Monday, February 27, 2012

Broccoli Cheese Soup in Bread Bowls




This has always been my favorite soup! So creamy and "healthy", okay maybe not so healthy but it sure is creamy and cheesy. It is starting to look like Spring on Beaty's Creek but I still think old man Winter is going to come a knocking. I made this soup on the last cold spell that we had and everyone thought I was a boss, yes, a Boss! Email me and I can tell you why this is funny. Raine liked dipping her bread and Raven ate her bread bowl up before her second bowl. Give this a try before Spring has sprung and soup will be the last thing you want until next Fall. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek!

Needed:


1 stick butter
2 cloves garlic-smashed
1 small onion-chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups half-and-half
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups broccoli florets (about 2 heads)
2 large carrots-diced
4 cups cheddar cheese-grated

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Now add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until just golden, then gradually whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Now add bay leaves , salt and pepper. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Take out the bay leaves. Puree the soup in the pot with a immersion blender until smooth, you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Now add the cheese and half and half to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted and the consistency you want . Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Serve in bread bowls. Recipe for bread bowls follows.

Bread Bowls

Needed:

2 T yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 t salt
2 T canola oil
7 cups flour


Mix yeast, salt, and warm water together in your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Let sit for 3 minutes. Now add in your oil and begin adding in your flour a cup at a time. Now knead in your mixer for 10 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Once double in size cut dough in to 8 equal pieces of dough. Roll into balls and place in a parchment lined baking sheet. Let them rise for 30 minutes. Place in a 400' oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and then cut top off and scoop out some of the bread so you can fill with soup. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Cinnamon Roll Cake




I am addicited to Pinterest and I am NOT ashamed...... Maybe I should be.... But I am not! A friend of mine pinned this recipe and I thought I would try it. I changed it a little here and there. This is so easy to make in the morning and is good reheated in the microwave for these cold February afternoons on Beaty's Creek. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

Cake
3 cups flour
1 t salt
1 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 eggs
2 vanilla beans-scraped
1/2 cup butter-melted

Topping
1 cup butter-softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 T cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.



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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Peanut Butter Cookies




I have decided to not buy anymore store/boxed cookies this year. Have you looked at what is in their list of ingredients? Well I did and wished I had not, so I decided to make all of our cookies this year. Sounded good at the time.....Well it is still good but I am rather busy hee hee. Ransome is a little cookie monster to say the least and Raine loves cupcakes, so when I bake cookies, I then have to bake cupcakes. I forgot to mention Raven no longer likes store sliced bread and wants homemade bread for toast and sandwiches. NO problem right??? I have two really great recipes for sandwich bread that I will be sharing soon. Now back to the cookie post. I seem to always have peanut butter in my pantry, as I am sure many of you do, so peanut butter cookies it is. This time I added chocolate bells I had left from Christmas so these are extra good! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek!


Needed:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup shortening
1 t baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 bags of kisses


Mix both sugars, peanut butter, and shortening. Now add baking soda to mixture. Stir well.
Stir in the eggs one at a time. Now add the flour. Roll dough into balls.
Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fork to make criss-cross design. Bake at 350' for about 8-10 minutes. As soon as you take the cookies out place a chocolate kiss or in my case chocolate bell in the center.