Corned Beef Hash

Raven loves corned beef hash, I guess she is my little Yankee ;~) I decided to make her some out of our leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day and it turned out scrumptious. We ate this with buttered rye bread and it makes it even better. This is What's Cookin on this rainy Spring Day on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
7 russet potatoes-peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 carrots-peeled and a sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 pounds corned beef-cut into 1/2 cubes
4 T canola oil

Coat bottom of a heavy bottom skillet with canola oil and heat over medium heat. When heated add your carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and then add in your corned beef. Continue to cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and corned beef if crispy.

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.

Homemade Salami

My mom made this every Fall and I always loved it with a strong mustard and some crackers. This is a lot like summer sausage so if you are a fan of it, you may want to try this. You can make this with venison but I used hamburger this time. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

4 pounds hamburger or venison
2 T Garlic Powder
2 T Accent
1 T Onion Salt
1 t Liquid Smoke(NO MORE THAN A TEASPOON!!)
2 T crushed (or whole) Peppercorns

Mix all of the ingredients together very well. Now form into 4 logs and wrap tightly with Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours. Bake at 225' for 3 hours. Cool completely before eating or slicing.

Brisket

This is my favorite thing to smoke. Believe me, finding a brisket to smoke this Fourth of July was a journey in itself. See I like to smoke a brisket that has at least an inch of fat on top. To me it makes all the difference in the world in the taste and moisture of the brisket. I finally found the brisket in a nearby town and wouldn't you know, it would be close and the last place I thought to look. I use hickory wood in the smoker but the wood choice is up to you. I think hickory gives the meat a very good taste, not over powering but just good. I hate it when you eat something smoked and it tastes like SMOKE. I think you should still be able to fully taste the meat that you have just smoked. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek

Needed:
8-10 pound beef brisket with an inch of fat on top
Rub
Wood of your choice to smoke with
Smoker--well duh...

I rub the brisket with a lot of my rub the night before I smoke it. After it is rubbed down, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. An hour before you are going to smoke your brisket, remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. You will smoke your brisket 1 1/2 hours per pound. Let your brisket rest for 20 minutes before you cut or chop it up. We eat ours on buns with a lot of sauce.

Okie Steak AKA BBQ Baloney

Nothing is better with potato salad than Okie Steak. Give it a try instead of hamburgers the next time you grill. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek tonight. Better get it done quick because the summer thunderstorms are brewing.

5 pound stick of baloney-sliced 1/2 inch thick
Grill
Barbecue sauce of your choice.

Grill on each side then slather with sauce. Place "steak" between hamburger buns and eat!!

Pulled Pork Sandwich

This is an easy dinner for me and it can be for you too. Fire up the crock-pot, this is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today!

Needed:

1 pork roast with fat
1 jar of your favorite bar-b-que sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup water

Salt and pepper pork roast really well and place in your crock-pot, now pour bar-b-que sauce and water over roast. Cover and cook on high all day. When roast is done, shred meat. We serve ours on a large hamburger bun with cole-slaw on the meat and bun on top. We eat this with a fork of course....

Turkey Burger

I was never a fan of turkey burgers. I always thought they were dry and did not have much flavor. When I heard Oprah Winfrey talk about the turkey burger she had eaten at Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago Resort, I was intrigued by the ingredients. I made my own version of this recipe, hope you like it.

Needed:
3 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 golden delicious apples-chopped very small
1 yellow onion-chopped into tiny pieces(I do this so Raven does not see the onion.)
2 cloves of garlic-minced
1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese-shredded
1 t cayenne pepper(use less if you don't want too much spice)
salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Heat enough oil to coat your skillet. Once heated add apples, onion and garlic. Saute until very tender, almost mushy in fact and let cool. Now mix all of the ingredients together. Mix ever so gently with your hands. Over mixing will cause tough burgers. Form into patties and cook in a oil covered skillet. I cook the heck out of mine but I want my turkey done. Check with a meat thermometer, temp should be 160'. Make sure you only turn your burgers once, I cook ours about 7-8 minutes per side. I think these are the juiciest turkey burgers I have ever eaten!

Cabbage and Sausage

I know this sounds like a dinner full of gas but it is so good it is well worth it. I use Healthy Choice or Butterball brand turkey polish sausage. We think turkey is better because there is less grease. But if you want the full version use skinless sausage. I love the skinless, who wants that nasty wrap to eat through. This is a really easy dinner. I am making potato cakes to go with.

Needed:
2 pounds of Turkey Polish Sausage-cut into 4 inch pieces
1 large head of green cabbage-cut into bite size pieces
Oil to cover bottom of pan
Salt and Pepper to taste


Pour oil into large pan. I use a dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat and add sausage. Brown on both sides and add cabbage. Salt and pepper very well. Cook over medium heat until cabbage wilts slightly but is still crisp. Make sense?? We like ours a little brown so we cook ours more. We don't like mushy cabbage. If you like cabbage more tender cook a little longer. This is really good with sweet cornbread and potato cakes.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Let me tell you right from the start I am scared of stir frying!!! I want my Chinese food to taste like it does when I eat at my favorite restaurant and does it??? Not usually. This recipe is different. Why you ask?? Well because it is not like your usual sweet and sour. Not battered and not deep fried. This is really rather healthy. This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines. I have NEVER HAD A RECIPE FAIL from EVERYDAY FOOD!! For real! You must give this one a try! I changed a few things here and there so my children would like it without picking out what they don't like. I do not like it when they pick. I will give the recipe exact and note my changes. This is "what's cookin" tonight on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
1 can pineapple chunks-drained but save juice
2 T apple cider vinegar(They call for rice vinegar but I don't like rice vinegar.)
2 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar(They don't call for brown sugar.)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T canola oil(They called for vegetable oil but I don't like the taste of vegetable oil.)
2 1/2 pounds pork loin-sliced in 1/4 inch slices(They called for pork tenderloin but I think pork loin is fine and it is cheaper per pound.)
1 yellow onion-cut into quarters and then sliced 1/2 inch thick(They called for scallions cut into 1 inch pieces.)
2 bell peppers-cut into 2 inch pieces
2 fresh broccoli heads-cut florets into 2 inch long pieces and chunk the some of the stems into 1 inch pieces(They call for frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry.)
Cook rice for serving (We love steamed rice and that is what I made.)

In a bowl combine pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. This will be your sauce. You will add this last.

In a large skillet or wok(I used a wok) coat with oil. Place pork in 2 batches and stir quickly. Brown on all sides and remove. Pork will finish cooking once it is added back to skillet or wok.

To skillet or wok add onions, broccoli, and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook stirring until peppers are crisp tender. This should happen in 6- 8 minutes.

Add pork and any juice to veggie mixture. At this time add pineapple and whisked sauce. Simmer until all is warm and sauce is the consistency you want. Serve with rice.

Turkey Meatloaf

We really like Turkey Meatloaf. At first mine were dry and just not meatloaf like. I started playing around with it and found this to be the best one for our family. Give it a try and you will love it too.

Needed;
2 lbs. Ground turkey
1 lb. Shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs (I use free range)
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Ketchup for the top of meatloaf
1-cup Italian bread crumbs (I make my own with 1 loaf of French bread, 1 cup of parsley, and 1 clove garlic-minced)
Parchment Paper
9x13 pan (Yes, I should own stock in a 9x13 company.)

Mix all of the ingredients except for ketchup in a large mixing bowl. I use my hands. Place parchment on 9x13 pan. Form meatloaf and place on parchment. Bake at 350’ for 1 hour. Place ketchup on top of meatloaf and place back in oven for 20 minutes. Should form a glaze on top of meatloaf.

Turkey and Ham

I have ordered fresh turkeys for years and love them. I think the taste is the best for the money too. Here is what I do and it is nothing too fancy. I know a lot of you brine your turkeys for taste and moistness but to tell the truth, I have never had a bad tasting turkey. That is since I took over the cooking role of my mother when I was 12. Sorry mom. :)

Rinse thawed or fresh turkey and pat dry
Rub oil all over bird. This means inside and out. The oil really makes the skin taste good. You will want to place your salt and pepper in small dishes. I do this so I will not cross contaminate the salt and pepper mills. Salt and pepper the turkey INSIDE and OUT generously. Don't worry if it looks like a lot. It will soak into the meat on the inside and remember you only get a small piece of skin with each slice of turkey. Place in a large roasting pan and bake in your oven according to your turkey's cooking instructions. I use my Nesco, so there is no need to baste but when I use the oven I baste every hour that the turkey is in the oven. I also cover my turkey in the oven with foil when it reaches the brown color I like.

Now on to the ham. We really like Cure 81 hams. My husband is really quite picky on what ham he likes. I guess not picky but he likes what he likes. I guess that is where the children get that from. We don't use glazes either. I just put the ham in the oven in a covered roasting pan and warm it through at 325'. Depending on the size this can take anywhere from 30--1 1/2 hours.

That is it for now. Raven opened her play yesterday with the lead role! We will go celebrate today.