Copy Cat McDonald's Oatmeal Cookies

My hubby is addicted to the McDonald's oatmeal cookies.  Well I hate the place, but I secretly do go there and get McRib's, hangs head in shame, and wanted to come up with a healthier, if that is even possible, recipe.  Here is my attempt and Sean says they are just like the other one's.

Needed:

1 cup butter-room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla 

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1 t  cinnamon

1 t salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup raisins-plumped

1 cup toffee bits

1 cup of coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon (and salt); stir into the creamed mixture. Blend in the oatmeal and toffee bits. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Christmas Cookies

I know, I know, who needs another sugar cookie recipe...but you are going to get one. This is a great recipe but you MUST CHILL the dough before you roll it out. I iced these mitten cookies with royal icing with a little butter cream on the cuff. I like the look of royal icing but the taste of butter cream. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

6 cups all purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 cups butter- softened

3 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 1/2 t vanilla

In your Kitchen Aid mix together your butter, salt, and sugar until fluffy. Now add your eggs one at a time and stir well. Now add your flour in 1 1/2 cup intervals with your salt, and baking powder. Stir well. Flatten your dough and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for a couple of hours before rolling out. Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350' for 12 minutes. Ice with desired icing and enjoy!

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Pecan Pie Cake

This cake takes a little bit of effort but it so worth it!  I absolutely love pecan pie and this cake has the best of the best in flavors if you ask me.  You get a nutty cake and a pecan pie all in one!


Pecan Pie Filling

Needed:
1/2 cup  brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 t salt
3 T butter
1  vanilla bean-scraped

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a  pan until smooth over medium heat. Bring to a boil  stirring constantly, and boil for only 1 minute. It will be thick. Remove from heat; and mix in vanilla bean seeds. Place a sheet of parchment paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill over night.

 Cake
Needed:

3 cups  pecan halves
1 cup butter flavor shortening
2 cups sugar
5  eggs-separated
1 vanilla bean-scraped
2 cups  flour
1 t baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup corn syrup

Spread 3 cups of pecans evenly in 2  buttered 9 inch round cake pans.
Beat shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Now add egg yolks  1 at a time until blended after each one is added. Stir in vanilla bean seeds.

Combine all of your dry ingredients together and stir. Add to shortening mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir slowly just until blended after each addition.
Beat egg whites  until stiff peaks form, and fold one third egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites.  Do not over mix!!!!! Pour butter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then flip onto the wire racks. Put some wax paper down under the wire racks. Brush the tops and sides of layers with corn syrup and cool completely. Spread  pecan pie filling on one layer pecan side up and then place second layer pecan side up on filling and spread with remaining filling. Chill and serve!  Soooo good!

Granny West’s Corn Casserole

I bet you have heard of corn casserole recipes before, most of them call for Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. There is nothing wrong with the mix but those usually turn out to be more like cornbread. This recipe is pure corn. This has a sweet but savory taste to it. My Granny West made this every year for Thanksgiving. I always wondered how she came up with it. My Granny West canned corn every year and I do too. Nothing like fresh corn canned at the peak of sweetness. It is very simple but very good. Two of my favorites at this time of year. You can put this casserole in the oven along with your other sides that bake at 325’. Most of my sides are baked at 325’. Makes life a little easier. I think we all need that sometimes. Give this a try.


Granny West’s Corn Casserole

4 cans cream style corn
4 beaten eggs
4 T All-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 stick of melted butter
¾ cup of sugar
9x13 baking pan

Heat oven to 325’. Place all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir well. When mixed place into a greased 9x13 baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 1-½ hours or until set in the middle. I uncover mine the last 30 minutes and let it brown up a little.


This is just as good cold as it is hot. I like to eat it the next day straight out of the fridge.

Venison Stew

Around Beaty's Creek there are deer a plenty. Ransome is quite the deer hunter and he is very successful each year when he hunts. I grew up on venison and look forward to each year's bounty. This recipe is really good and is an easy recipe to fix in your crock pot or on top of the stove. I made this stew on the stove top because I was going to be home all day and could watch over it. You know me, definitely a soup watcher and stirrer. I like this with crusty cornbread but it would be equally good with some homemade biscuits. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

3 pounds venison cut into small cubes-(soaked in salt water overnight, if needed)
3 cups flour
4 T garlic powder
4 T black pepper
4 T salt
1 T onion powder
Enough oil to coat bottom of stock pot
Enough water to cover venison
6 potatoes-peeled and cubed
5 carrots-peeled and sliced
1/2 bag frozen green peas

Mix flour, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and onion powder. Now add in cubed venison and coat evenly. Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat and add venison a little at a time. You want to brown all sides of the venison and not over crowd it in the pan, at least a couple of batches worth. Once all is browned, add all of the venison back to your pot and cover with water. Cook over medium heat on the stove top or on high in a crock pot. I cooked mine for 5-6 hours on top of the stove and would cook it the same amount of time in a crock pot. Add in all your veggies the last hour for stove top cooking and the last 3 hours in a crock pot.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

When Fall weather starts to cool things off here on the creek, it's time for a pumpkin cake. A nice big pot of hot tea also, can't forget that one. I just love the way this cake smells while baking in the oven... It makes the whole house smell of Fall. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups all purpose flour
3 t cinnamon
1 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 cups canned pumpkin
2- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups powder sugar
1/4 milk

Cream together eggs, sugar, add oil. Once creamed add in pumpkin. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Now add flour a cup at a time to mixture. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350' for 55 minutes or until it tests done with a cake tester. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Frosting

Beat cream cheese until fluffy and add the powdered sugar a cup at a time alternating with the milk. Mix until creamy. Spread on icing and enjoy!

Crawdad or Crayfish, that is the question

Whether you call these babies crawdads or crayfish they are good! On Beaty's Creek we have our choice of big or small and blue or red varieties. The kiddos and my MIL are masters at catching them. I can catch them too but only if they "catch" me first, if you know what I mean.... We have been eating crawdads out of Beaty's Creek since Sean and I were little ones so our kids have little choice but to continue the tradition. Beaty's Creek is a beautiful little spring fed creek that is clear with a rock bottom so the crayfish are always so clean and pretty. I love living here for the natural beauty and the natural "food" that abounds. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

5 pounds crawdads- *see note below* cleaned
Big Pot
Water
Salt
Oil

To clean your freshly caught crawdads you remove the the 3rd tail piece and pull. This is deveining the crawdad and much easier than shrimp. Now bring your water to a boil with 1 cup oil and 1 cup salt. I taste my water to see if it tastes good, make sense?? Like you do for pasta. When water is boiling, drop crawdads in and boil for 3 minutes then drain and enjoy!! Add Old Bay if you want a spicy version.

*This is how we clean our crawdads after we have cleaned our crawdads. Hee hee. Bring water to almost a boil in your tea kettle. Now pour hot water over your cleaned crawdads, and mix them around in the water. Pour water off and cook crawdads, as you like.

Broccoli Slaw with a Twist

I ate a slaw somewhat similar to this while growing up. I've actually never made this type of slaw for myself so I mixed this one up in head, scary I know. This particular recipe is great with any grilled meat. My husband who is not a big vinegar fan enjoyed this side dish too. Give this a try the next time you want a cool salad to go with your grilled dinner. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
2 packages Ramen Noodles of your choice-crunched up
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
Or use 1 cup of Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette instead of the oil and vinegar
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 package broccoli slaw
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 T butter

Melt butter into a medium sauce pan. When melted, add in the crunched up noodles and toast in pan until slightly golden. Let noodles cool completely. Now mix together the balsamic vinegar, canola oil, sugar, Ramen noodle seasoning pack, and soy sauce. Place broccoli slaw in a bowl with a tight fitting lid and pour over dressing. Cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours. Right before serving, add the sun flower seeds and noodles. The noodles are very crunchy and taste so good in this salad. A weird combo but a good one!