Since when are you the type of person to make your own crackers?

Since… today.

You’ll feel fancy.  You’ll feel accomplished.  You’ll want to show off.

… and all you did was whip up some crackers.  Kind of amazing.

What’s going on in these here crackers?

Crunch from cornmeal.  Salty goodness from the Parmesan cheese.  Spice from cayenne pepper.  Nuttiness from whole wheat flour.

Geeez!  That’s a lot packed into one little round.

I like using the food processor.

Oh!  Did I mention the buttermilk in these crackers?

Heck… they’re nice.

Cracker dough.  That took seven minutes from measuring to mixing.

Is this how to people at Ritz make their crackers?

Probably not.  Make your own crackers.  Show Ritz a thing or two.

Spicy Cornmeal Parmesan Crackers

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

makes about 75 crackers

Print this Recipe!

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese and butter.  Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  With the machine running, add the buttermilk in a stream.  Blend until the dough forms a ball within the mixing bowl.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few seconds.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Cut the dough into quarters.  Rewrap the rest of the dough while you work with each quarter.  Roll the dough out to 1/16-inch thickness.  Use a 1-3/4-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the crackers and place them on a baking sheet.  Imprint each cracker with the tines of a fork.  Repeat until all the crackers and cut out.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden and crisp.  Keep a close eye on the crackers after 8 or 10 minutes.  They brown quickly.  Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

The kitchen.  It’s where I do a majority of my… standing.  

Standing and staring.

Standing and staring and spreading cream cheese onto Wheat Thins.  

Standing and staring and eating cream cheese and Wheat Thins until I come up with a recipe and post idea.  

If you were a fly on my kitchen wall… well, I wouldn’t like that very much… but you would probably think that a) I have very few brain cells firing with all of the standing and staring I do and b) I have an unhealthy relationship with cream cheese.

You might be right about the brain cells…  I won’t argue that the standing and staring is a strange process.  But the cream cheese?  Yea… I’ll admit I have a bit of a problem with cream cheese and crackers.  I’m trying to break the habit with chick peas and olive oil and mint and parsley.  I think it’s working.  I really think it’s working. 

Delicious.  Delicious.  Crazy delicious.   This spread is hummus meets pesto meets lemon meets delicious.  

Ooh… and it’s totally healthy too. Dang! 

This spread  is creamy without the cream, a little tart, a little herby and all sorts of satisfying.  On warm spelt tortillas… it’s my new favorite thing.  For serious. 

Chickpea, Mint, and Parsley Spread

     Martha Stewart Living, May 2007

     Print this Recipe!

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

fresh ground black pepper

warm pitas, bread or crackers

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until very soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  

Put the chopped mint and parsley into the bowl of a food processor.  Add salt, pepper and lemon.  Add the chickpea mixture.  I have a smaller food processor and did this in two batches, dividing all of the ingredients in half and blending it twice. 

With the machine running, blend all of the ingredients and add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a slow and steady steam, allowing it to emulsify.  Spread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or transferred to a serving dish, drizzled with olive oil and served with warm pita or warm spelt tortillas (pictured).

Here’s a fun thing to do!  Take a few minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself as an old person.  I’m not talking about late sixties.  That’s not old yet.  I’m talking about great great grandmother old.. pushing the mid-nineties.

Sounds crazy?  Why would you spend time picturing white hair in bobby pins, shuffling feet and rocking chairs?  I feel like getting old is a luxury.  Not everyone gets to do it, so why not sit and enjoy the thought a bit?

I imagine that I’m the kind of old lady that talks to her over fed cats, and yells across the house to her practically deaf husband.  I hope I’m the kind of old lady who has a piano in the house just so my grandchildren can come over and practice their scales while I shuffle around the kitchen baking them cookies.

I want to be the kind of old lady that always thinks a glass of champagne is a good idea.

I want to be the kind of old lady who always has something out on the living room table for that unexpected guest.  Maybe it’s those soft chalky mints.  Maybe a freshly baked pie.  Maybe it’s these Sweet and Spicy Baked Almonds.  These nuts, my friends, have me daydreaming of old lady times somehow… with a smile on my face.

So, you might be thinking… really Joy?  Nuts?  That’s all you’ve got for me today?  My answer to that… yes.  Nuts.  Live a little.

These nuts are simply almonds sprinkled in magic, aka fennel seeds.  They’re sweet.  They’re spicy.  They’re salty and crunchy.  They make a super yumtastic snack to have around the house, a snazzy hostess gift, or they’re great to bring to a cocktail party.  All around winners, that’s what these almonds are.

Sweet and Spicy Baked Almonds

from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes

Print this recipe!

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups raw almonds

2 Tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix sugar, fennel, salt and pepper flakes in a medium sized bowl.  Add the almonds and water and stir until coated.  Pour onto the foil lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Bake the almonds for 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir almonds around.  Return to the oven and bake for another 17 minutes, checking and stirring the almonds 2 to 3 more times.  Almonds will turn beautifully dark brown.  Remove from the oven and separate with a fork.  Cool and remove from the pan to a serving bowl or an airtight container for storage.