old-fashioned graham crackers

I should start out by saying that graham crackers are nothing I ever really think about until there is a campfire, a bag of marshmallows and couple Hershey bars involved. Sure, they can be a fine snack. Just not one I gravitate towards on their own. I want them to be the vehicle behind my lovely perfectly charred marshmallow and soon to be melted chocolate. Otherwise, I can leave them. 

These crackers on the other hand? Well it insulting really to put them in the same category as the store bought version.  These are just..well better. That's it. Hands down. Not even a contest. Where have these crackers been all my campfire days? Oh Smores you don't know what has hit you this summer. I beg you to try and make these at least once this summmer.  Put down that blue box with their brown paper wrapped crackers inside. Walk away. Instead go get the ingredients for these. And say hello to a better smore. Or at least a very addictive snack.  A snack you will feel much better about eating.





This was the first recipe in the book, One Girl Cookie. I borrowed the book from the library in a feeble attempt to save money and stop buying so many cookbooks! Yes, folks. I admit it. I have a problem. A cookbook buying problem. There I said it. I feel so much better now. Doing something about this problem..well that will just have to wait for another day. This was just a warm, fuzzy, comforting cookbook if cookbooks can be described that way. Each recipe had a name, a story, that you immediately fell in love with each one and the owners of this bakery in Brooklyn. I really do like this cookbook. Perhaps I will put this in my Amazon Shopping Cart. Don't judge me.

My little tip for making these crackers is this: If you own a silipat baking mat, put that down underneath your first piece of parchment paper. It will help prevent the paper from sliding around you and yelling out profanities you aren't proud of.

Also, after you roll and cut them out, place them on your cookie sheet, pop them back in the refrigerator. If you are like me, I never seem to work fast enough in this area and my dough always softens up. I hate when they say, work fast before your dough becomes too soft! Ugh the pressure! I just can't deal with that. My kitchen time is my sanity, get back to center time, not wreak extra havoc on my already busy life! So do what I did, work at your own pace and then use the fridge as your friend. Boy, I sound like a teacher don't I?

I think I'll go pop a few of these in my lunchbox.
Old Fashioned Graham Crackers
Makes 24 Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and 1/4 up of water.  Mix for 30 seconds. Repeat this step once, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix just to combine.  Turn the dough out onto a a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 seconds.  Divide the dough in half.  Cover one half iwth plastic wrap and set it aside.

3.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface, put the dough on the parchment, and top with a second sheet of parchment.  Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness.  Repeat with the second half of the dough.  Chill the dough for about 30 minutes.

4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, peel off both sheets of parchment, and put the dough on a cutting board.  Using a square cookie cutter, cut out the dough, rerolling the scraps twice.  Put the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of turbinado sugar. (Please note: I did not have turbinado sugar, and sprinkled with simply granulated sugar to give it that extra sweetness.)

6.  Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are a dark golden color around the edges.  Let cool for 10 minutes to a wire rack to cool completely.

raspberry coconut oat bars

Meet Leona. She is sweet. Unassuming. Another streusel bar you're saying. Sigh..next blog...but wait! There is  more to this girl's story. Is that coconut I smell? And oats I see? Yes and yes. These bars were the second recipe I decided to try in the cookbook I borrowed from the library, One Girl Cookie. A cookbook I have since returned to the library, but added to my amazon shopping cart. Each cookie has been given a name from which a good story I am sure lies behind each and every name chosen.  The desserts are wonderfully rustic, yet simple, and so far proven to be quite delicious. These bars are a close cousin to a raspberry streusel bar, but which calls for yes the aforementioned coconut and oat addition, but also a touch more salt then you may be used to adding. Don't be afraid, you read right. A WHOLE teaspoon. The salinity, Dawn, cookbook author and owner of the Brooklyn-based bakery, says marries wonderfully with the sweet raspberry jam. "Bottle rockets in your mouth" she promises..and well she delivers folks.

For me, I have my own little story now for this cookie. Does anyone remember the sunscreen song? I am pretty sure that this song was my senior year song. "If I could offer you one piece of advice for the future. It would be this. Wear sunscreen." Well sunscreen, yes that's important. My advice? Turn the oven on. I can hear you laughing now. Obviously you didn't turn the oven, you're saying. You got it. Perhaps you have been there? You know those days, where everything you touch doesn't work out quite right. It is like the anti-Midas touch I call it.  I am happy to say though it was a mistake that did not cost me in the end for these scrumptious bars. (Of course, they took a little more time then I was expecting. A bar cookie! Perfect I will be in and out of the kitchen in no time!) Right if you remember to turn the oven on.

Ideally, the recipe calls for you to bake the bottom layer. Let the bar cool for 10 minutes. THEN spread the jam and sprinkle with a reserved portion of the coconut and oat mixture. Me? Nah. I decided to let the bar get acquainted with my oven first, sans heat. I then, took the bars out. Spread the jam on and sprinkled the crumbly, yummy coconut, oat mixture and popped them back in. Seven minutes later...Hmm, my raspberry filling is not bubbling. I wonder, why? Oh- Oven. Not. On. Right. So my bars cooked all at once, all three layers. The good thing?... nothing seemed to compromised. Granted, I have nothing to base this on, except myself and co-workers gobbled them up. So if you try this recipe, let me know what you think if you bake them the way you are supposed to. You know, oven on first.


Raspberry Coconut Oat Bars
Makes 24 small, or 12 large bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 raspberry preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in an oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool. (Leave the oven on.) I am not kidding it actually says that in the recipe! So much for that!

3.  Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by greasing it with cooking spray and then lining the bottom with parchment paper.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt.  Mix on low speed to combine.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the dough just starts to come together.  Add the toasted coconut and the oats.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute.

5.  Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough.  Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared pan.  Using your fingers press it evenly over the bottom of the baking pan.  Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through for 14 minutes, until the crust is golden around the edges.  Let the crust cool for 10  minutes.  Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

6.  Crumble the reserved dough over the preserves.  Bake for 7 minutes, or until the preserves are bubbling. Let the bars cool completely.

7. Loosen the edges of the crust with a small metal spatula.  Invert the pan over a large baking sheet, releasing the bars onto the baking sheet. Remove the parchment paper, and invert the bars again onto a cutting board.  Using a thin, sharp knife, cut them into 2-inch squares.

Salad Nicoise with Seared Salmon

To encourage healthy eating I have prepared my version of a salad nicoise. Typically, a salad nicoise is made with tuna, but well salmon was on sale. Are you getting a theme yet of my recipes? On sale.  In season. Already in my pantry. This was one delicious salad. This is the way salads are suppossed to taste. I prepared mine with egg, boiled small red potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, steamed green beans, and kalamata olives, and avocado on a bed of spring mix. A salad like this makes it easy to eat healthy. The nice thing is too you can adapt it to your own tastes. Don't like salmon? Try it with chicken or no meat at all! There is plenty of protein from the egg and avocado.  Use up whatever your veggies you have on hand. Although definitely try it with the potatoes. It is a really nice addition to a salad.

I also in attempt to be healthy and fresh, made my own dressing. Feel free to use a good bottled vinagrette. If you haven't made your own dressing though give it a shot. You will be surprised how easy and versatile homemade dressings can be.

Salad Nicoise with Seared Salmon
Adapted from Tyler Florence, Food Network

This salad also makes quite a lot. This recipe is for 8 servings. Adjust to how many people you are making it for or just have extra for lunch. I halved the recipe and it was a perfect amount for 2 dinners and 2 lunches the next day!

Also to save time. I bought the green beans that steam in the bag and popped it in the microwave. Feel free to save yourself a few minutes that way and open a bottle of wine instead!

Vinaigrette:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey (or more to taste)
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

• 1 pound small red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 pound haricots verts or French green beans, stems trimmed
• 2 pounds salmon
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint teardrop or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup nicoise olives (I used kalamata olives. Use whatever you can find in your grocery store.)
• 1 avocado, cubed
• cucumber slices

Directions

1. To make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry.

2. Cooking the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in the same pot cuts down on prep time and clean up. To do this, put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the potatoes for 12 minutes to give them a head start, and then add the eggs. Place a steamer basket or colander on top of the simmering water. Put the green beans in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam the beans for 5 minutes until crisp-tender while continuing to cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain out the water and put the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in a colander; rinse briefly under cold water. Peel the shells off the eggs and cut them in 1/2 lengthwise.

3. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the salmon on all sides (or one side if the skin is on) with olive oil, and a bit of the vinaigrette; season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Lay the salmon in the hot pan and sear for approximately 6-8 minutes on each side; as the salmon cooks, the pink meat will become whiter. Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and slice equal portions.

4. To assemble the salad: combine the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives,  in a large mixing bowl. Take the vinaigrette and give it another good shake to recombine. Drizzle the salad with enough vinaigrette to fully moisten and toss gently to coat; season with salt and pepper. Take care not to mush up the ingredients - the important thing about salad nicoise is that it is arranged nicely on a platter with all the elements keeping their individual integrity. Put the tossed salad down the center of a serving platter and lay the seared salmon attractively across the top and the eggs around the rim. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.