Thursday, April 18, 2013

Artisanal Crackers with Olive Oil & Rosemary


 
Every once in awhile you run into a recipe that makes all this blogging worth it!  And this my friends is it!
It is everything I want my recipes to be.    Simple, fresh, easy to make, versatile and yummy!  I can hardly wait to make them again! 

And where did I run across this piece of recipe perfection?  If you have read my blog at all, you will see my pal Rob's name throughout.  Rob is my Blog Muse.   But this recipe came from Rob's partner, David!  David is an uber talented decorator...their home is simply amazing...and apparently he is working on his culinary skills as well!   Thanks for sharing David!

 Couple notes:
  •  Roll  out as thin as possible.  They transfer to a baking sheet easily, even though they are paper thin. 
  • After topping with salt, use a rolling pin to gently press the salt into the dough before baking.
  • Use good salt (I used Kosher). Use good Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) and fresh Rosemary.
  • I made mine rustic, but you can cut into any shape you prefer.
  • Vary this recipe easily with any herb or leave plain...good no matter what! 
  • Oh and each large cracker only has 66 calories...munch on!
Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup good olive oil 
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat to 425

Mix all ingredients in your *Kitchen Aid using the bread hook.  Knead for 5 minutes or so until dough is silky smooth  
Let it rest for 20 minutes
 (*if you don't have a Kitchen Aid, your hands will work just fine! Just make sure you knead it well.) 
  

   


Cut dough into 8 small pieces. 
 
 
 Roll out each piece on well floured board until very thin. Each piece will make 2 long crackers. 
 
 
 
 
Place on silicone mat, parchment paper or spray cooking pan lightly with non stick spray.




Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown.





Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Jelly Donut Muffins


I've been making these for years.  The recipe is from my favorite cookbook of all time.  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook.  They are called Raspberry Filled Cinnamon  Muffins in the book but they are so tender, like a donut, I changed the name and the filling!

The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

I am not sure, but I think this was the first edition printed.  There have been several since, but none as good as this version from 2000.  I use this book more than all my cookbooks.... combined and I got a few books!  It's my moms favorite too.

These are tender, very delicate and super easy to make.  I use seedless strawberry jam to mimic the filling of a jelly donut but you could use whatever you have on hand.

When my daughter was little and had a bad day...we used to make muffins...because when the going gets tough, the tough make muffins!