Thanksgiving 2010

It is that time of year again folks! I look forward to the Fall all Summer long. I am not a big fan of the hot and humid days that Summer brings to Beaty's Creek. Fall is my time to bake and not worry about heating up the house with the oven.
Thanksgiving is a great time to make those family favorites and throw in a few new ones too. Never know what you will find if you make the same thing each year. Here is the menu I will be preparing this Thanksgiving, let me know what you are making this year! I love to hear what other people are cooking.

Roasted Turkey
Cure 81 Ham
Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy
Dressing-going to list my recipe this year, stay tuned
Granny West's Corn Casserole
Grandma Minnie's Sweet Potato Casserole
Carrot Spoon Bread-recipe to come
Cranberry Sauce-trying a new one this year, stay tuned
Broccoli Casserole-new recipe too
Brussel Sprouts-I will list my recipe for this too
Hot Rolls
Sweet Cornbread Muffins
Deviled Eggs
5 Cup Salad
Pumpkin Pie
2 Layer Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Chocolate Chip Pie
Pumpkin Roll
Raisin Pie
Cherry Pie

Pumpkin Cake with Honey Frosting

This recipe comes from the Everyday Food magazine. This is my favorite of all of the Martha Stewart magazines and I've had a number of successful recipes from it . We like pumpkin and I just bought a gallon of honey and was itching to use it in a recipe. This cake was the perfect fit on all accounts! It has been getting really cool on Beaty's Creek as of late. This cake with a hot cup of jasmine tea was just right this cold morning. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.



Needed:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 T cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can pumpkin

FOR THE HONEY FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1 bar (8 ounces) regular (or reduced-fat) cream cheese, very soft
1/4 cup honey


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.
Make Honey Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.
Spread top of cooled cake with honey frosting. Cut cake into squares and serve.

Popcorn Balls

We like to make popcorn balls around Halloween and the kiddos always look forward to it. I like to make them orange like pumpkins. Raine likes to help make these. She is the perfect little helper. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

6 cups air popped popcorn

1 bag of marshmallows

1 stick of butter

1 t vanilla

Melt marshmallows and butter in a pan over medium heat. When melted stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir until coated. Butter up your hands because this is going to get messy. Scoop a cup of coated popcorn in your buttered hands and press like their is no tomorrow to form a ball. Store them in an air tight container.

Tabouli

I really like tabouli and could eat it everyday, with fresh pita bread of course. I made the family enchiladas and I was just not feeling in the mood for those...so I decided to make me some good ole' tabouli. I think tabouli gets better with age, much better. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

2 cups cracked wheat
2 cups very hot water
1 cucumber-peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes- chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint-chopped
2 cups fresh parsley-chopped

Dressing:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 T pepper
2 T salt

Pour hot water over cracked wheat and let set for 1 hour. All of the water should be soaked up but if you have a little left over, pour it off.
Now take all of your veggies and pour lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper over them. Now add this to your cracked wheat and stir very well.
Place in fridge overnight. Serve with freshly baked pita bread.

Pumpkin Bread

Well it has been busy around here lately. Raven took off to see NYC and tour NYU. Yes, I cried at the air port. What is up with moms and good byes. She is having a blast! She is on the look out for John Mayer. ;) Back at home the kiddos and I are wanting to bring in Fall with some good ole' pumpkin bread. This recipe is moist and gets better with age in the fridge of course. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek while Raven is away.


Needed:


1 can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350'. Spray your loaf pans very well.
Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. Now add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and stir well. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pineapple Pie

My husband just loves pineapple pie. Well, he has been incredibly sweet lately and I wanted to be sweet right back. I worked and worked at getting this pineapple filling just right, thick enough not to run when cut but not too pasty tasting...know what I mean? I hate pie filling for that reason alone. Raven's favorite pie is cherry and I refuse to use a canned pie filling. She has to wait for me to pit cherries and then make the filling. I will be making these a lot more since I have my filling to where I am finally happy with it! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

1 can crushed Pineapple-undrained
1 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1 T butter
1 T lemon juice

Pie crust for a double crust pie

Place crushed pineapple, sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens and clears. Now add in butter and lemon juice. Cool slightly.

Pour filling into unbaked 9-inch pastry shell. Cut remaining pastry into 1-inch wide strips for lattice top. Weave strips crisscross over pie to make lattice top. Pinch edges.

Bake at 400øF., 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden

Fall is here!!! Let's make an Apple Cake

I just love apple cake with my favorite coffee or hot tea, or just by itself. I always want to make an apple cake when Fall rolls in and you will too when you try this recipe. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.



Needed:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
2 t cinnamon
1 t sea salt
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs-I use free range
2 t vanilla
4 cups apples, 4-5 apples-peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces-I used Granny Smith this time but I also use Golden Delicious and Gala apples
1/2-1 cup water


Sift all of your dry ingredients. Now mix your wet ingredients together and add a little at a time. Mix all of the wet into the dry completely before adding more. I added about 3/4 cup of water to batter. It is really a thick batter.
Pour into a greased tube pan ad bake at 350' for 55-60 minutes. A long toothpick needs to come out clean when done. I start checking on mine at about 50 minutes of baking time. I hate it when I burn something so good.