Ransome's Birthday Cake

Ransome decided he wanted a guitar cake this year and I thought to myself, how hard can that be??? Well let me tell you finding the pan was the easy part of this cake and it was not all that easy. After the cake pan was found, the flavor was picked and said flavor was baked into a guitar shape so the real work could begin. See I don't know a guitar set up from a radio set up, see the problem?? Thank goodness Sean and Raven were here to assist me. My hand is still sore from all of the squeezing and my mind is sore from thinking. I hope you think this cake is as cute as Ransome did on his big day. Cannot believe he is 8!! Time sure does fly. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek tonight.

Pickled Beets

I really love pickled beets, I can eat a whole jar in one setting if I don't watch myself. If you have never tried pickled beets you are missing out. This recipe is so simple you must give it a try even if you have never canned anything before. This winter you will not believe how good home canned food tastes! I love to open a jar of something I have canned from my garden in the winter, brings a little Spring back to Beaty's Creek. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.





50 beets
2 cups beet boiling water
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 t cinnamon

Remove beet greens and save to use later. Wash beets very well and place in pot covered with water. Bring beets to a boil and boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. My beets were not real large, (I like small beets for pickles) so they cooked for about 15 minutes, size matters on how long your beets will cook. Once boiled let beets cool and then remove beets skin. Remember to wear gloves or you will have purple hands. Now get your jars ready to go, I use pint jars for pickled beets, I like the smaller jars for pickles but you can use quart jars if you wish. Prepare your jars as you would for canning anything. Once ready pack with your beets. Now bring beet water, vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon to a boil and pour over beets in jars and seal with a flat and ring. You will process beets in a hot water bath for 12 minutes. Let pickled beets sit for a couple of weeks before you eat them.

Rub

This is my rub recipe for most meats before smoking.


2 cups brown sugar
1 cup chili powder
1/4 cup cayenne pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 black pepper

Mix very well. That is it.

Soft, Moist and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe comes from AllRecipes.com I really like this website. I am always looking for another good homemade cinnamon roll recipe. This one is soft and very moist. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.



Needed:

1-cup milk
1 egg-beaten
4 T melted butter
½ (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
4 cups bread flour
1 T white sugar
½ t salt
2-¼ t bread machine yeast
½ cup butter-softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1 t milk
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
4 T butter-softened
1 t vanilla

1. In a bread machine pan, place the milk, beaten egg, melted butter, water, vanilla pudding mix, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer. Select the dough cycle.
2. When cycle is finished, remove from pan, and knead for 3-5 minutes. Roll out to a large rectangle. I had to use about ½ cup of additional flour due to sticking.
3. Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread over dough. Starting with the widest end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch to seal seams. Cut into ½ to 1 inch slices, and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Place in draft-free space and let rise until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 350’. Bake for 15-20 minutes. To make frosting, mix the milk, powdered sugar, softened butter, and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.

Whole Wheat Date Bars

When I read this recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookie cookbook, I thought it would make a good breakfast bar for Raven and it did. I love dates and eat them by the handful but was not sure if Raven would like them. She said they were great but Ransome did not care for them, he is not into "health food." This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
for the filling:
2 1/4 cups dates
1/4 apple cider

for the dough:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 t course salt
1/4 t baking soda
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 t finely grated lemon zest
10 T room temperature butter
1 egg
1/4 applesauce

1. Make filling: Bring dates and cider to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until dates are soft and almost all of the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely and then transfer to a food processor. Puree date mixture until smooth.

2. Make dough: Whisk together both flours, bran, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Put brown sugar and zest in a bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg and mix until fluffy. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with 2 batches of applesauce. Now divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic; shape into a rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, about two hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375'. Roll out one piece of dough between two pieces of floured parchment paper and place into a 9x13 pan. This is what I did because it was much easier. Now place date mixture on top of dough and place in the fridge until very firm. Now roll out the rest of the dough and place on top of date layer. I had to use flour dusted on parchment when I rolled the dough out. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Side note... Martha says the dough is a sticky one and this is true. She also says to fold the dough over on itself with the filling inside but I thought this was just too hard for me. This why I say a layer of dough, then dates, then dough in a 9x13 pan. To me, this method just worked better.

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.