King's Cake

I have always wanted to make a King's Cake but never had until 2 years ago. The kiddos loved it and so did I. It is not that hard to make but finding all of the colored sugar around Beaty's Creek was not an easy thing to do. I colored plain granulated sugar for the yellow with gel food coloring and it worked just fine though. You can eat King's cake from January 6th until Fat Tuesday, not a day before or after. You must place a baby somewhere in your King's Cake. Raine was more than a little skeptical about the baby part but was okay with it once we explained it to her. If you are lucky enough to find the baby in your slice of King's Cake, you must throw a party next year. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek this Fat Tuesday!


Needed:


2 T active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup warm milk
5 large egg yolks
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 t salt
1 t canola oil
2 T cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 plastic king cake baby or a pecan half
4 cups powdered sugar
5 T milk
2 vanilla beans-scraped
Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sugar sprinkles

Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks one at a time, then beat for 1 minute. Add the flour, salt, vanilla and beat until everything is mixed well. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 cups of sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your rolling pin roll
into a rectangle about 24x6.


Filling:
2 cups sugar
2 T cinnamon

Sprinkle the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a circle and place it on the prepared baking sheet with seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or pecan half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough.

Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour in my kitchen.


Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes at 350'. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Icing:
Take the 4 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla bean scrapings, and milk and stir until thick and creamy. Ice cake evenly and then sprinkle with purple, gold, and green sugar.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Fat Tuesday is soon Ya' All!! Time to eat some good ole Cajun Food!!! Raven loves this with lots of cayenne pepper on top, she loves spicy food. I really like it with crispy cornbread sticks. This is What's Cookin today on Beaty's Creek where winter is still knocking on the door.

Needed:
4 boneless chicken breasts
5 stalks of celery-stripped and chopped into bite size pieces
1 green pepper-seeded-and chopped into bite size pieces
1 large yellow onion-peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
oil
2 pounds of Andouille or smoked sausage-cut into bite size pieces
1 large can tomato sauce
1 large can whole tomatoes-chopped and mashed
2 cartons chicken broth
3 garlic cloves-minced
1 T cayenne pepper (we like 2)
Salt and pepper to taste
White Rice

Oil the bottom of a soup pot with a 1/4 of oil add the following, sausage, celery, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Saute all until the sausage is slightly brown, now add tomatoes. tomato sauce, chicken, and broth. Cook over medium heat for at least 4 hours, now you will add the rice, I add about 3 cups of rice but it is really up to you. (Just remember that 1 cup of rice turns into 2 cups of rice.) Continue to cook until rice is done. Serve with cornbread sticks.





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Peanut Brittle

Needed:
1-cup sugar
1/3-cup corn syrup
1/3-cup water
1 T butter
1/2 t baking soda
1-cup raw peanuts
Candy thermometer

Boil sugar, syrup, and water together until it forms a hard ball in cold water or reaches 260' on your candy thermometer. Continue cooking, lower heat add peanuts and butter. Cook until peanuts crack and turn brown. Remove from heat add soda and stir until dissolved. Pour quickly into a buttered pan (I use my Silpat for this)and spread evenly. The thinner the better. When cooled crack into smaller pieces. This was my Granny West’s recipe. She made this every year with pecans, peanuts or big shavings of coconut. I am so glad I have her recipe

Homemade Marshmallows

OMG! Who would have thought making marshmallows at home was so easy. I could be honest and say I never knew you could make marshmallows at home. Okay, so I never knew it! Now that I do, I will never buy them! Hot cocoa will never be the same again! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/4 t salt
1 T vanilla and seeds from one vanilla bean
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Butter

In your Kitchen Aid Mixer place 1/2 cup of your water, now add the 3 packets of gelatin. Now in medium sauce pan combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water. Turn heat to medium high and cook but don't stir until your candy thermometer reaches 240'. Now turn your mixer on low and SLOWLY pour in the syrup. Once it is all poured in turn mixer on high and mix for 10 minutes. It will get very thick at this point add your vanilla and vanilla beans. Pour into a heavy buttered 9x13 pan that has been heavily dusted with powdered sugar. I buttered my hands to help smooth out the marshmallow. Once it is smoothed use a sifter and sift about 1 cup of powdered sugar on top. Let cool completely and then cut into any shape you like.

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Chicken Enchilada Soup-Stacey's Way

The weather has cooled down, finally! I know a lot of you may have an enchilada soup recipe but this one is just right for the entire family. My kiddos love things a little on the spicy side so you may need to adjust this recipe if your little ones don't like spicy. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
5 boneless skinless chicken breast-browned and cut into bite size pieces
1 can Hatch Medium enchilada sauce
1 can Hatch Mild enchilada sauce
1 yellow onion-chopped
2 cloves of garlic-minced
2 pounds American cheese-shredded
1 jalapeno-chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Oil
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Corn Tortillas

Brown chicken breast whole in an oil lined soup pot until golden brown. They will will not be completely cooked. Now cut them into bite size pieces. In same pot saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic. I also add my cumin and chili powder at this time to brown it a little. I like the taste better when I "cook" it a little. Now add your chicken back in with the broth and enchilada sauce. Cook for 1 hour over medium heat. Now add in your shredded cheese and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, more cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas.

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.