Easy Peasy Healthy Graham Crackers.

Earlier this summer, as the Fourth of July was approaching, we purchased a deck "fire pit". Once we had tried it out, I decided we should do some-mores over the holiday weekend. After checking out Honey Maid graham crackers, and not being wild about their ingredients, I decided to google recipes and came up with one, and decided to change it up a bit. These are super easy to make and don't take much time. Better yet, they are SO good. You will never want to purchase store bought Graham Crackers again. I hope you find them as yummy as I did.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup flour (I used spelt)
3 ounces coconut sugar (can use brown sugar)
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled (I use coconut oil, chilled in the freezer for five minutes)
2 1/4 ounces molasses
1 1/2 ounces whole milk (I used coconut milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter/or coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Note - these would also make a great outside for an ice cream sandwich!
Last but not least - as Julia would say --- bon apetit!

Artisan French Bread

Yesterday, a Facebook friend posted info and pictures for a Farmers Market in West Virginia. One of the items was an artisan bread with Herbs de Provence. John LOVES Herbs de Provence, so I decided to try my hand using an easy /quick Artisan French bread recipe I had in my recipe files. I decided to add a wee bit of extra Lavendar harvested from my garden. I must confess, it turned out WOW - and I will be doing this again.

Artisan French Bread w/ Herbs de Provence

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (115 degrees)
1 tablespoon honey (I used Raw Organic Oregon honey)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
1 tablespoon Lavender
3 ½ cups flour (I used spelt but could easily substitute GF)

1. Combine the water, honey, salt and yeast in a glass bowl. Proof for 5-10 mins, until the mixture is bubbling/ foamy.
2. Add 2 + cups of flour, mix in and then add more - you want your dough to stick to together. You might want to add more flour if the dough seems sticky to the touch. I used my Kitchen Aid w/paddle. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
3. Form the dough into a loaf shape. Cover with a towel and let sit on the counter for 15 mins. This is the time to set the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Start baking, after 5 minutes using a sharp knife, make diagonal slices and if desired melt a wee bit of butter to glaze the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes total.
Note – today I used my Mama’s cast iron Dutch Oven,lined with parchment paper. Worked well for a nice round loaf.

Excellent sliced while warm, but also great cool.
As Julia would say ... Bon Apetit!