your dry ingredients together. Beat your eggs, and butter very well, and add them along with your vanilla to your milk. You will add this combo 1/2 cup at a time until all is mixed in. Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake at 325' for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Next you will make your coconut pudding according to directions. I used a 3.4 ounce box. Poke holes in your cake with a fork and pour pudding over while still warm. Place in fridge overnight. Right before serving top with a good layer of Cool-Whip. I used the large container.

A Three-Way you say???

I just love a good three-way. How about you? Now pick your mind up out of the gutter, this is a food blog for goodness sakes. I became addicted to these at Coney Island in Tulsa many years ago. You can't plan a trip to Tulsa without stopping by this local favorite. Pasta, chili, beans, and loads of cheese, what is not to love? Calories, yes indeedee but occasionally it is okay, okay. It was kinda cool and rainy on Beaty's Creek yesterday and this sounded like a good dinner. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

4 pounds hamburger
6 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
2 T salt
1 T black pepper
3 cans tomato sauce
3 cans pinto beans
Shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese
Green Onions
Pickled Jalapenos
2 pounds spaghetti noodles-boiled and drained

Brown hamburger, now add your chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. I add my tomato sauce with one can of water now. Cook until chili slightly thickens. Heat beans up and you are ready to go. We like ours like this, spaghetti, chili, beans, cheese, Parmesan cheese, green onion, pickled jalapenos, and then cayenne pepper. Crackers are good on the side.

Black Walnut Cake

There are huge Black Walnut trees growing all around Beaty's Creek. As a child I would collect these walnuts and place them in narrow rows along our country driveway. After about week or two of family traffic, their outer green (now black) layer would be removed exposing the inner nutshell. This outer layer has been used for centuries as a dye. I have never tried to use it as a dye but always wanted to, maybe one day... Now to cracking them, it is not easy either. It takes a hefty hammer and some real patience to remove all of the goodies. Then why in the world do I do it????? Because they are so wonderful! My husband likes to call them "greasy rocks." That is fine because that means there are more for the rest of us. Raven and Raine just love them so they will be our new generation of pickers :). If you are lucky enough to have Black Walnut trees, you must make this cake. If you don't, you can buy them at this website and still make this cake. This is What's Cookin Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

6 cups flour-sifted
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter-softened
3 cups sugar
2 cups milk
1 t vanilla
12 egg whites
1 cup chopped black walnuts

Sift all of your dry ingredients together and place in a bowl. Now beat your egg whites until stiff. Mix into your dry ingredients your milk, vanilla, and black walnuts. Now fold in your egg whites. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 325' for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cake cool completely. I ice mine with a store bought white icing and top it with 1 more cup of chopped black walnuts.

Sweet Cornbread

We are not real big fans of sweet cornbread. We prefer good ole southern cornbread with our beans but occasionally you just want sweet cornbread. I made this sweet version with my roast and it was a very good choice. I like mine with loads of butter but of course this is optional, at least this is what I have heard. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
4 t baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 t salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs

Sift all of your dry ingredients together, now blend in shortening. Mixture will be crumby feeling. Add your wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 400' for 30 minutes. Now this is my oven and yours might cook a little faster or slower. I always know mine is done when it is golden brown.

Pickled Jalapenos

Our jalapeno plants went absolutely crazy this year. This is good when you want to make fresh salsa but when you want to preserve them, you must pickle them. We love pickled jalapenos with a pot of beans and they are great with fried chicken also. Try these if you have not, you'll be pleasantly surprised. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s today.


Needed:

4 pounds of jalapeno peppers
4 cups white vinegar


Pack jalapenos tightly into your jars. I used quart jars because we eat a lot of pickled jalapenos. Boil vinegar and pour over jalapenos in jars. Seal and process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes.

Pot Roast

I have always loved a good pot roast. I bought a rump roast that was on sale and could not think of a way to cook it without having a tough roast. I finally decided to cook it in the oven and was pleasantly surprised to find it fork tender. Everyone just loved it and the leftovers were so good served over some homemade bread. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

4-5 pound rump roast
2 sticks of butter
1 white onion-cut into rings
1 pound button mushrooms
2 pounds carrots
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves-minced
Enough water to almost cover roast

Melt butter in a roasting pan and season roast with salt and pepper. Brown roast on all sides. Now add your garlic, onions, and mushrooms and enough water to almost cover roast. Place a lid on the pan and cook at 325' for at least 4 hours. I cooked mine about 7 hours. The last hour of cooking add your carrots. I added a slurry to the broth that was in the pan and made a really good gravy.

A Max and Ruby Cake for Miss Raine

Raine absolutely loves the Max and Ruby cartoon series. I have to admit that I like the show too, so sweet and the characters so cute. Max made a mud and Earthworm cake the other day so I thought Raine would enjoy getting one of her own. You should have seen Raine's face when I showed her the cake, priceless. She thought I had real worms on the cake and was hesitant about trying a piece. She loved it once she figured out the worms were just candy and the cake wasn't made of mud!! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

Chocolate Cake Recipe

2 Store bought chocolate icing containers
2 bags of gummy worms


Bake cake in 2-9 inch round baking pans. Let cool completely. Ice cake rather thickly. Now place "worms" on top of cake and enjoy.

Fried Green Tomatoes

When the Summer's bounty of tomatoes starts to wain it is time for fried green tomatoes!! I like fried green tomatoes with just a hint of pink because they are not so tart and have a fuller flavor in my opinion. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

10 green tomatoes-sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups white cornmeal
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup milk
Oil for frying

Mix egg and milk together. Now sift flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper together. Dip tomatoes into milk mixture and then into cornmeal mixture. Pour a 1/4 inch of oil into a skillet and heat over medium heat until a bit of flour sizzles. Now place tomatoes in a single layer in your oil. Fry on each side for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain cooked tomatoes on paper towels. We like ours with ketchup (so wrong but taste so right) but plain they are great too!