Yummy Crackers

Not sure if anyone is still reading this blog at all, but these crackers are too good not to post.

Ritz Crackers
These are seriously a lot like the real deal. We haven't been able to find those Nutro ones in a while, so I was excited to be able to make my own, and I think they are way better than the Nutro anyway.  I made a couple of changes:

After baking them for 10 minutes I put the butter mixture on and put them on broil for about 2 minutes to get them a little crisper and slightly darker on top.
I increased the salt in the butter mixture and need more of the mixture. All in all I used 5 TBSP butter and 1 and 1/2 tsp salt.

Last night I decided to try another variation. I added about a TBSP of parmesan to the dough (the cheapo kind from America, not the fresh stuff) and some dried herbs. Then I added about 1 or 2 TBSP?? of parmesan to the butter mixture and also some fresh basil. I did the broil part before putting on the mixture.  I also used about half Blue Band in place of butter in both the dough and topping mixture and they still tasted great!

FYI- the dough on these is sticky and it takes a little practice to work with if you are not used to rolling out sticky doughs.

Here's a pic of my "Ritz" crackers. I actually prefered them a little lighter than this, but Carson liked them this dark.

I also saw this post on the same website:

goldfish crackers

I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but they look easy and good. You need a small goldfish cookie cutter to get the look, but I'm sure they would taste just as good cut into little squares or circles. You could even poke little smily faces into them and call them smiley crackers, if you plan to share them with the kids!

Coconut Curried Thai Chicken

This is super yummy.   It's great served over rice and with a side of mangoes.

1 lb. chicken cut up in chunks
3/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 Tbsp.  vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 of a 14oz. can coconut milk
1 of a 14oz. can diced tomatoes or 6-8 tomatoes, diced
2/3 of an 8oz. can tomato sauce or 3-4 tomatoes, grated
2 Tbsp. sugar

• Season chicken with salt and pepper
• Heat oil and curry over medium/high heat for 2 minutes
• Stir in garlic and onions, cook 1 minute
• Add chicken, reduce heat to medium and cook 7-10 minutes
• Pour in coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar
• Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes

I've always been of the opinion that recipes are just guidelines.  So, I recommend tasting and adjusting.  Enjoy!

super simple cobbler

I found this recipe awhile back and go to it when I want something sweet, but don't want to hang out in the kitchen for a long time.

1- Fill an ovensafe dish with fruit. We like canned peaches and fresh mangos mixed together. If you use something like apples you might need to add sugar to get the juices going, but with peaches/mangos it's not necessary.
2- Whisk together equal amounts of flour and sugar. Add just enough melted butter or blueband to hold the flour and sugar together.
3- Pat the dough into palm size pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them overlapping on top of the fruit. It will have a very rustic look.
4- Bake at 350. Our oven has an option where the heat is coming from top and bottom of the oven. This setting seems to work best and takes about 15-20 minutes to bake. If your oven doesn't have that option it will still work, but it will take longer, maybe 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Feel free to start posting recipes. Don't forget to give your post labels. This is the box at the bottom right of the screen when you are making a post. Doing this will enable people to find your recipe months from now when it is no longer on the main page. Let's get this blog going!