rosemary crackers

"Why are crackers so 'spensive?" (read that with attitude)

That's what runs through my head every time I wander down the cracker aisle. I rarely buy crackers, but when you're entertaining and you've got four or five different dips, they're kind of required. Sure, you can have pita wedges, vegetables, or pretzels, but nothing beats a cracker.

I'm really excited about this recipe. Not because they're the best cracker that I've ever had (admittedly, they're not), but because it's a really fun project and there are so many ways to alter and expand the recipe. I seriously can't wait to try more!

These crackers did turn out pretty tasty (I polished them off in just a couple days, thanks in part to a yummy batch of hummus). They had just the right amount of crunch without being too hard. I didn't taste the rosemary or cracked pepper as much as I'd like, though, and next time I'll also add a sprinkle of salt to the top of the crackers before baking. That being said, I definitely think you should try making your own crackers. It was surprisingly easy and definitely fun! ...I'm going to try a whole wheat olive oil version next!

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artichoke stuffing

Man can not live on bread alone...

But this girl sure could live on stuffing alone.

I apologize for my lack of Thanksgiving themed recipes this year. Time has flown by and if it weren't for the Christmas decorations in every store, I'd just as soon think it was still March. But there is one thing that I can't let slip by and that's the chance to make some really rocking stuffing/dressing. I LOVE STUFFING.

Last years Turkey & Stuffing Casserole is probably the best stuffing I've ever had, but this artichoke version comes in a very, VERY close second... and that's probably only because it doesn't have the luxury of turkey drippings cooked into it.

This is a bare bones stuffing with a lot of possibilities for add-ins. You could add mushrooms, sweet italian sausage, walnuts, golden raisins, or bacon. Of course, those ingredients will significantly add to the cost per serving, so keep that in mind. But guess what? Bare bones still tastes really, REALLY good.

So, enjoy and have a very awesome Thanksgiving Day!

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pumpkin molasses bread

You need to make this for dessert on Thanksgiving this year. Trust me.

This bread is really easy to whip up (who needs something complicated on Thanksgiving? NO ONE), is super delicious, and totally tastes like Autumn. It's a dessert bread, so make no mistake, it has a lot of sugar and oil... but compared to other pumpkin bread recipes that I saw that used three cups of sugar and at least one cup of oil for just one single loaf, I don't think I did so bad here.

The bread is nicely crisp on top, super moist inside, and has a rich, spicy flavor. I can totally see eating a slice of this along side a nice hot cup of coffee, chai, or tea. Super cozy.

You can also bake these as muffins. Actually, in hinds sight, that probably would have been a much better idea than a loaf. It would bake faster (more surface area to heat ratio), cool faster, and there would be no messing with trying to slice it. But the loaf does make a pretty presentation, so there is that. You decide. Either way, you're gonna LOVE it.

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rosemary & pepper drop biscuits

Just because you haven't gotten the hang of yeast breads doesn't mean that you can't have a hot, fresh piece of bread with your dinner. There are always "quick" breads!

Biscuits are the most common type of savory quick bread and these drop biscuits are even easier than most biscuits because you don't have to even roll them out. Just scoop out a dollup of the batter and bake it as is. They come out crispy on the outside and perfectly flakey on the inside. Absolutely delightful... if not slightly addicting.

I made my drop biscuits rosemary and pepper flavored just because I wanted to take advantage of the fresh herbs that I've been growing. I've priced it out for dried herbs for those of you who don't have fresh. You could make these biscuits plain or any other flavor you'd like. They're very flexible.

And lastly, I know using a whole stick of butter is frightening (well, it is to me anyway...), but if you do the math it ends up being one tablespoon of butter per biscuit. As long as you have the will power to limit yourself to one and serve it along side something light and healthy (I served them with my kale and chickpea soup), it's not nearly as scary. Here's to justification! *clink of wine glasses*

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focaccia rolls

If I haven't convinced you yet to try no-knead bread, perhaps this post will. These perfect little rolls are so good that I've had to stash them in my freezer just so that I won't eat them all up. Sure, they're just a 30 second nuke away from being warm and delicious again, but at least the freezer has slowed me down a little ;)

These rolls are really easy, but they do need to take their sweet time. You'll need to start them the day before, so plan ahead. Actual hands-on time is probably less than 30 minutes, most of which is dedicated to shaping the dough into the rolls.

I brushed each roll with olive oil and then sprinkled Italian seasoning on top. I love the texture that the olive oil gave the rolls, but you could certainly make them without if you want. Also, you could mix dry herbs right into the dough (with the other dry ingredients in the beginning) and have an herb infused roll. There are so many possibilities. Run with it!


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brown butter soda bread

When someone suggested that I make soda bread for St. Paddy's day, I have to admit, I cringed a little. I tried soda bread once, maybe twice, about ten years ago and it was a complete disaster. It was a ten pound, tasteless, brick-like disaster. But, I decided to be brave and try it again, with the help of the experts at Epicurious.

Their recipe for Brown Butter Soda Bread was nothing short of AH-MAZ-ING. Now I see what all the fuss is about!

If you've never had soda bread, it's kind of like a big scone. It uses baking soda and/or powder for leavening instead of yeast, and it isn't kneaded so it has a crumbly, scone-like texture. Couple that texture with the sweet, nutty flavor of browned butter and oats, and you've got one incredible bread! This recipe uses rosemary and black pepper for extra flavor, but I have no doubt that it would be just as good without them.

I made a couple of small changes to meet what I had on hand ingredient wise. First, instead of buttermilk, I substituted regular milk with lemon juice stirred in. This vital because you need the acid to activate the leavening power of the baking soda and powder. Second, I used some whole wheat flour, which I think added to the sweet, nutty, graham-like flavor of the bread. Lastly, I used dried rosemary instead of fresh.

Oh, and I also made one mistake - I baked one big loaf instead of dividing it into two smaller loafs. It still baked up fine, but it would be easier to divide into portions if it were in two smaller loafs.

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raisin spice bread

Here's a quickie for ya before I get started in the kitchen today... This was really just an experiment for myself, but it turned out quite tasty so I thought I'd post it!

One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is peanut butter toast. In fact, I think I went through a phase that was at least a year long where I ate oatmeal molasses bread toast every morning. That recipe is super good, but I wanted something easier this week. So, I added a twist to the "almost no-knead" cinnamon raisin bread.

I love my Indian Spiced Oats with Coconut Milk, so I decided to add some of those spices to the cinnamon raisin bread. The result? Super good! But make this recipe on a weekend... although it doesn't take much effort, it does need to sit around for a few hours during its rise times.

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no-knead cinnamon rolls

This no-knead bread is the gift that keeps on giving... I just keep finding new things to do with it!

I love cinnamon rolls but have never even wanted to think about making them from scratch because they just take too long and who wants to wake up at 4 am just to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Not me. Hand me a can of pre-made cinnamon rolls, please. ...Until I tried this method.

Sure, you still have an hour rise time and a half hour bake, but it's still feasible for a lazy weekend morning when you want something special. The fact that you can mix up the dough the night before and there is no heavy kneading involved cuts the prep time in half, at least.

These would be perfect to keep the hungry masses away on Thanksgiving day or as an extra special treat Christmas morning. There's just something about fresh cinnamon rolls that says "Here's some love for ya."

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sweet potato biscuits

I don't make biscuits often because they're just a bunch of flour and butter, but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make them. Sweet potatoes are packed full of nutrients so in addition to making these biscuits taste fantastic, they also successfully reduced my guilt while I indulged. And, if you're already starting to plan your Thanksgiving menu, sweet potato biscuits would make a very unique addition!

Chow.com suggests using these incredible biscuits to make ham sandwiches and I must say, I'm really bummed that I didn't try this. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make more. Poor me.

Using the microwave to quickly cook the sweet potato makes these biscuits come together very quickly. Also, I have a hunch (it's just a hunch, mind you) that you could replace the one cup of mashed sweet potato with a cup of canned pumpkin puree. If anyone is brave enough to try it out, let me know how it works!

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chocolate cinnamon swirl bread

"Oh no she didn't..."

Oh yes, yes I did.

I've had so much fun over the past year playing with different variations of the no-knead bread that when I discovered a few left over chocolate chips in my pantry, I knew *exactly* what I was going to do with them.

This recipe only takes a few hours as opposed to the long ferment time of the no-knead focaccia. I literally made it one morning while I was running around finishing errands before company came over. You can totally do this in the background of your "real life."

I basically used the same technique as I did for this cinnamon raisin bread, except that I mixed all of the cinnamon and brown sugar right into the dough. It's so good and so easy... it will be your new secret weapon!

Did I mention how good this is toasted with peanut butter for breakfast? But, I guess I didn't really have to, now did I? ;)

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pesto focaccia pizza

I'm addicted to pizza, I really am... but I make no apologies for it. The endless variety of flavor and texture means that the good just keeps coming.

The only problem with homemade pizza is the dough. You've got to knead, you've got to let it rise and rest... it's hours in the making. Not good. And that's why on Friday night when I'm about to topple over from exhaustion, I sometimes stop and buy a frozen pizza. *sigh* Yes, I admit to the occasional frozen pizza.

But I think I just found a good alternative - no-knead focaccia. In the morning before work, I just mix up a batch of the no-knead focaccia bread, let it ferment while I'm at work, and then when I get home all it needs is to be stretched, topped, and popped in the oven.

I peeked at the ingredient list on the last frozen pizza that I bought and the crust alone had about twenty different items on it. I'm really not freaked out by long ingredient lists or unpronounceable ingredients, but that just seemed excessive. This dough has four ingredients - including water.

Mixing the dough before work takes less than five minutes. It doesn't matter if the dough is too wet or too dry, you just go with it. If you don't even have five minutes, measure the dry ingredients the night before and just add the water in the morning. You *can* completely mix the dough the night before and let it ferment almost 24 hours but I think the flavor texture is best between 8-16 hours so I do it in the morning.

This recipe makes two pizzas. I have also successfully halved the recipe.

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oatmeal molasses bread

I've had a few people ask for an oatmeal molasses bread recipe so I thought I'd break this good 'ol recipe out of my vault of .txt files from about ten years ago. This recipe was one of my first forays into budget cooking. Back in the day, when I had first moved out on my own, I cooked a batch of this bread every couple of weeks. I'd eat one loaf that same week and the other would go in the freezer for the next week. I lived a very exciting life as a 21 year old, let me tell ya.

This is not a quick bread recipe by any means, it's more of an all day event. Most of the time the dough is either resting or rising so it doesn't take a whole lot of attention, just a lot of time. So, make it on a day when you'll be at home doing other chores. Also, this might not be a beginners bread because the molasses makes it slightly more difficult to determine if enough flour has been kneaded in... but hey, I broke my bread making teeth on this recipe so maybe you can too!

This was literally the first time I'd made the bread in about ten years and it was slightly different than I remembered. But then, While writing an article about molasses, I realized the difference. Before, I used sorghum molasses and this time I used regular, dark molasses. Sorghum molasses is made from sorghum, while regular molasses is made from either sugarcane or sugar beets. Don't get me wrong, they were both delicious, just slightly different. For more info about molasses, read What is Molasses?

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microwave tortilla chips

Last night in my quest for a late night snack I stumbled upon something completely magical and I just had to share it with you. I have a feeling that all of the college students out there will especially like this one...

The back story...
I'm the type of person that can't buy chips or crackers because I'll just sit down and eat the entire box or bag at once and then the next morning I'll have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe because nothing will fit anymore. So, I just don't buy them. I save money on the snacks and the new clothes that I don't have to buy as a consequence. Anyway, last night I needed a snack (read: Sriracha and something to serve as the vessel to eat it on) but I had nothing. Usually, I'll make some popcorn for that salty crunch (and dip it in Sriracha) but I was out of vegetable oil and it just doesn't pop the same in olive oil. Then it hit me, I had some whole wheat tortillas! If you bake tortillas, they turn into chips! But, it was late and I didn't feel like heating up the entire oven just to have some chips. Then I remembered seeing online somewhere that you can make potato chips in the microwave. Soooo, I gave it a shot with tortillas. Success!!

Last night, I made these without spray oil and without any seasoning and they were still fantastic. The tortilla stuck to the plate a little so I added the non-stick spray today. The non-stick spray also helps adhere the seasoning. So, if you want it completely fat free, it can be made without oil, just be aware of the sticking issue.


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no-knead focaccia

I was in the mood for sandwiches this week so I needed to make some bread. While my honey wheat sandwich bread was fantastic, I wanted something more savory. Then I got the idea, take the no-knead ciabatta and make it into focaccia! It turned out perfect and was so so so easy.

This recipe utilizes an over night fermentation which gives it incredible flavor. So, while the total time for this recipe is almost a whole day, there is probably less than 15 minutes of actual work that needs to be done.

A delicious loaf of bread for just over a dollar and under 15 minutes of work? YES PLEASE!


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lemon spice cake

This recipe comes courtesy of one of my wonderful readers, Diana. I was intrigued by this recipe for multiple reasons. I remember when I was a teenager I had found a recipe similar to this in a cookbook from the 1950's. I was intrigued by it then (and baked it) and I'm intrigued by it now! Why is this recipe so unique? It's EGGLESS, has only 1 Tbsp of fat and doesn't require a mixer. Score!

So, for all of you vegans out there, this can easily be made into a VEGAN lemon spice cake by using vegetable shorting or oil for the fat. The texture is not exactly like regular cake because it doesn't have the egg but for a low fat, vegan treat, it's pretty amazing!! Surprisingly moist and flavorful!

Yeah, it still has a ton of sugar but, eh... you gotta pick your battles.

The original recipe that Diana sent me uses lemon extract but I had none so I used the zest from a lemon instead. It turned out really good although I'm sure the lemon extract would have had more of a punch. If you want to use lemon extract, just add 1 tsp when you add the butter and cider vinegar.

Thanks again for the recipe, Diana! It turned out fantastic!


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olive herb bread

It's time for another installment of delicious no-knead bread!

One of my favorite breads to buy fresh from the bakery is olive bread. I'm crazy about olives to begin with so when they're baked into a fresh, crusty loaf of bread I just can't resist! I added some dried herbs for extra oomph and used part whole wheat flour to reduce my guilt (because we all know the entire loaf will be devoured in less than a week).

I used dried thyme but feel free to use whatever herbs (fresh or dried) that sound good to you. If you're not sure what herbs would taste good, eat an olive and then go smell some herbs. Whatever smell mixes well with the taste of the olive in your mouth will probably taste good in the bread. At least that's how I decided which to use.

I dropped by the olive bar to get my olives so that I wouldn't have to buy a whole $6 dollar jar. The cool part is that the kalamata olives that I used were marinated in some sort of oil with red pepper so I got a little spicy kick in my bread. That was a pleasant surprise :)

This recipe takes next to no work but it does need to sit around for a while so make it on a day that you'll be home but busy doing other things.


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real bread pudding

I've made a couple of bread puddings for the blog in the past (apple cinnamon and pumpkin) but they've both bean a "lighter" version... more of a breakfast item than a decadent dessert like they serve it here in the south. Well, earlier today I went to a friend's house for brunch and had decided that I was going to bring some bread pudding. Since I was bringing the bread pudding somewhere AWAY from home, it wasn't going to sit around in my kitchen taunting me. I knew it was safe to make the full blown, thick, rich, full-fat custard bread pudding ... WITH RUM SAUCE!

So, if you ever have an opportunity to make a dessert that you will not be in danger of accidentally eating all yourself, make this one. You wont be disappointed, neither will your friends.

Let me apologize ahead of time for the pictures. I made the bread pudding early this morning before there was decent light and I couldn't cut into it to plate it for photos. Hopefully you'll get the idea.

Oh, also "real" bread pudding has raisins and pecans. I forgot to buy both so I just had to use the walnuts I had on hand. Oops. The cost break down is for what I actually used.


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cinnamon raisin bread

I saved the best for last this week, folks. As good as the black bean burgers were, this bread is simply indulgent (without the guilt).

With the success of turning the regular no-knead bread into a delicious cranberry walnut loaf, I got to thinking... What about cinnamon raisin? Yep, it was just as easy and even more delicious than all of the other no-knead loafs that I've made so far. I felt like I just threw all of the ingredients in a pot, forgot about it for a few hours and then I suddenly had this gorgeous loaf of incredibly fragrant and delicious cinnamon raisin bread. Pure magic, I tell you.

I'm not into super sweet things so I added just a touch of brown sugar to the dough and let the cinnamon and raisins do most of the work. If you're used to a super sweet, almost dessert like, grocery store type of cinnamon raisin bread, you might want to add more brown sugar.

You'll need a few hours but next to no thought or effort to make this bread so please promise me that you'll try to make a loaf this Saturday morning while you're hanging out in your PJ's.


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flour tortillas v.2.0 (low fat)

After making my first batch of tortillas the other day, I decided to try another recipe. I chose a recipe that uses vegetable oil (and very little of it) instead of lard because, lets face it, there isn't always room for lard in our lives. At least not mine.

I ate one right off the skillet and I wasn't too impressed. The texture was more like a flat bread than the almost pie-crust-like, flaky texture of lard tortillas. I figured that I wouldn't make them again... but then the low fat tortillas and I had a moment.

Fast forward to 3:30am New Years day when I stumble into the house after wishing the entire city of New Orleans a happy New Year. I had one thing on my mind and one thing only: EGG AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS!! I didn't pay attention to which tortillas I grabbed out of the fridge because, honestly, at that point it didn't matter. Well, I grabbed the low fat batch and I was very pleased. They were good. Very good, for being low fat. And that wasn't just my celebratory state speaking. I've eaten them nearly every day since! I probably WILL make these again after all!

So, for all of you who can't afford to have lard in your diet, here is a good substitute. (but to be fair, you really can't compare the two... lard tortillas and non-lard tortillas are just two different beasts).


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flour tortillas

Tortillas are one of my favorite bread items and I use them for just about everything. Luckily, there is a fairly large Hispanic population in Louisiana so I am able to find tortillas fairly inexpensively at the grocery store. ...EXCEPT burrito size tortillas (the really large kind). I can only find burrito sized in large national brands, like Mission, and they tend to be pretty pricey, comparatively speaking. ...which is dumb because tortillas are about the cheapest things on the planet.

So, using this recipe from Rick Bayless, I whipped up a batch of tortillas! It was pretty quick and painless and resulted in some pretty delicious flour tortillas.

His recipe uses all white flour while I substituted about 1/3 with whole wheat. Also, I divided my dough into 8 pieces rather than 12 so that I could make larger burrito-sized tortillas. This recipe is really easy and is a very reasonable project for the weekend. The tortillas stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week (in an air-tight package).


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