Graham Crackers

Graham crackers never get old in my opinion. Plain, cinnamon sugar, chocolate. They're all so good! With summer here, it's s'mores season. Yup, I said it. I know we all daydream about a sunset at home with a toasty marshmallow sandwiched between a piece of chocolate and two tasty graham crackers. (crickets) Oh, that's just me? Oh, well that's my dream at least. Anyways, I found several graham cracker recipes and the one on this website looked the best, and had the best variety of common ingredients, or so I thought. 

The day I decided to make these, I couldn't find my whole wheat flour and realized last-minute that I didn't have half of the other ingredients (honey, molasses, etc) so I improvised. When I say improvise, I use that term very loosely. I Googled the crap out of "x substitute" recipes. I decided to give this recipe a try with some odd combinations of ingredients based on the original. Guess what?! They turned out JUST like the store-bought ones, only slightly a lot less stale. Delicious! My 11-month-old also loves them to gnaw on since he's teething and he loves his crackers. These would be a great toddler snack!

Graham Crackers

(Loosely) Adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Yields: 40 crackers

2 cups plus 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour *

1/4 cup wheat bran *

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup (or honey)

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 egg

Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the corn syrup and maple syrup just until incorporated. Add the egg and beat for another minute. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 equal batches, mixing well in between. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap at least 4 hours, or overnight. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Divide the dough into two equal halves. Roll one half onto a lightly floured surface until very thin. The crackers will puff slightly in the oven and the thinner they are, the crunchier they become. (I'm talking 2-4 mm thick here, people.)

Cut the dough with a dough cutting tool or pizza cutter to desired shape and size. Prick a fork into the top, centers of them to prevent too much puffing.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until starting to brown. They will be very soft, but will harden when cooling so leave them to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container. 

* Instead of using all all-purpose flour, you may substitute and use 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour + 3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, just omit the wheat bran. 

Ants on a Log

Yes, I'm trying to make up for lost time. I know I'm not exactly posting the most amazing holiday food you've ever seen, but let's be real. We aren't going to eat ham, sugar cookies, and peppermint bark 7 days a week. I hope, anyways. Well this is a great little snack for your child or even the fun-seeking adult. I know there are the traditional ants on a log, but I had a lot of other leftover ingredients and I absolutely loved the result so I had to share!

Ants on a Log

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original
Yields: about 9 "logs", or 3-4 servings

4 long celery stalks

Creamy honey peanut butter (splurge, it's so good)

1/4 cup craisins

Start by chopping the celery into 3-inch long segments and filling them with the creamy peanut butter (this usually works best if you have an outside stalk so there is room to fill). Place the craisins on the peanut butter and press into it to make it stick. Voila! Easy as .. pie?

Classic Cheese Ball

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!

If you have ever been to a dinner party without a cheese ball, I apologize. Cheese balls are the quintessential appetizer and have been for decades. I love most cheese balls, but there have been a few I didn't quite like. I wanted to be sure to make one that was amazing and beautiful, too, for our family Christmas dinner. I found a recipe that looked like a winner online and amazingly enough it turned out great. I will adapt it next time with different cheeses and maybe even use grated instead of shredded cheese, too. Adapt it how you want, but try the original first because it's surely a winner!

Classic Cheese Ball

Adapted from: About.com

Yields: 1 large cheese ball

18 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

8 ounces shredded or grated cheddar cheese

2 tsp grated onion

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

finely chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except pecans. Mix well with a hand blender to make sure everything is uniform throughout. Roll into a ball using plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove ball from plastic wrap and roll in chopped pecans to cover the surface. Rewrap cheese ball in clean plastic wrap and store in the fridge until the day you are serving it. Set cheese ball out 2 hours before guests arrive. Serve alongside a variety of crackers.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

If my husband and I are eating out at a restaurant, we typically splurge a little bit. Spinach and artichoke dip is one thing we never disagree on when it comes to ordering an appetizer. I never really thought I could replicate any dip recipe, but this is a healthier and just as tasty spinach and artichoke dip. I actually baked these in smaller ramekin's so that we could bring them in our lunches. My husband absolutely loved them! According to the website these little guys are about 100-110 calories per 1/4 cup (about the size of my rammekins). I added a tiny bit more cheese so it's a little over 100 calories.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Adapted from: Food Network

Serves: 4-6

Pinch salt

10 oz baby spinach leaves
fresh basil (1 cup); or 4 Tbsp dry basil
¾ cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup chicken broth
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
pinch ground pepper, to taste
chips, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. Boil water and salt stovetop. Prepare an ice water bowl while water is heating up by placing very cold water and lots of ice cubes into a large mixing bowl. Stir the spinach leaves into the boiling water and keep immersed for 30 seconds, until the leaves turn bright green. Remove spinach from boiling water and place into ice water bath. Drain and squeeze dry, then roughly chop.

Puree the beans, cream cheese, garlic and broth in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to medium mixing bowl and fold in the chopped spinach, artichokes, parmesan and ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Toss to combine.

Place mixture into oven-proof, greased individual ramekins or large serving bowl, about 1-quart. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Sugar Grapes

Thumbing through my great-grandmother's recipe book, I came across this recipe. Sugar, egg whites and grapes. Simply from intrigue I pulled out the ingredients from my fridge and starting making these little guys. I only did a few, just in case they didn't taste all that good. Well, the result was interesting. The sugar did harden on the skins of the grapes although some had too much sugar (never thought I'd say that). My advice to anyone that wants to make these is to not put too much sugar on the grapes. The sweetness of the sugar and juiciness of the grapes are a perfect combination. I might even suggest mixing the grapes in the egg whites and then tossing with a small amount of sugar in a small bowl. Although they are a little sweet, they make for great finger food or a sweet side dish to your holiday meal. Another idea is just for a centerpiece or visual effect, these are adorable!

Sugar Grapes

Kelly's Kitch Original

20-30 grapes

1 egg, yolk removed

Sugar to coat

Dip the grapes in the egg white and then into a small bowl containing the sugar. Place the grapes on a cookie sheet to dry. If you want to speed the process a little, dip the grapes into the egg white and place in a small bowl. Then, add a little sugar at a time and coat the grapes, until desired coverage. Allow the sugar to harden on the skin of the grapes for at least 1 hour.

Whipped Pumpkin Dip

I never thought I'd like pumpkin so much. Pumpkin bars, cookies, pies, and more have usually a mediocre taste for me, especially since I'm picky and don't like pumpkin that much yet. This has changed my entire way of cooking and thinking for the fall season. I think I tried so many pumpkin recipes because I wanted to find that one recipe that just knocked my socks off and was to-die-for good. Well, my friends, that search has ended .. with this dip recipe!

I like normal fruit dip but it’s got no flavor and is usually 90% sugar. Although this recipe still isn’t the healthiest, it’s ten times better for you than the store-bought dip. As an added bonus, you will O.M.G. at the taste of it, I promise. I can’t believe I have been refusing to try pumpkin all these years. Thank you to Mrs. Holman for drumming up this recipe and making my fall/pumpkin/dip dreams come true (even if I didn't know I had them)! ;)

Whipped Pumpkin Dip
Adapted from: Homemade by Holman
Yields: about 5-6 cups

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy whipping cream*
3 Tbsp powdered sugar*
Apple slices, grapes and Nilla Wafers, for dipping

Place the bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer, briefly for about 5-10 minutes. In the cold bowl, beat the whipping cream on high speed with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until mixed well.

* If you don’t have a stand mixer at home, omit these two ingredients (and steps) and just buy whipped cream in the container at the store instead.

Meanwhile, in a separate large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add in the puree and spices and blend well. The mixture will be pretty thin at this point. Fold the whipped cream from the stand mixer (or store purchased container) into the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Mix well to make even throughout. Serve immediately or keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

This mixture goes well with apples, grapes and Nilla Wafers.

Pumpkin Seeds

My last pumpkin seed recipe was one of my very first on this blog and it was, to say the least, missing lots of steps and very drab. I wanted to make it as easy as possible to make your own pumpkin seeds at home because it is so easy and I know we'll all have lots of seeds on hand after carving! This recipe was handed down from my grandmother so it's a Kelly's Kitch original.

Once you save the seeds in a separate bowl from the pumpkin pulp, place them in a strainer and rinse well with cold water.

Pour the rinsed seeds onto a cookie sheet lined with either a paper towel or a kitchen towel (kitchen towels work best). Sometimes if you let them dry too long on a paper towel they will begin to stick and nobody wants to eat paper towel with their seeds. ;)

Also note that you might have to flip them once in a while to make sure they get as dry as possible.

Once, on each side, press another towel (paper towel or kitchen towel) on top of the seeds to help the drying process along.

The seeds will stick to it if they are still wet so simply just place them back onto the cookie sheet.

Once dry (about 1-2 hours), mix the seeds in a medium mixing bowl at this ratio:

2 cups seeds

4 tsp peanut oil

1.5 tsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

Lay the coated seeds on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Halfway through the time, flip the seeds. They will brown and look absolutely delectable when they are done.

Test one after allowing it to cool a few seconds to see if they are nice and crunchy. If they are, allow them to cool on the cookie sheet. If they aren't then continue to cook in 3-4 minute intervals until they are done.

Homemade Applesauce

I scoured the internet and some of my favorite blogs for an applesauce recipe that I could do in the crock pot, but there were none that I could find. Luckily I felt confident enough to make my own recipe based off of the recipes I did find. All the recipes used cinnamon and I knew I wanted that in it. A lot of them also used extra water to allow for a certain consistency. Some of the recipes called for cloves but I omitted just to keep this recipe simple and easy.

The hardest part of this recipe (and most time-consuming) is peeling, coring and chopping up the apples. I actually used a Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer so that made the process a hundred times easier. I'm not trying to sell the product but I almost chopped the apples by hand because so many people had negative reviews on the product. I have heard that it doesn't work well unless the apples are rock hard, or that it doesn't work well if the apples aren't perfectly round. Despite all the negativity surrounding the product, I still hadn't used it before so I didn't want to misjudge it. Trust me when I say that the size, shape or consistency of the apple DO NOT MATTER! I absolutely loved the product and although at times it can be a little monotonous, it really helped with this recipe (and I will now use it for when I make my Apple Pie).

Homemade Applesauce

Kelly's Kitch Original
Yields: 4 cups

6 large Braeburn (or sweet) apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot on low for at least 5 hours. Place contents in a blender or food processor and mix, pulsing until desired consistency. I chose to pulse mine briefly so it's a little smooth and a little chunky, too. Serve warm or cold as a snack or dessert.

Sugar Cookies, revisited

I made sugar cookies with royal icing quite some time ago (around Christmas) and the icing just didn't set hard enough and the cookies all stuck to each other. This time I was determined to make perfect royal icing cookies .. and it was a complete success!! I updated the link to the recipe and the recipe for the icing. These really turned out fantastic!

Everyone raved about them and thought they were really cute. I made them for my mom's boyfriend, Phil obviously, who was turning 60 years old. I made cookies that said "That's what she said", "60 = sexy", "Phil", and "Got beer?" He really loves to golf so I made them green and white (also to match the golf-themed cake that we got from Heavenly Sweets). If you ever want a birthday cake or even a wedding cake, I highly recommend them if you can get to the Noblesville, Indiana area!! Some cakes aren't always the best looking cakes, but what is most important, to me, is the taste. NOBODY beats their buttercream icing .. nobody.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

I saw these on a blogger's website and thought to myself that I would probably never make these because of my everlasting hatred for ham. I have despised the fatty taste of ham ever since I can remember and will ONLY eat it from HoneyBaked Ham now. Since I have decided to change my mind for what is probably the most fattening yet delicious ham ever I decided to give this a try, too. Although it's nothing I would brag about, my husband and his teammates thoroughly enjoyed these! I even ate two myself!! I wanted to wait until football season was in full swing to make these, but I just couldn't wait since the perfect opportunity presented itself. My husband plays in an Adult League Baseball team here and they had a double header the other night: 6pm and 9pm. I knew he wouldn't eat anything unless I brought it to him well before the game so I quickly threw these together and they inhaled them! Not that those guys are picky, but I would definitely call this a success!

Ham and Cheese Sliders
Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally The Girl Who Ate Everything

For the sandwiches
12 slider rolls (I bought Hawaiin rolls and sliced them down the middle)
12 slices honey ham
12 slices swiss cheese
mayonnaise

For the topping
3/4 tbsp yellow mustard
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tbsp finely minced onion
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
poppy seeds, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by placing the slider rolls on a baking sheet and slicing them, if needed. Slather on some mayonnaise on the top bun, as much as desired. Place a few small slices of ham and cheese on top of the bottom bun and place tops on sandwiches. Mix the sauce ingredients, except poppy seeds, and baste on the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top immediately. Cover baking sheet with foil and bake 10 minutes, until cheese has melted. Uncover and bake an additional 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I went out of town enjoying some beaches, booze and good friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. Here is a little goodie to get the weekend started off just right (possibly for next year)! I wanted to make some kind of treat for my coworkers since this past week was my last one in the office. Since it was right before the holiday I decided to make something festive! I made a batch of classic Rise Krispie treats and dyed some red and others blue! It has been a while since I had made these treats and I forgot how sticky and uncontrollable they really are. Below are some insights to make this a positive experience (aka not decorating your hair with marshmallow goodness).

The recipe I got was magnificent. Everyone commented that they were the best treats they had ever had. I guess it helps that nobody usually takes the effort to make these on a consistent basis. At any rate, I tried using parchment paper and that stuck to these like crazy. The best advice I have is to just put the treats (once cooked and mixed thoroughly) from the pan straight into a glass baking dish, greased, and press them into it to form one giant treat. The best way to press is to grease your hands with cooking spray and go to town. ;) Cut them later once they cool and you will have less of a mess.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from: Rice Krispies website

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 pkg regular marshmallows (10 oz, 40 marshmallows)

6 cups rice krispie treats

In a large saucepan* melt butter and add marshmallows on low-medium heat. Continue to stir until completely melted. Once melted, add food coloring (if desired) and mix well. Add in rice krispies and stir to coat evenly. Pour mixture into a greased glass baking dish and press firmly to take shape. Allow to cool for at least an hour and cut with greased cookie cutter or knife. Best if eaten same day of preparation but they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days as well.

*I highly recommend using a saucepan instead of a skillet or otherwise. The marshmallows take a LOT less time to melt and mix better in a saucepan.

Granola Balls

Just recently I posted about making home-made granola bars for the first time. My husband absolutely loved them, but I wasn't convinced that those were the "best of the best". So what did I do? Try again! I really felt like these were much better than the first trial but always can still use some improvements. I was actually making granola bars and a little corner piece fell off while I was pulling them out of the pan. Instead of throwing it away or eating it, I just rolled it up into a little ball and threw it on the cooling rack with the other bars. What I now know is that that is a fantastic idea and the granola actually holds together much easier than in the bar form! Also, when I don't want an entire granola bar, I can just take a few of these little guys!

See how cute these are!? They are bite-sized and so easy to just snack on (and healthy, too).

One main difference I made with these versus my previous granola recipe is that I used crunched up Total Cereal instead of the old-fashioned oats.

I wasn't a huge fan of the taste of the oats so I thought this would be a great idea since I have about 50 little boxes of Total and Cheerios cereal lying around the house. Oh the joys of being a health coach. ;) Soon I will figure out something fun to make with the cheerios, most likely for the 4th of July weekend!!

Edit: I asked my husband what he though of the new granola bars and he actually likes the first one's better. I think they had too much of an overwhelming honey taste so I might substitute some of that out but still go back to the oats instead of Total cereal.

Granola Balls
Recipe loosely adapted from: Big City Cooking

3 cups Total cereal, finely chopped
1.5 cup rice krispies
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 mashed banana
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup candy pieces (we chose Reeses Pieces)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients except last three (candy, raisins and nuts) in large mixing bowl until well blended. Add in candy, raisins and nuts and mix well. Press the granola into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and pull granola out of pan and roll into quarter-sized balls. Place on cooling rack. For ease of convenience, I would suggest putting 5-7 balls in a small ziplock baggie and keeping in the fridge to take to lunch with you or for an everyday snack.

Chewy Granola Bars

Whenever I walk past the granola and breakfast bar section at the grocery, my heart skips a beat. Okay, well not really, but I absolutely love granola bars. They are perfect for Sunday baseball games (my husband plays) and if I don't feel like cutting up an apple for a snack during work. Although they are seemingly a simple snack, I have always been to intimidated to try to make them. The one thing that scared me were the oats in them. I have heard that there is a big difference between instant and traditional so I had to search far and wide for a recipe I liked.

Instead of chocolate, I used our favorite candy: Reeses Pieces! This was a wonderful substitution and was not too overbearing. You can still taste the juiciness of the raisins and sweetness of the almonds in every bite as well. This is one recipe I will be saving and making over and over .. and not just because I bought the oats in bulk. The only change I think I will make is less honey and more rice krispies instead of oats. I liked the crunch of the cereal but there wasn't much of it. Also, the bars were REALLY sweet .. like I need a dentist sweet. I also wanted to give a big thanks to my friend Angie who let me use her oven to make these since we are tiling our kitchen (slowly) and all of our appliances are in the family room.

Chewy Granola Bars

Adapted from: Big City Cooking, originally Adventures in my Freezer

3.5 cups traditional oats
1 cup rice krispies
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup candy pieces (we chose Reeses Pieces)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients except last three (candy, raisins and nuts) in large mixing bowl until well blended. Add in candy, raisins and nuts and mix well. Press the granola into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden-brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and slice into bars. Once completely cooled, remove from pan. For ease of convenience, I wrapped mine individually (two for my hubby) with saran wrap and kept in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Seeds

My favorite time of year is fall. I am not to keen on the weather because it's a precursor to blizzards, snow, sleet and 8 layers of clothing. What fall does offer is lots of great seasonal food. Some of the best types of food are squash, pumpkins, etc. I have learned through the years to not waste leftovers, too. Here is a great, easy recipe you can do with your pumpkin seeds with everyday household items.

Also, you can substitute any oil you want to use. I use peanut oil because it's fairly healthy and bakes well. I used some of my leftover spaghetti squash seeds (as an experiment to see if they taste the same .. since they look the same). Yeah, they are just as delicious.

Pumpkin Seeds

4 tsp peanut oil

1 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 cups seeds

Mix everything in a bowl and bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 (conventional) for 25 minutes. Halfway through, flip the seeds over with a spatula.