Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers (Cheez-Its)

MY NEW FAVORITE SNACK.

Imagine buttery, cheesy, crisp, yet flaky, little bites of heaven.

Imagine cheez-its but...like...a million times tastier.

Imagine Kayle eating 80 crackers over the coarse of like..2 days.

I'm sorry about that last one. You guys didn't need that mental picture. 

The point is: these crackers are the shiz-nit. 

Oddly enough, cheese was never a big part of my diet until the last few years (I know, shocking). And cheese crackers were no exception: I thought they were OK, but they were never my go to.

Fast forward to the last time my mom visited. She brought um...about 10 different kinds of snacks with her (a few varieties of potato chips, pretzels, chex mix, and-Cheez-Its). You see, my mom is a salty snack kind of gal. She rarely finds herself wanting a sweet (and when she does she's satisfied with a few ropes of red licorice). Obviously we are very different people. Anyway, from her snack peer pressure I had some of the stuff she brought. And then I was like "Um...Cheez-Its are like yummier than I remember." But I still wasn't going to buy them for myself because, um, super bad for you and stuff. (In spite of their ever so reassuring "made with real cheese" promise *eye roll*).

Then I got into making homemade crackers. And saw a few copy cat recipes on the interwebs. In the end, this recipe won out because it was the simplest. Just pure, cheddar cracker goodness. And it delivered. These are like...pretty easy to make, and just taste incredible. So flavorful. So wonderfully cheesy. They're definitely best, texture-wise, the day they're made, but don't let that deter you from leftovers. They still hold up. They're pretty much the only non-sweet snack that I think I need in this life. Perhaps you'll agree?

*Note: Don't be alarmed that in the pictures my dough is pretty much white--I used white cheddar. They still turned out a gorgeous, almost orange color after baking. You can totally use orange cheddar if that's what you have. Don't fret about it.

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Okayyyyy so! This week is a sorta big week for this little blog.

It's The Cooking Actress' blogaversary week! 

On April 27th, 2013 (Saturday) this piece of internet turns 2.

And we're gonna celebrate all week!

All the posts this week are related to the blog's "birthday cake" (it's actually a chocolate torte/tart but whatever)-the recipe of which will be shared Wednesday, and on Friday there's going to be a giveaway (for a piece of bakeware that made the tart as perfect as it is)! Hooray! I love blogaversaries!

Today I have a ridiculously simple and incredibly delectable recipe to share for chocolate wafer cookies.

To be honest, I bookmarked these for the sole purpose of using them in place of storebought for use in pie crusts (or anything else that would potentially call for such things), so when I decided to make Wednesday's recipe (which has a chocolate wafer cookie crust) I was like "Ok! Let's do this!"

And oh. my. GAWD.

These are NOT to only be used in other recipes (although they're great for that and I totally did use them, but 1 batch of these makes PLENTY of cookies so no worries)! When I tried the first cookie, that was it. It was over. Head over heels in love. Buttery, chocolatey, crisp, perfect little pieces of heaven. Michael totally was gaga over them too, he took a bite and his eyes got all wide in surprise. These cookies will SHOCK you with their goodness. And then you won't be able to stop incessantly popping them into your mouth. Like "Hm that was a good dinner, now I'll just have 1...2....10...cookies..."

Never ever ever buy chocolate wafer cookies again. Seriously. I mean it. That's an order.

Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers

Look how fancy I am with my dim lighting and green base and brie spread on homemade crackers.

I can now imagine I'm the type of person who always looks impeccable, not a stain in sight, no cookie dough in my hair, nothing out of place. My kitchen is probably immaculate (and not with tons of crumbs on the floor and dried dough of various sorts hiding in various different places). I probably always say the right thing, speak at the correct volume, and know when to be silent. My manners are undoubtedly above reproach and I never use my hands when I eat. I probably speak another language fluently, probably french. I've probably also been to Europe, and I have a super classy and important job.

Ok soooo...none of that stuff is true.

Except for the part about eating brie* on homemade wheat thins. I did that.

And I'm cool with it, all loud, messy, annoying, crazy, improper parts of me.

*(but usually I ate them with peanut butter)

I'm sort of obsessed with homemade crackers these days. I just think things from scratch taste better. Forreals. And these do. AND they're like healthy and actually healthy, not like when you buy a box of something supposedly healthy at the store then look at the ingredients and go "WHAT IS IN THESE??!"

You totally aren't gonna be afraid of anything in these. A perfect snack (or breakfast, if you're me)!

*Fanciness not required

Sandwich Rolls

Sandwiches aren't really my thang.

Except for burgers, I LOVE a good burger.

And you know what's crazy? I have a food blog and you guys probably aren't even aware of my deep and profound love of cheeseburgers. This is because...I can't grill. I can't make burgers or steak. Those are the areas where Michael shines, but as we currently don't have the ability to have a grill, I just get my fixes when we go out to eat.

But I recently decided to give burgers a try.

Yes. I realize this post is about sandwich rolls, not burgers (that's coming up on Friday)--but that's what these rolls are great for! Being buns! They're actually quite easy to make (even for the sad, non stand mixer owners such as I), are gorgeous, are (surprise surprise) great for sandwiches, and Michael realllly loved em.  

For the burgers (and just eating them plain, since I'm a carb-a-holic) I also really enjoyed cutting each roll in 2, buttering each half, and toasting them by placing them facedown on a skillet. Nom nom nom!

I know, this post is a little short and sweet, but we're all busy people, right? And let's face it, you just wanna get on to this amazing recipe!

Browned Butter-How to

Ok so...I'm not the first person to do a post about how to brown butter.

But that's OK.

Just in case you are one of those people out there who doesn't know how to brown butter (or *gasp* don't know what it is!) this post is for you! If you don't know what it is, here's a great sum up from Ambitious Kitchen:

"Basically unsalted butter is melted in a saucepan which separates the butter and milk. The milk from the butter sinks to the bottom of the pan, which essentially browns and turns a caramel color. The french call is beurre noisette, which translates to hazelnut butter. I believe it’s called this because once the butter is brown, it gives off a nutty aroma."

And food made with it becomes something magical. I'm a seriously obsessed girl. I'll brown butter in virtually anything and everything. Here comes the tutorial:

All you need is unsalted butter, a whisk, and a saucepan (preferably one with a lighter color, so you can more easily see the little flecks of browned butter). Take the called upon amount of butter, cut it up, and place it in the saucepan over medium heat. Let melt.

 Once it melts you want to whisk constantly. It will initially foam up...

 ...then it will become golden and bubbly. Keep on whisking until...

little brown flecks form at the bottom and you have a gorgeous amber color! Remove from heat and continue whisking, I also advise you pour it into a bowl or some such to keep it from burning. Then use in your recipe.

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies

And gaze at the gorgeous little flecks that may show up, like in the above cookies, and moan over the ecstasy that is the nutty, complex flavor of browned butter.

Voila! There! Easy peasy, right? GO FORTH AND USE BROWN BUTTER!

Some recipes on the blog featuring browned butter

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Brown Butter Macaroni and Cheese

Brown Butter Biscuits

Browned Butter Brownies

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies

Brown Butter Dark Chocolate and Toasted Pecan Cookies

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

Browned Butter Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

Homemade Dark Chocolate Walnut Butter

I know the season of gift giving is sorta kinda over.

But this can totally be a gift for yourself.

Before Christmas I made my cousin, Emily, some dark chocolate walnut butter for her gift. She said walnuts were 1 of her favorites and she loves chocolate so...it was a pretty easy decision! 

It is seriously silly how easy it is to make flavored nut butters. It's like...oh here's some walnuts. And here's some melted dark chocolate. Bada bing bada boom we're in business!

 Michael tasted some and got very jealous that I did not make this for him. This is a great sweet treat, but still healthy (nuts=good and dark chocolate=antioxidants, right? right.) Spread this on toast, dip apple slices in it, or just spoon this dark chocolate walnut butter into your mouth-there's no wrong way to eat it!

Homemade Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers

Me and Ritz crackers go way back.

When I was a kid (like...2nd-4th grades I believe) I used to have to go to the speech trailer at my school (which was a Catholic school, and I had to walk through the cemetery to get to the speech trailer)-I had difficulty pronouncing my "r's" correctly (they came out like "w's"..."wabbit"...etc.). Anyway, I had a great speech therapist and it was always fun and the problem was resolved, I can now say...well...resolved (not wesolved). One of my most vivid memories of going there was that I would always immediately attack a sleeve of Ritz crackers with glee. I don't know why. But they were there and I always ate them. And I loved it.

Now-a-days I use Ritz crackers in my cooking, as well as to occasionally spread some peanut butter on as a snack. But...you guys know me and processed stuff...it just...makes me feel ugh. Have you read the ingredients on Ritz crackers? Ugh!  Anywhozzle, one day I had a bunch of super salty homemade peanut butter at my disposal (accidentally used dry roasted peanuts) and I like really wanted to use it on Ritz crackers. But I didn't want to buy them. So I figured....how hard could they be to make? I did a little google-ing, found a recipe, and turns out-not very hard at all! These crackers definitely don't taste exactly like Ritz (although perhaps the fact that I healthified these by subbing in half whole wheat contributed) but they are still super good. Definitely best on the day they're made, but I always manage to eat them leftover too. And the best part is-I don't feel bad at all about eating them. Nothing but pure contentment here.

(That's pure contentment here...not puwe contentment hewe :P)

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas

I'm a little bit of a freak.

I've already gotten almost all of my Christmas presents, most are even wrapped.

One thing I'm super excited about this year is some of the homemade gifts I'm giving: some people are getting homemade cookies, a certain person is getting cookie dough (with instructions on how to bake), someone else is getting some homemade vanilla extract, and another person is getting homemade chocolate peanut butter. Oh yes. This is going to be good. If you like the idea of making some of your gifts this holiday season, I've listed a few ideas below:

• Homemade Vanilla Extract
• Homemade Chocolate Syrup
• Homemade Peanut Butter/Variation of Nut Butters
• Raspberry Jam
• Caramel Corn
• Puppy Chow
• Chocolate Truffles/"Oreo Balls"/Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles/Other Candy
• Homemade S'mores Kit:
  Include marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers (may I suggest homemade ;P)
• Cookies/Cookie Dough:
  (If giving cookie dough, I particularly like the idea of these two methods)

• Cookie Dough Balls
• Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copy Cat
• Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
• Candy Bar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
• Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
• Whole Wheat Butter-less Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• NY Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• (For the gluten free): Butter-less, Flour-less, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

For more ideas you can also check out my Homemade Gift Ideas board on Pinterest-I'm always updating it with new stuff I find, too!

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

Happy Halloween!

I realize that nothing in this post is Halloween related but...well...sorry. I'm in that awkward stage where I don't go to Halloween stuff anymore (too old/don't do parties) and I don't have kids yet. So Halloween means very little to me currently.

Speaking about spooky events: Hurricane Sandy.

I know it devastated many people and caused a lot of damage. I am so very sad for everyone affected.

But, as for me, personally? Apparently where we live is like a great spot to be in a hurricane. That is the conclusion I've come to after Irene and now Sandy. We live in Astoria and it was rainy and windy but...that was it. Our power stayed on, nothing was damaged. There were just a lot of leaves and tiny broken branches. The end. Oh yeah...and the subways are messed up (that actually really sucks). We were very fortunate and I appreciate all of your kind thoughts and concerns :) You're the best and I love you! And I hope all of you were as lucky as us, and if not I pray that you're able to recover quickly!

On to happier thoughts! TORTILLA CHIPS! This is barely a recipe you guys. They're like...stupidly simple. Like...anyone can do this. Anyone. If you wanna be fancy (like moi) you can make your own tortillas for these, but you could totally just buy tortillas to be super simple. Ridiculously addictive. Michael used this for salsa, I used em for guacamole. Good times :)

Homemade Flour Tortillas

YOU GUYS!

It's happening! 

This week I'm finally going to share with you the recipes for (most of) the stuff I made for Michael's birthday!

This week is all about these tortillas, because I used them to make the coming two recipes.

Turns out-homemade tortillas? SO EASY.

For serious.

The hardest part is rolling the tortillas into circles (*sob* I can't make pretty things!)

I'm sort of obsessed with how great they made the apartment smell.

And all the stuff I can maybe make with them.

Ohhh the possibilities.

Homemade Almond Butter

It's National Nut Day!

Would you care to celebrate with some homemade almond butter?

This may seem odd to you*, but I did not even realize other nut butter existed, outside of peanut butter.

*(or maybe not)

When I was 20, subletting a room from a friend in Jersey City, I lived with 3 dudes. 3 health conscious dudes. I was also kinda dieting so I'd look ok in my bikini for that one movie. One such boy, a model, was telling me about almond butter and how it was healthier than peanut butter. I tried it. I was like "Huh..it's OK I guess...I'd still rather have peanut butter though."

Fast forward to me having some Godiva truffles, including their roasted almond butter one-OMG. 

Fast forward to me making homemade peanut butter and realizing that I should totally make homemade nut butters all the time.

Fast forward to me making roasted almond butter. I had a smidgen bit of difficulty-the nuts weren't breaking down the way the peanuts had. I then realized I'd have to relent and add oil. So I did. Then, we had perfection. And it was deeelicious. I totally think it's amazing, now. Not better than peanut butter. But just like peanut butter's equally pretty and talented sister, ya know? And it's healthy, so, awesome.

Then I made cookies. Not necessarily so healthy. Whatever. I'll share those later. 

You know what I also did? Smeared some of this goodness on homemade graham crackers for breakfast. Yums-ville.

Discover almond butter. Discover yumminess.

Waffle Iron Hash Browns

I like hash browns.

Do you?

Sure ya do!

One thing I don't like, though: greasy, fried hash browns (especially the ones at like...McDonalds...blech).

Wanna know a super easy way to make your own, non fried, hash browns at home?

Do you have a waffle iron?

Yes? Yes?

Good! Let's make us some hash browns!

Homemade Peanut Butter

Tomorrow is National Peanut Day.

We should celebrate.

With peanut butter.

HOMEMADE Peanut Butter.

Got 5 minutes? Got peanuts? Got a food processor?

Yes?

Then you can make peanut butter, my friend.

Seriously, this recipe isn't even a recipe. It's like a...hey...take some peanuts...or other nuts...toss em in a food processor. Want salt? Throw some in there.  Process. Wait. Watch it turn into a ball. Does it break down and get smooth? Good. No? Put a little bit of oil in there, whatever sort you prefer.Wanna flavor it? Throw whatever the crap you want in there. Want it crunchy? Put some peanuts in there towards the end so there are some little chopped peanut bits in there. Done. End of story. You have amazing homemade peanut butter. It's homemade, unprocessed, all natural, AND (in my case anyway) has no oil separation. 

Oh yeah, and it's the best peanut butter you'll ever taste.*

I'm obsessed. I am (probably) never buying peanut butter again.

(unless you're stupid like Michael, in which case you'll say "It tastes too much like peanuts." That boy will not be deterred from his processed junk. *sigh*

Graham Crackers

After announcing I had made some s'mores desserts (yes...with an "s") last week, I felt I couldn't be too mean and hold out on you for long. Obviously, this is not a s'mores recipe. But it is a base component! In the effort to make as much from scratch, un-processed, etc. I decided to use homemade graham crackers for the base of the dessert that I will be sharing Wednesday. But then I still had a lot left over. So I used them for the crust for the pie. Then I still had a lot left over. So I used them for the crust of another s'mores related dessert that I will also, eventually, share. I even had enough graham crackers to snack on after all that! 

Suffice it to say, these were put to use.

I'd been wanting to make homemade graham crackers for awhile. And I've seen recipes for them posted everywhere, and they all seemed to vary a great deal. But, when I saw Annie's Eats post sharing these, I knew they had to be good. She swore up and down that these tasted just like the real thing, PLUS I had pretty much all the ingredients on hand. It was really a good situation. About a week after finding the recipe, I made them. And was shocked by 3 things.

1. How ridiculously easy these are.
2. How good they smell.
3. They forreals taste like graham crackers (a bit softer in texture, but who cares? And honestly..that could totally be my fault from doing something wrong, like not rolling them out thin enough perhaps.)

Oh yeah, and how many crackers this recipe made. It really does give you a good amount. They store great, too. Oddly enough, I almost found that with time they tasted more and more like normal graham crackers. I don't know if it was just because I'd gotten used to how these tasted or if the actual lack of freshness contributed. It doesn't really matter.

I seriously believe you NEED to make these. Make them for your kids (if you have them). Make them for s'mores. Make them for smearing with peanut butter. Make them into a graham cracker crust. Use them for whatever graham cracker needs you have because, trust me, YOU WILL NEVER BUY GRAHAM CRACKERS AGAIN.

I know I won't.*

*(probably)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Yes.

More mashed potatoes.

Healthy ones. Pretty much. AND these ones have ROASTED GARLIC in them!!

I loooove garlic.

I'm even gonna show you how to make roasted garlic, in case you didn't know (I totally didn't before I made these).

Wanna hear a funny mashed potato story? Up until...I don't know...like...college(?) I would only eat 1 kind of mashed potatoes: Hungry Jack instant mashed potatoes, made very thick and "lumpy". For a long time I had a very specific butter regimen as well ("squeeze" butter in concentric circles on the pile of mashed potatoes and a big hunk of "spread" Country Crock in the middle). I was a little OCD about food. Also, boy that was a lot of butter. It's a miracle I wasn't obese. Why did I only like instant? I imagine because that was what I had been raised on. Anyway, I eventually figured out that real mashed potatoes can be totally delicious, and I've never looked back since. I still like my potatoes thicker, though. So I suppose some things stick.

I promise I don't do that thing with the butter anymore....actually I usually don't put any butter on mashed potatoes...they usually have enough that was made into them. I've overcompensated it seems. 

Do any of you have weird food neuroses from your youth? 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

OMG YOU GUYYYS!

I've been waiting to share this with you for...like...ever!

I'm OBSESSED with making homemade vanilla extract.

Whaaa? Yes--you can make your own vanilla extract.

And it. is. SO. easy!

If you're a frequent baker you're aware of how expensive pure vanilla extract is (and how inferior imitation vanilla extract is). It's kind of ridiculous, especially once you read this post and totally realize how much money you could be saving. As it turns out, all vanilla extract is is vanilla beans that have been soaked in alcohol for awhile. That's it. For serious.

Brown Bag Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn and I have had a very intense relationship over the years-we've had a lot of ups and downs.

For some reason, up until the 2nd grade-I thought I didn't like popcorn. Then, when I tried some, I realized I LOVED popcorn! I began to eat it a lot-a movie theaters, but especially microwave popcorn at my house. Eventually I was up to eating 1 bag of microwave popcorn PER DAY! I was very picky about what kind as well. Act II Butter Lover's Popcorn was the only popcorn for me. In high school, when I was worrying about my weight a bit more, I cut back to only a few bags of popcorn a week. This kept up through my first year of college. Then, in the midst of my 2nd year...something happened. I sort of started to get over it. I began to eat popcorn less and less. I realized movie theater popcorn made me sick, and I was sort of microwave-popcorn'd out. So, me and popcorn took a break. 

While I was shooting in Maine and discovered Michele's popcorn, my love was reawakened, but in a new form, now I'm more into the occasional sweet popcorn (such as caramel corn). 

Recently, I learned that microwave popcorn bags are lined with all kinds of stuff that is bad for you (yeesh I wish I'd known that as a kid). I don't have an air popper. Using oil/skillet/etc. seems messy and complicated.  So I was VERY excited when I learned there's a safe, easy, fat-free way to make popcorn in my own microwave! It's so seriously simple: Take a brown paper bag, put the kernels in (you don't even need oil!), tape it shut, microwave and VOILA! YOU HAVE POPCORN!!

So cool. Just....so cool. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

OK, so, things are about to get crazy. 

And not just because of these cupcakes (which I'm totally gonna talk about in like a minute).

Last night, my cousin Amy and her friend came to visit me! Amy is one of my oldest cousins, but she's the one I always felt like I could relate to-the one that was most like me (which she sometimes takes as an insult *harumph* :P). I also adore her husband Uriah (who I may have had a crush on when I was like 6 and they'll never let me hear the end of it)-and now that I have Michael he gets along with them both really well, too, and is actually a lot like Uriah, lol. Anyway, Amy and Uriah have moved around a lot, and of course now I live in NY, so I don't get to see them nearly enough. Plus, barely anyone (other than my mom) ever visits me! So I am so so so excited for Amy's visit and we're going to have lots of fun! I'm telling you all this so you know why I may be less active for the next few days...and then for like...a week afterward. You see, Amy leaves on Monday (to her next destination: Atlantic City), and then early Tuesday morning I leave to go to Ohio for a visit! Michael's brothers have a joint (one from college and one from high school) graduation party that coming weekend, so he'll also be coming up after work on Friday. So I'll also be a little less...present...whilst I'm in Ohio. Don't worry, though, you'll still have plenty of delicious posts to read while I'm away ;).

Speaking of delicious! CUPCAKES! These are the first (and, unfortunately, so far the only) cupcakes I have ever made (not counting making boxed funfetti with my mom)! As I've mentioned before, in spite of the trendiness of cupcakes, cookies hold my heart. This does not mean, though, that I don't appreciate a good cupcake now and again. Because I totally do. Especially if they have filling. I had my first "gourmet" filled cupcake at Crumbs and I have never turned back. They are superior in every way to non-filled cupcakes. I love them. Mmm. These cupcakes are amazing! Perfect dark chocolate cupcakes with a rich peanut butter mousse frosting. Umm...awesome. The original recipe didn't have them as being filled but, like I said, every cupcake is better with filling. It was a good call. I really love these cupcakes. Honestly, best cupcakes I've ever had. Ever. And apparently I'm a natural! I did one of the most MacGyver'y ways of frosting these cupcakes (Ziploc bag-no piping tip), and had no idea how to frost a cupcake. Somehow, I inadvertently stumbled upon an actual frosting technique (I learned later) that looks like a rose (which is so kismet since I LOVE roses-my favorite flower!). And filling the cupcakes is super easy too (although I actually read about how to do that)-instructions are below. Now that I'm talking about this, I sort of want to make some cupcakes again. I think it's about time ;).

Growing Scallions

I'm assuming you all know about Pinterest. If not-you've been hiding under a computer rock-no judgement! :P Anyway, whilst perusing Pinterest and pinning things to my boards, I have found some wonderful, wonderful things! Including--how to grow your own scallions at home-using nothing but the leftover bulbs and some water (I saw multiple postings on this, so no specific link back to give you. You can google it if you'd like). Due to my small NYC apartment conditions, this made me excited. After using scallions for some recipes (including the Cheddar, Asiago, and Scallion Beer Bread) I kept the bottoms of the onions-the white bulb and a little of the above greenness. Here are the easy steps.

Daring Bakers Challenge-Basic Biscuits (or "Scones")

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

This was my first Daring Bakers' Challenge! I am so excited to be taking part in this awesome community. This month is dedicated to mastering the perfect biscuits (or, if you're Britishly and/or Australian-y inclined, "scones"). We were allowed to truss it up a bit by doing things such as adding buttermilk ("Southern Biscuits) or cheese and herbs, but I decided-this is about the basics, I'm going to go basic.