Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I am a cracker person. I love crackers and I especially like cheese crackers. The problem
is I am also trying to eat well and almost all of the crackers on the store shelves are made
with weird stuff and unnecessary chemicals. It is a problem when it is so easy to reach
for the box of Cheezits.  However, you can make your own cheese crackers and it really
isn't too hard and it is just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I like extra sharp but shred your own, don't buy the
pre-shredded) I sometimes add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan to kick them up.
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

That is really all you need for plain cheddar cheese crackers. If you want a little more zing
try a pinch or two of cayenne, cracked black pepper, dried herbs or even granulated
garlic. Experiment with adding sesame seeds and other things to get some flavors you
like.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times to combine.
Add the butter and pulse until a ball forms. Take the dough out of the food processor and
form a big ball.  The dough generally comes out fine, but you may need to add a little bit
of water (just a few drops) if your dough is not well formed.

Roll out dough on a floured surface or on top of Parchment Paper.  Don’t roll too thin
because the crackers break easily.  Cut in squares with a knife or a pizza cutter.
Bake for about 13-15 minutes until golden brown. I use parchment paper to make things
easier or a Sil-Pat works as well.

If they last this long, they will keep covered for a week or so.

Ostara Is Upon Us

Ok, here we are just a week away from Ostara also known as the beginning of Spring and it is time to plant some of the warm weather seeds like tomatoes and eggplant. All the pepper, leek, shallot and onion plants are up and going. It is also time to get your flower seeds going. Marigolds. zinnas, and nasturtium to attract pollinators and discourage pests. I'm going to try and get all my different peas in the ground this weekend as well. I'm a little late as I was waiting for my inoculant to show up. Insuring the legumes like peas have the proper bacteria they need to fix nitrogen from the air makes a big difference in yield. Everybody get planting.

I'm running a little slow as I am having some laser surgery on my legs and it makes them a little tender, not to mention that I have to wear compression stockings which limit my flexibility a bit. The old "very close vein" thing. Getting old sucks but the other option isn't too great either.