Italian Soup

Fall is finally in the air on Beaty's Creek and I am so glad it is. I love soup when it starts to cool off and this one is perfect on a crisp Fall evening. All enjoyed this soup and that is a big plus for a family of 5. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.


Needed:

5 Italian sausage links- sliced and then browned
1 onion-chopped
6 garlic cloves-minced
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cans Italian tomatoes-undrained
1 package Barilla's cheese tortellini
2 bags Fresh Express baby spinach
3 T dried Italian Seasoning
3 t fresh basil-minced
1 T black pepper
1 T crushed red pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a deep heavy bottom soup pot with onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once browned, pour in chicken broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning and red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Now add add in tortellini and spinach. Cook for 20 more minutes over medium heat but not boiling. The last few minutes put in the basil. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and hot crusty bread.

The Moistest Carrot Cake You Will Ever Eat!!

This recipe is my dad's favorite because it is so moist. Apparently carrot cake is not always moist. This cake is so good the next day right out of the fridge. I love cold cake with a hot cup of tea. My kids love carrot cake because they feel like they are eating a vegetable disguised as dessert. Whatever, we do count this cake as a veggie. Am I a good moma or what?? Did I mention I serve this with liver??? Not really, quit making a face. Give this cake a try the next time you are craving carrot cake. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.






Needed:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 t salt
1 T baking soda
1 T cinnamon
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 large eggs-beaten, I use free range
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup of crushed pineapple

Icing
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
6 T butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powder sugar
1 t vanilla


Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in coconut, carrots and pineapple. Pour batter into pans. Set on the middle rack of oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until edges have pulled away from sides and a toothpick or sharp knife tip inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

To make icing, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and beat until mixture is free of lumps. Stir in vanilla at the end. Ice as you would any two layer cake.

Pico de Gallo

I think this is the Mexican form of Bruschetta, except you serve this as a side or with chips and not bread. I like it on eggs, baked potatoes, chips, crackers, and can eat it with just about anything. Give this a try the next time you have some fresh from the garden tomatoes. This is What's (not) Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
5 vine ripe tomatoes-chopped
3 homegrown jalapenos-diced
1 white onion- chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips or tacos.

Homegrown Goodness--Tomatoes

The best thing out of a garden in my opinion are tomatoes. I have several varieties growing with some old and some new to me. My grandparents raised Jet Star tomatoes and I can still taste those tomatoes warm from the garden. My husband's grandparents raised Arkansas Travelers, this tomato will bear until frost. In addition to the old favorites I also have a few heirloom varieties. One of the heirloom varieties are Big Zebra, a green tomato with darker green stripes that is great tasting. My husband has to close his eyes when eating them though. He likes a tomato to be red and that is all there is to it. The other heirloom I have in this picture is the Old German and it is yellow with pink spots throughout and tastes similar to the Arkansas Travelers. I have some Cherokee Purple growing too but they are not pictured because they aren't quite ready for picking. No matter what variety of tomato you raise, plant a tomato plant and you will be so pleased with yourself and the best tomatoes in the world.


I like tomatoes semi-pure, meaning salt and pepper only. This is What's Cookin (not) on Beaty's Creek today.

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.