A few weeks ago my next door neighborhood said she made homemade graham crackers. Being a big baker person myself, I said, "hey I could easily do that" and I needed a new challenge in the kitchen. I went online and googled graham cracker recipes and finally found one at Smitten Kitchen that looked good.
I made my first batch of graham crackers on a Thursday and then made another batch on a Monday because they were all gone. I can't tell who how many crackers each batch should make as I experimented with different level of thickness and sizes to see which I like best and also which would be the easiest way to feed snacks to my son. Each batch does make plenty though.
Graham Crackers
Ingredients
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup light brown sugar plus 2 tbsp molassses or 1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup honey
5 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
Topping
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Make the dough:
Combine the flour, brown sugar (and molasses), baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off until the butter is incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it down until it is 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the topping, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
Roll out the crackers:
Break off a chunk of the dough and return the rest to the refrigerator. Sprinkle flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges to make an even rectangle using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel. Cut the dough to make 4 1/2 inch rectangles or 2 inch squares or whichever size you prefer. I made some squares, some sticks and some using mini cookie cutters and some with regular cookie cutters.
Place the crackers on parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with a second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll and keep repeating until all the dough is cut out. Make sure to refrigerate the dough in between uses.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Decorate the crackers:
Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line. You can also leave the crackers undecorated.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. I found I only need 10 minutes to bake my crackers but more time might be needed. If you use cookie cutters, watch the crackers carefully as they might need less time.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
I made Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream for Easter last month following this recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. I was going to use blueberries but my family wanted strawberries instead so I obliged. Since this is a recipe from Cooking Light magazine it is lower in fat and a little healthier for you.
I decided to post about it tonight because my husband asked for a bowl with chocolate chips added. Chocolate + Strawberries is always a winner in my book.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
4 large egg yolks
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup half-and-half
3 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
Directions
I decided to post about it tonight because my husband asked for a bowl with chocolate chips added. Chocolate + Strawberries is always a winner in my book.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
4 large egg yolks
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup half-and-half
3 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
Directions
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Combine milk and half-and-half in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Gradually add half of hot milk mixture to cheese mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°, stirring constantly. Place pan in an ice-filled bowl. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.
- Combine strawberries, powdered sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and cool completely.
- Stir strawberry mixture into milk mixture. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Weekly Project List Update Wednesdays
Here is the project list update for the last week in May.
I had several other events going on this week and also allergies kicked my butt this week so not too much progress on my projects. I do have one scarf done that I need to take pictures of and I also have a few food posts that I am working on and will be posted as soon as I get the pictures off my camera.
I also finished my first official knit with needles project - a set of newborn booties and will hopefully get that posted soon. Again, pictures are still on my camera.
Good luck to everyone finishing up school this week and have a great holiday weekend
Rank | Project | Status | How Many |
1 | Green Knit Prayer Shawl | Started | 1 |
2 | Swiffer Wet Jet Reusable Pads | 3 Complete | 6 |
3 | Christmas Quilt | 25% Complete | 1 |
4 | Crayon Roll for Girls | 2 | |
6 | Pink Eyelash Knit Scarf | Started | 1 |
7 | Crayon Roll for Boys | 2 | |
8 | Car Roll | 2 | |
9 | Numbers Bean Bags | 1 | |
10 | Small Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
11 | White Newborn Knit Hat and Booties | 50% Complete | 2 |
12 | Riley Blake Jelly Roll Quilt | 1 | |
13 | Car Mat Quilt | 1 | |
14 | Animal Cloth Blocks | 2 | |
15 | T-shirt Yoga Pants | 2 | |
16 | Floor Cushions | 2 | |
17 | Hooty Hoot Owl Quilt | 1 | |
18 | Medium Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
19 | Alphabet Bean Bags | 1 | |
20 | Red Knit Prayer Shawl | 1 | |
21 | White Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
22 | Pink Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
23 | Girl Animal Print Rag Quilt | 1 | |
24 | Baseball Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | |
25 | Football Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | |
26 | Food Fabric Bin | 1 | |
27 | Cars Fabric Bin | 1 | |
28 | Trains Fabric Bin | 1 | |
29 | T-Shirt Bag | 1 | |
31 | Kitchen Aid Cover | 1 | |
32 | Sewing Machine Cover | 1 | |
33 | Lovey Tag Blankets | 2 |
I had several other events going on this week and also allergies kicked my butt this week so not too much progress on my projects. I do have one scarf done that I need to take pictures of and I also have a few food posts that I am working on and will be posted as soon as I get the pictures off my camera.
I also finished my first official knit with needles project - a set of newborn booties and will hopefully get that posted soon. Again, pictures are still on my camera.
Good luck to everyone finishing up school this week and have a great holiday weekend
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Weekly Project List Update Wednesdays
It is time for another time for Weekly Project List Update Wednesdays! (insert cheesy theme music)
I felt very productive this week but only finished a few items. I think it is because I figured out which patterns I will be using or attempting for the fabric bins and the Riley Blake jelly roll quilt and bought materials for each of these projects. Sometimes figuring out what to do and how takes as much time as actually completing a project!
Items in bold are updated or new from the week before and items in strike-through are done!
Here is the list:
I felt very productive this week but only finished a few items. I think it is because I figured out which patterns I will be using or attempting for the fabric bins and the Riley Blake jelly roll quilt and bought materials for each of these projects. Sometimes figuring out what to do and how takes as much time as actually completing a project!
Items in bold are updated or new from the week before and items in strike-through are done!
Here is the list:
Rank | Project | Status | How Many |
1 | Green Knit Prayer Shawl | Started | 1 |
2 | Swiffer Wet Jet Reusable Pads | 3 Complete | 6 |
3 | Christmas Quilt | 25% Complete | 1 |
4 | Crayon Roll for Girls | 2 | |
6 | Pink Pom Pom Knit Scarf | 50% Complete | 1 |
7 | Pink Eyelash Knit Scarf | Started | 1 |
8 | Crayon Roll for Boys | 2 | |
9 | Car Roll | 2 | |
10 | Numbers Bean Bags | 1 | |
11 | Small Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
12 | White Newborn Knit Hat and Booties | Started | 2 |
13 | Riley Blake Jelly Roll Quilt | 1 | |
14 | Car Mat Quilt | 1 | |
15 | Animal Cloth Blocks | 2 | |
16 | T-shirt Yoga Pants | 2 | |
17 | Floor Cushions | 2 | |
18 | Hooty Hoot Owl Quilt | 1 | |
19 | Medium Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
20 | Alphabet Bean Bags | 1 | |
21 | Red Knit Prayer Shawl | 1 | |
22 | White Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
23 | Pink Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
24 | Girl Animal Print Rag Quilt | 1 | |
25 | Baseball Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | |
26 | Football Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | |
27 | Food Fabric Bin | 1 | |
28 | Cars Fabric Bin | 1 | |
29 | Trains Fabric Bin | 1 | |
31 | T-Shirt Bag | 1 |
Monday, May 16, 2011
Reversible Toddler Bucket Hat
We have been having some actual decent and nice weather here in Texas and have been going outside a lot to play. I made my son a reversible toddler bucket hat following a tutorial from Sew Much Ado. The hat is designed for a 2T/3T sized toddler. My first attempt was burnt orange and khaki.
My son has a bigger head and the hat fit but was a little on the snug side so last night I went and made him a large hat. I took my previous pattern and printed it out at 115% perfect to make it bigger. I was able to use some nice scrap fabric from my mom and did a blue and yellow plaid on one side and a navy on the other. This time the hat is on the bigger side but he will grow into it and in Texas he could wear it almost year round.
If I make him another hat for this summer, I will probably print the pattern at 105% or maybe 110% so that it will fit him better. However, I am having trouble getting him to keep at hat on his head so I might hold off making another this summer and wait till next year.
Black Infinity Dress
This past weekend I made an Infinity Dress for myself. I first made a sample using some old knit fabric my mom had and made a real dress using a black polyester knit from Hobby Lobby. The nice thing about the Infinity Dress is that it can be worn an "infinite" number of ways making a very versatile piece of clothing and expanding ones wardrobe. Personally, I am more limited because of the need to wear a bra thanks to giving birth to a child and genetics. I am still experimenting different ways to wear the dress that provide enough coverage for me.
For this dress I followed this great and easy tutorial from Sew Like My Mom
For this dress I followed this great and easy tutorial from Sew Like My Mom
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Full coverage with sleeves |
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Halter Dress style |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Weekly Project List Update Wednesdays
It is time again for the Weekly Project List Update!!! Since I actually finished things this week I have been looking forward to writing this blog post.
Items that are bolded are new or updated from the previous week and items that are crossed out are FINISHED!
I wonder if I can be as productive next week. Wish me luck!
Items that are bolded are new or updated from the previous week and items that are crossed out are FINISHED!
I wonder if I can be as productive next week. Wish me luck!
Rank | Project | Status | How Many | |
2 | Green Knit Prayer Shawl | Started | 1 | |
3 | Swiffer Wet Jet Reusable Pads | 3 Complete | 6 | |
4 | Christmas Quilt | 25% Complete | 1 | |
5 | Crayon Roll for Girls | 2 | ||
6 | Infinity Dress | Sample Completed | 1 | |
7 | Pink Pom Pom Knit Scarf | 25% Complete | 1 | |
8 | Pink Eyelash Knit Scarf | Started | 1 | |
9 | Crayon Roll for Boys | 2 | ||
10 | Car Roll | 2 | ||
11 | Numbers Bean Bags | 1 | ||
12 | Small Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | ||
13 | White Newborn Knit Hat and Booties | Started | 2 | |
14 | Riley Blake Jelly Roll Quilt | 1 | ||
15 | Car Mat Quilt | 1 | ||
16 | Animal Cloth Blocks | 2 | ||
17 | T-shirt Yoga Pants | 2 | ||
18 | Floor Cushions | 2 | ||
19 | Hooty Hoot Owl Quilt | 1 | ||
20 | Medium Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | ||
21 | Alphabet Bean Bags | 1 | ||
22 | Red Knit Prayer Shawl | 1 | ||
23 | White Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | ||
24 | Pink Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | ||
25 | Girl Animal Print Rag Quilt | 1 | ||
26 | Baseball Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | ||
27 | Football Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | ||
28 | Food Fabric Bin | 1 | ||
29 | Cars Fabric Bin | 1 | ||
30 | Trains Fabric Bin | 1 | ||
31 | Toddler Bucket Hat | One Complete | 2 |
Grinch fabric!
Maybe I am little late to this but I discovered that Robert Kaufman is putting out Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas fabric! I LOVE the Grinch and am very excited about Grinch fabric. I am starting to make a list of what I am going to make with it.
1. Bedding for son's room
2. Potholders
3. Aprons
4. Quilt
5. Placemats
6. Coasters
7. Bag
Those items can go with my Grinch stuffed animals and multiple Christmas tree ornaments. Trying to think what else I can make with the fabric. Any ideas?
1. Bedding for son's room
2. Potholders
3. Aprons
4. Quilt
5. Placemats
6. Coasters
7. Bag
Those items can go with my Grinch stuffed animals and multiple Christmas tree ornaments. Trying to think what else I can make with the fabric. Any ideas?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Reusable Swiffer Wet Jet Pads
Over the weekend I also made a few reusable pads for my Swiffer Wet Jet. I read about a few examples online but basically came up with my own pattern.
I took some old burp rags and cut them to 6"x12". I did the same with a layer of mesh and some flannel
Next I sewed the mesh to the burp rag pieces and sew horizontal or vertical about every 2-3 inches to help the mesh stay on place. I think pinned right sides together of the flannel and burp rags and sewed around the edges leaving a 3 inch gap to flip the pads inside out. After I flipped them out, I pinned the gap down and stop stitch around the edge.
I will add velcro straps to the flannel backing to help the pads stay on better in the next day or too after I go to the store and buy some velcro.
Blue Loom Knit Blanket
Over Mother's Day weekend I finished the blue loom knit blanket that I have been slowly working on for about two months. This was knit on the green knitty knifter loom with 2 strands of yarn and using an e-wrap garter stitch. The blanket consists of 3 panels sewn together and was made using Joann's Sensations Rainbow Boucle Yarn.
While I like the color and texture of this Boucle yarn, it can be a pain to work with because it tangles so easily. Next time I use it, I will roll it into a ball first so that I can knit without detailing every 10 minutes. I put the yarn ball in a bag next to me so that it's confined and can't roll down the hall but has room to move some while I pull the yarn.
It feels nice to have this finished after working on it for a while. Now on to the next project!
While I like the color and texture of this Boucle yarn, it can be a pain to work with because it tangles so easily. Next time I use it, I will roll it into a ball first so that I can knit without detailing every 10 minutes. I put the yarn ball in a bag next to me so that it's confined and can't roll down the hall but has room to move some while I pull the yarn.
It feels nice to have this finished after working on it for a while. Now on to the next project!
Blue Loom Knit Blanket |
Blue Loom Knit Blanket Folded in Half |
Blue Loom Knit Blanket Folded Up |
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Weekly Project List Update Wednesdays
Well it is technically Thursday but I was too tired to post anything last night and went to bed early. I highlighted in bold any progress or changes to the list and as you can see, there wasn't much. Part of the
reason was that I spent a lot of time trying to knit a newborn baby hat. I kept messing up and starting over and still don't have a finished hat but did learn several lessons on what not to do.
One big issue I had was stopping knitting, putting down the needles and start again on the wrong side. After a while one half of the hat had about 5 more rows than the other half. I put a stitch marker on the bottom of the needle that is always in my right hand and that seemed to fix the problem. After a lot of trail and error I got frustrated and decided to finish my Blue Knit Blanket and then attempt the newborn hat again. The blanket is now 90% complete as I finished all 3 panels and not need to sew them together. I would love to complete a project and then tackle some sewing as I haven't seen in a while.
Here is the rest of the project list:
reason was that I spent a lot of time trying to knit a newborn baby hat. I kept messing up and starting over and still don't have a finished hat but did learn several lessons on what not to do.
One big issue I had was stopping knitting, putting down the needles and start again on the wrong side. After a while one half of the hat had about 5 more rows than the other half. I put a stitch marker on the bottom of the needle that is always in my right hand and that seemed to fix the problem. After a lot of trail and error I got frustrated and decided to finish my Blue Knit Blanket and then attempt the newborn hat again. The blanket is now 90% complete as I finished all 3 panels and not need to sew them together. I would love to complete a project and then tackle some sewing as I haven't seen in a while.
Here is the rest of the project list:
Rank | Project | Status | How Many |
1 | Blue Knit Blanket | 90% Complete | 1 |
2 | Green Knit Prayer Shawl | Started | 1 |
3 | Swiffer Wet Jet Reusable Pads | 6 | |
4 | Christmas Quilt | 25% Complete | 1 |
5 | Crayon Roll for Girls | 2 | |
6 | Infinity Dress | 1 | |
7 | Pink Pom Pom Knit Scarf | Started | 1 |
8 | Pink Eyelash Knit Scarf | Started | 1 |
9 | Crayon Roll for Boys | 2 | |
10 | Car Roll | 2 | |
11 | Numbers Bean Bags | 1 | |
12 | Small Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
13 | White Newborn Knit Hat and Booties | Started | 2 |
14 | Riley Blake Jelly Roll Quilt | 1 | |
15 | Car Mat Quilt | 1 | |
16 | Animal Cloth Blocks | 2 | |
17 | T-shirt Yoga Pants | 2 | |
18 | Floor Cushions | 2 | |
19 | Hooty Hoot Owl Quilt | 1 | |
20 | Medium Rice Therapy Hot/Cold Bags | 3 | |
21 | Alphabet Bean Bags | 1 | |
22 | Red Knit Prayer Shawl | 1 | |
23 | White Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
24 | Pink Knit Baby Blanket | 1 | |
25 | Girl Animal Print Rag Quilt | 1 | |
26 | Baseball Knit Hat and Booties | 2 | |
27 | Football Knit Hat and Booties | 2 |
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