Homemade crackers -the color and shape of Fall!

What could be more fun than home made crackers in the fall? Answer: home-made fall LEAF crackers!

There is something so homey and comforting about making crackers. Thin. Crispy. Grainy. And, if you sprinkle warm earth-toned spices on top: Colorful!

Just make a favorite cracker recipe (or try our Rustic Oat Crackers), cut out the dough in leaf shapes, and then when you remove them from the oven, immediately sprinkle them with spices. I used paprika, cumin, ancho chile powder, regular chile powder and turmeric, for the flavors but also for the fall colors. Okay, and for an ultra-easy version, just buy store bought pie crust and cut out the shapes!

Scatter these on a platter for an instant fall festival!

– posted by Donna

Check out these other intriguing crackers:

Seed Topped Rosemary Crackers, Culinary in the Country
Homemade Wheat Crackers, Cooking for Seven
Spelt and Rosemary Crackers, The Nourishing Gourmet
Gluten Free Crackers, Gluten Free Goddess
Cheese Crackers with Almond Flour, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Oatmeal Crackers, Vegeyum
Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers, Elana’s Pantry
Almond Saltine Crackers, Comfy Belly

Lärabars come in an impressive variety of flavors (Ginger Snap, Pistachio, Apple Pie, Key Lime, and Cashew Cookie, just to name a few), but what’s even more impressive is the simplicity and purity of ingredients. The latter of the above has exactly TWO INGREDIENTS: dates and cashews. That’s it! The others don’t have too many more ingredients; I’d wager an average of 3, maybe 4, Cocoa Mole having the most due to the inclusion of spices.

Given the minimal ingredient list, being me, I decided to try making them at home. Here are the three I concocted:

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates (I used organic Medjool)
3/4 cup raw cashews*
2 tablespoons cacao nibs (you could also use regular chocolate chips)
dash of cinnamon (optional)

Put a sheet of plastic wrap in an 8 inch loaf pan, enough to hang over each side, lengthwise.

Place the dates in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste; the dates will start to form a ball. Transfer paste to a medium bowl (no need to clean the processor).

Add the cashews to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. You definitely want this fine, but you don’t want to go too far and make cashew butter. Add the nuts to the bowl with the date paste, add cacao nibs or chocolate chips. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste.

Once well-combined, roll into a log (it doesn’t need to be too fussy) and transfer into the plastic-lined 8 inch loaf pan. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan . . .

and then lift it out – voila, perfect rectangle!

Divide into 8 bars – I used a bench scraper for this, like so:

Close up the rest of the plastic around any leftover bars and refrigerate. Note: these do need to be kept refrigerated, unlike Lärabars themselves, which uses an opaque wrapper specially designed to keep light and oxygen out.

The other varieties I made:

BLUEBERRY APRICOT ALMOND

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates
1/4 cup dried apricots
1 cup raw almonds*
1/4 cup dried blueberries

CRANBERRY (or GOJI BERRY) PECAN

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates
1/3 cup raw cashews*
1/3 cup raw pecans*
1/4 cup dried cranberries or goji berries (I used  goji berries)
1 or 2 teaspoons orange zest (optional)

Rather than typing the instructions for each over again – it’s basically the same process. Process dates and other moist fruits first, then nuts, then transfer to a bowl, add additional mix-ins, squish together, and press into bars.

I’m pleased with how they turned out – especially since my 14 month old also likes them. My favorite of the three is the Blueberry Almond Apricot one, but the others are tasty too. And I plan to experiment more with different varieties , maybe adding some flax and oats, maybe some spices – and so should you! It seems the key ratio is approximately 1 cup dates or a combination of dates and other moist dried fruits to 3/4 cup nuts of your choice, as a foundation, and then take it from there!

I’ll still be a Lärabar consumer, no doubt, but adding these into our healthy snack arsenal is definitely a boost to the budget – besides, they’re FUN to make. Enjoy!

*Lily is Anne’s 14 month old daughter/Donna’s 14 month old granddaughter.

** When using raw nuts, be sure to soak them first to get their full benefit. Here’s a great explanation, with instructions.

– posted by Anne

Julia Child was right: the best recipes are often the simplest.

Case in point: crepes.

For years I shied away from crepes, thinking they were a too-fussy, too-demanding French food. All that changed a few days ago. I went to my friend Michelle’s house. Michelle was born and raised in France and still lives her life with a wonderful European flair. When we arrived at her house, she had set up a “crepe bar.” There was a pile of about 3 dozen thin-as-paper crepes, and then sliced fruits, whipped cream and a few sauces.  We took the crepes and folded them, made a pile of them on our plates and then added toppings. I was marveling at the elegant simplicity of this, and then she shared with me the secrets of crepes.

It turns out they are frugal, easy to make and store, and incredibly flexible.  Once every week or two, Michelle makes 5 dozen crepes and stacks them and stashes them covered in her fridge. Her family feasts on them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all snacks in between! They sit patiently awaiting for up to two weeks in the fridge for some lucky hungry person to happen by. Wow! They DO NOT stick together, as I had thought they would, but just peel off one at a time from the pile. They can be folded with a little ricotta inside and then topped with a million different things- perfect for leftover bits of meat and cheeses and a drizzle of a pan sauce, or with sliced fruits for a quick delicious dessert. I especially like the folded presentation – rolling is more time intensive and fussy.

So, crepes will become a new standby at the Kellys’ – they are equally fabulous and frugal!!!

Crepes take only about a minute per crepe to cook – this recipe makes about 24. It is well worth the time to make a huge batch and then stash them in the fridge for almost instant meals!

I made a wonderful ricotta filling — it can be either sweet (I added a little powdered sugar) or savory (you could add a bit of garlic powder or other savory seasonings). It is fluffy and delicious!

RICOTTA-STUFFED FOLDED CREPES

2 cups 2 percent milk
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons powdered sugar*
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 large strawberries

Blend in blender the milk, eggs, salt, flour and butter. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.

Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Spray with a little non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into center of pan and then roll pan until bottom is evenly coated with batter. Cook about 1 minute, until top of crepe looks dry. Turn over and cook another minute or so until cooked through and lightly browned. Repeat for 24 total crepes.

Process in food processor all remaining ingredients except strawberries until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Hull the strawberries and then slice strawberries lengthwise into four slices.

To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture on one half of each crepe. Fold each crepe in half and then in half again. Place on a serving platter and then top the folded crepe with strawberry slices. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate sauce as a garnish if desired.

*Omit the powdered sugar for a savory filling

–posted by Donna