Saturday, July 12, 2008

Weekend Recipe Share

We're doing things kind of backwards this weekend. Dan had some things he needed to do today, so we switched Indian Food Day to Sunday, making Sunday my weekend long run day as well. Consequently, I have no outdoor adventures to share this evening.

I do have recipes, though!

First up is this nice granola bar recipe. My favorite non-HFCS granola bars are well over $4/box now, so I'm experimenting with making my own. I made these bars for the first time last week, but I made them too thick and although they were delicious, they were more like thick, chewy brownies. Nice, but not what I was after. So this weekend, I used a bigger pan and flattened them out nice and thin, and they turned out perfect-- firm, but not break-your-teeth hard. Chewy, but not like mutant Rice Krispies bars.

If you make these, you'll want to be sure the granola mix is a big sticky thing that you could, if you so chose, put into the baking dish in one big ball. You may need to keep adding peanut butter, syrup, or honey to accomplish this. So start out with the recipe as it is written, then add oats if it's too wet, peanut butter if it's too dry and sweet, and syrup or honey if it's too dry and not sweet enough. Pay close attention to the directions in the recipe link regarding scoring the granola bars near the end of the cooking process. Once they're cool, you'll have a dickens of a time making them break up in a pretty way, so follow the instructions!

The second recipe I want to call your attention to is for crackers. I don't know about anyone else out there, but I always thought crackers were one of those things that required a factory and elves. But I'm seeing some really ridiculous prices for them these days, often $3.50 and higher per box for good organic crackers without HFCS or hydrogenated oils. Finding a good cracker recipe online was a revelation because they're just stupidly easy to make.

For my first attempt, I used whole wheat flour and added five-pepper pesto and parmesan for my flavoring. They came out great, but I did have a problem with the center not getting crunchy before the edges started burning. I recommend either baking these crackers in strips, or taking them out when they're done enough to hold together well, breaking them up, and putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes. I suppose one could also put the finished product in a food dehydrator. Here in the Land of Humidity, one is often tempted to do that with things. My next batch of crackers will probably be simpler, maybe just parmesan and black pepper. One other thing that isn't mentioned in the recipe but would be nice, is a sprinkling of sea salt over the tops.

And that's it for new recipes! Have a tasty weekend!

8 comments:

the Bag Lady said...

I am definitely going to try making some crackers! Like you, I always thought you had to have a factory....

Thanks!

Thomma Lyn said...

The recipes look great, and very yummy. Thanks for sharing! :) Hubby and I are addicted to granola bars, but you're right, the price of a box gets higher and higher all the time.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

*snort* My grocery stopped carrying my favorite granola bars. I'm off to copy that recipe.

RG said...

Boy! Between your earthy goods recipes and the stuff that lady homesteading in the Detroit condo grows, a guy with a bit more ambition could live very well!

Those granola bars sound just great! Can't speak for the crackers ... not a cracker guru.

Leah J. Utas said...

I've never been adventurous enough to make my own granola bars even as I make my own granola.
Maybe I'll give it a go.

Deb Cushman said...

I used to make crackers all the time. Haven't for years now -- maybe it's time to start again (agree with you about the horrendous prices in the store. Freckles loves crackers!
Deb

Vickie said...

If you could post the granola recipe, I would love it. I would like to compare what I already have. Always in line for improvements if possible.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Homemade crackers are very yummy. A friend of mine puts her's through the pasta maker for super thinness, they turn out great.