Homemade 'Goldfish' Crackers

They're actually called 'Cheddar Crisps', and they're not fish shaped, but they taste a bit like goldfish crackers. 

... and they contain all natural ingredients! 

Here's the recipe:

1 cup      flour
3/4-1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp    paprika
1/4 cup   butter
8 oz        shredded cheddar cheese
5-8 tbsp  cold water

Preheat oven to 375F (Preheating is KEY).  Blend flour, salt, paprika, butter and cheese until crumbly. Add water and press into a ball. Wrap in plastic bag and chill in fridge for an hour.

Divide dough in half and roll out to 1/8" thickness. Cut into squares. Bake on cookie sheet for 15 min.
Cool completely and store in air tight container. 

Voila. Homemade crackers! 



.

Healthy Granola Bar Recipe

This fabulous recipe from a friend has become a staple in our home.

They're healthy, soft and chewy, and oh so good! 


1/2 cup      brown sugar
1/2 cup      corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup      melted butter 
2 tsp          vanilla
1/2 cup      raisins
2 tbsp        sesame seeds (I omit)
2/3 cup      peanut butter
3 cups       oatmeal
1/2 cup      sunflower seeds
1/3 cup      wheat germ / flax seed
1/3 cup      chocolate chips
2 tbsp        molasses (can use in place of sugar too if desired...)

Blend sugar, syrup, margarine and vanilla. 

Add the rest. Mix well and press into 9x13 pan. 

Bake at 350F for 15 min. 

That's it. 


I play around with ingredients, I omit sugar in place of  molasses...
add crushed peanuts or almonds... skip raisins... I used to make it without molasses, but I find it adds a richness I'd now rather not do without...

Enjoy!

.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Oh yes. I'm going totally overboard. But I love knowing I'm not feeding my family as many chemicals, 'modified' food ingredients and other engineered oddities. There's just something so peaceful about that... 


That reminds me.  Weeks back, I'd gone into a natural store. I was looking for natural snacks ... in a box. A friend reminded me that a natural snack might be, say... a carrot? Yeah. Still thinking inside the box, but I'm working on it.


Back to homemade dressing. If you're not on board with the whole 'natural' thing, this is still a great recipe for any ranch dressing emergency, or if you just want to try something different. 


Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 tbsp      parsley
1 cup       mayonaise (homemade if you prefer) 
to taste    vinegar (I use 1/2-1 tsp)
to taste    worcestershire sauce
to taste    dill (lemon dilly dip mix from Epicure works)
to taste    sugar

1/2 cup    sour cream (shoot! I just realized sour cream has 'modified

                                   milk ingredients' and 'modified cornstarch' 

                                   and other 'engineered oddities'. Oh well...)

Mix and enjoy! 




.

Homemade Mayonaise Recipe

 

In the quest for food with ingredients I recognize, can pronounce and that exist in nature, I've started making mayonaise. This recipe is an adaptation from one at www.foodwishes.com

2          egg yolks

1 cup    oil

1 tsp     mustard

1/8 tsp  sugar

3/4 tsp  salt

2 tbsp   vinegar

1 tbsp   lemon juice

Put all ingredients in, let settle. Hold stick blender against bottom. Give a few short pulses until it starts to thicken at bottom, then slowly move blender to to incorporate all oil. Voila. Mayonaise.

I Made Buns!!!!

No more canon ball buns for me - these are the real deal! Thanks to my thoughtful mother-in-law who taught me this evening how to make buns, I now have some idea of how to do this. See?    

They're smooth, uniform in size, sooo soft - like they're a bun or something!  

Look! I can even SQUISH it ... 

...and it's so airy and soft it actually puffs right back to its original shape! Whoa. 

Here they are -aren't they beautiful? Uh-hem. ...Notice half the pan is empty? Yeah ... we ate them. Mmmmm.Hot. Buttery. Goodness..... 

Turns out what I had been doing wrong was ... everything. 

• Yes, you can put all ingredients in the bowl together, except the flour ( I did one at a time, mixing after each one)
• No, you don't need to 'dissolve yeast in water with sugar'. (I was following directions. Silly me)
• Yes, you add all flour at once. (I would add 2 cups, mix. add 2 cups mix. Apparently not necessary)
•  ... then she showed me what kneading is. "Oooooh! THAT'S what it is! I never did that! No wonder my buns never turned out!" I pretty much always skipped that part, because it was all I could do to get it to rise once - I sure didn't want to risk punching it down just to have it stay there! 
• No, you don't need to try to speed up the rising process by putting them in a 150 degree oven. That ruins it. Just in a bowl, in a sink with an inch of barely warm water, covered with a towel, and you're good. (or, if your house is warm, forget the water. I just happen to live in a fridge. ... I mean air conditioned home)

I'm SO excited that my M.I.L was kind enough to share her knowlege with me - and offer it, in fact! She knows I want to make buns, but have had no success to date. She's brought us dozens and dozens of her fantastic buns, and I've looked forward to every one. (and eat them immediately!) Now, ... I hope ... I'll be able to bake buns for my family and others too.  ... Of course, she's welcome to bring hers by anytime! 

Can I bake buns?  YES I CAN!! Thanks, mom-in-law! 

KcMuffin - The Healthy, Homemade Alternative

I may not have confessed this to you yet ... mostly because then I would then become accountable, but I want to eat healthier. Fewer chemicals and 'food-like substances', and more actual food.  I have to confess, that's a scary idea - it's completely opposite of my current lifestyle or any lifestyle I've ever lived. I know nothing different.  It would mean reconsidering soda, iced tea, convenience foods like Mac & Cheese, weiners, store bought crackers, chips, etc etc. I mean - what's left???  It might be comparable to telling you that you may no longer comb your hair. Ever. Never again.  Scary.

BUT - anyway, I found a bunch of cool, funny, helpful video recipes. Here's one for a "KcMuffin" - homemade.   ... please excuse the size - I don't know how to adjust it :)



Nice. I'm lovin' it!

Left-Over Pot Pie

Have leftover steak, chicken, stewing beef or roast? Toss it into a pie!

This is one of my favorite ways to use leftovers. I had a fridge full that I thought I might have to throw out - steak, baked potatoes, corn, carrots, peas ... then I realized I had the makings for this:

Hmm. It's not very photogenic, but it sure tastes GREAT!

2 cups        diced, cooked meat (chicken, beef or pork)

1/2 cup       cooked peas

1/2 cup       cooked, diced carrots

1/2 cup       cooked, diced potatoes

1/4 cup       margarine or butter

1/4 cup       chopped onion

1/4 cup       flour

1-1/2 cup    chicken broth

1/2 cup       milk

1/4 tsp        salt

1/4 tsp        pepper

1 tsp           thyme (I omit this one)

       pie crust

• Combine cooked meat and veggies. Set aside
• Sauté onion in margarine until clear. Whisk in flour.
• Whisk in milk and broth - slowly. Bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
• Pour over meat and veggie mixture. Stir. 
• If preparing for freezer, cool completely.
• Line pie plate with pie crust, pour in filling. Top with crust, crimp edges.
• Bake at 375F for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

My Baking Mystery - Cinnamon Buns VS Pizza Buns

I love this recipe - I use it to make pizza buns or cinnamon buns.

I thought I'd send out a blogger SOS though - I'm confused about something. Check this out:

Why are they different sizes?!?

-Same pan
-Same dough
-Same amount of rolling
-Same rising time, temperature and location
the only thing different as far as I can tell, is the filling.
This time (because this happens every time) I rolled the cinnamon buns a bit looser than usual - it's all I could think of. It didn't work.

What's the deal?

Anyway, the pizza buns have a fantastic texture - it's like a bun or something! Imagine that. ... now to get my cinnamon buns to fall in line and act like 'a BUN'.

Here's the recipe:

2 pkg         yeast
1/3 cup      sugar
2 cup         warm water
1 tbst         salt
1/3 cup      vegetable oil
   2             eggs
6 1/2 cup    flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Add salt, 2 cups of flour and beat for 2 min. at high speed. Add eggs and oil and beat for 2 min. more. Add rest of flour with spoon. Let rest 20 min. Roll out and spread with filling. Bake 20 min at 325F.

Cheesy Apple Bacon Muffins

They're really more of a biscuit than a muffin ... but we like them. I think next time I'll add a bit more butter and a sugar ...

Here's the original recipe I was given:

2 cups          flour 

1/4 cup        sugar (I'd use 1/2 cup next time)

4 tsp            baking powder

3/4 tsp         salt

1 cup           milk

1/3 cup        butter, melted

1 egg            slightly beaten

1/2 cup        finely chopped, unpeeled apple

3/4 cup        grated cheddar cheese

2/3 cup        crumbled, crisp bacon (or 'real bacon bits', ham ...)

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend well. In another bowl combine milk, butter and egg. Mix well. Add to flour mixture, stir until just blended. Fold in apples, cheese and bacon. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. (I think I might try dropping onto a cookie sheet next time) Bake in 400F oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Enjoy!