Zucchini Bread

My husband does not care for zucchini too much but he does like this bread with cream cheese on it. This bread keeps well in the fridge and taste so good cold! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek on this beautiful morning!

Needed:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 T cinnamon
3 eggs-beaten
1 1/2 cups oil
3 cups sugar
1 T vanilla
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs and sugar together until creamy looking and now add oil and vanilla. Now is the time to add dry mixture a cup at a time until all is added. Add zucchini and nuts. I baked mine in loaf pans and this recipe will make 3 loaves. Bake at 325' for 1 hour. Let cool completely before removing from pans.

Broccoli Grape Salad

I can eat this salad everyday of the week. It all started when I was prego with baby number 3, Miss Raine, who just happens to be 10 going on 11 right now. I craved this salad so often that I knew that I needed a master recipe, instead of buying my deli out of it each week. The hardest part for me was the dressing but once I mastered that, it was smooth sailing. That is until I started craving Gala apples and Havarti cheese. Did I mention that Havarti cheese is not be found anywhere near Beaty's Creek??? That is another story for another day. Give this salad a try at your next potluck. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

1 head cauliflower-broke into small bite size florets
1 pound broccoli crowns-broke into small florets
1 pound red grapes-halved
1 pound bacon-cooked until crisp and drained on a paper towel
1 small red onion-diced
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 1/2 cups mayo
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t salt
1 t black pepper


Mix mayo, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and milk together until sugar dissolves and set aside. Now mix all of your veggies and grapes together. Pour in dressing and add bacon and stir very well. Place in fridge for 4 hours before serving. When serving I sprinkle sunflower seeds on top.

Poke Salad

Sounds odd but around here it says SPRING ALMOST SUMMER!! I have always wondered why "Poke Salad" is called "Poke Salad", one it is not a salad and two it is cooked. My dad said it is as close to a salad as the old timers got so who knows?? Poke is really the last of the “wild grown” edibles that we have around Beaty’s Creek until the fall and it is pretty much everywhere. My grandpa use to say Poke Salad was your spring tonic; it may not be tonic but is a spring favorite. We like our "poke salad" with eggs and of course crusty cornbread. My father likes his "poke salad" with vinegar on top and served like you would any cooked green. This is What's Cookin in my Beaty's Creek kitchen tonight. Hold your breath Sal.....

Needed:
1 paper grocery bag full of very young poke tips (I don’t like the stalks boiled, I have a recipe for those later on.)
Water
Salt
1/2 cup Oil
6 Eggs-beaten


Wash poke very good and place in a large pot, cover with water and boil for 3 minutes, now you will pour all of the water off of the poke. Why you may ask???? Well, poke will make you sick if you eat it after the first boiling. Boil again but this time boil it for only 1 minute and then pour off the water and add oil to poke. You will still have a little water in the bottom of the pot, this is fine, salt poke and sauté in oil for about 3 more minutes, now add your eggs. We don’t like ours real eggy but the amount of eggs is up to you. When you add your eggs you will need to stir and stir and stir again, this helps keep everything even and no big pieces of eggs. Cook until all the eggs are set.

Morel Mushrooms--Need I say more???

If you've never had a Morel mushroom you are missing out. Some people like them in cream sauces but here on Beaty’s Creek we like 'em floured and fried! My husband and son are good at finding Morels and really enjoy the “hunt”. If you grew up around Beaty’s Creek, I am sure you've spent part of your springtime hunting for these prized mushrooms. Here is a recipe for frying Morels Beaty’s Creek Style. If you are lucky enough to know what Morels are, you know that these mushrooms (when fresh) are so rich and delicious that words cannot describe. If you have never eaten Morel mushrooms, look online and get cha’ some. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek.


Needed:

25 or more morels-soaked in salt water over night in the fridge (This helps get out any buggies that maybe in the morel.)
2 cups all purpose flour
Salt
Oil
Cast Iron skillet

Drain morels really well and split in half, once split, place in bowl with flour and salt to taste, coat with flour and place in a heated skillet that is covered in 2 inches of oil. Cook until golden brown and drain on paper towels. ENJOY!!

March 14 2018

Still going strong.  I have lost 26 pounds so far, still have a lot to go.  Still having trouble drinking enough but I am improving.  I also started Elevate Coffee and I love it! I  really like Fathead Bread but not in the bread way.  To me, it tastes just like cheese bread from Pizza Hut.  I am working on some pictures so stay tuned.

Minestrone Soup

It's getting cool again on Beaty's Creek and I want me some soup. Nothing is better than a pot of soup on a cold day. Bake some bread and you are good to go. I am making a hard crusty bread to dip in olive oil tonight.

Needed:
1 pound Italian sausage-cut into chunks
1 large purple onion-chopped
4 large carrots-peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks-stripped and chopped
5 garlic cloves-minced
2 zucchini-sliced into 1/2 inch slices and then quartered
1/2 pound green beans-these can be fresh or frozen(I could not find fresh so I used frozen.)
3 quarts beef or chicken broth(Add this as you go, we like it soupy, so we add more.)
1 quart whole tomatoes-smashed(I used home canned)
3 T Italian seasoning(I use fresh in the summer but this time of year I use dry.)
1 T pepper
salt to taste
3 cups cabbage-shredded into 1/2 inch shreds
1 can cannelloni beans-drained
1 can garbanzo beans-drained
1 cup small shaped pasta(I always use different shapes to jazz it up.)
Fresh Parmesan cheese- shredded finely

Brown sausage with onions and garlic until the sausage is no longer pink. This is the time to add your broth, so you can get all the goodies off the bottom of your soup pot, now add the green beans, zucchini, carrots, celery, and both beans. Simmer for 20 minutes and add cabbage, tomatoes, pasta, and all of your seasoning. Cook for 30 minutes, you may need to add a little water if soup gets too thick after adding your pasta. We grate Parmesan cheese over soup in each bowl. This makes a lot of soup but it reheats very well. In fact I usually freeze some for lunch. Give it a try, I know you will like it! Well that is "what's cookin" tonight.

Spring Forward Strawberry Shortcake

I sit here at the computer waiting for my shortcake to cool off so I can dig in. I love strawberry shortcake. My favorite is with Stilwell Strawberries but we are a little early for them yet so I will make do with California strawberries. I think this recipe is the bomb! Try this and you will be a happy you did! That is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 t baking powder(I use Rumford)
1/2 cup oil(I use canola)
1 cup sugar 1/2 cup sugar for top of cake
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 cup milk

Sift flour and baking powder together into a large bowl and make a bowl in the middle, this is where you will add your sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix as you would pancake batter. I few lumps are fine. Now pour into a 9x13 baking pan and sprinkle a 1/2 cup of sugar on top. Bake at 350' until golden brown, this happens in about 30 minutes in my oven. Cool and serve with with strawberries and whipped cream!