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.