From the Kitchen

It really didn't decide to be summer until like two days ago. So, I've had lots of time to create fun things in the kitchen. Now it's too hot, and I'm not cooking until November.

First! BUTTER! Friends, you can make butter. It's SOOO easy. Perhaps you're saying, "Morgan, dear Morgan, why in the flib would you make butter?"

To which I say, "Try it. It is amazing." However, I do have one stipulation: use organic cream. It is out of this world good. The dark yellow butter is to-die-for. I just, it's awesome.

From July 2011

A PERK to butter-making (aside from being cheap and delish!) is you get buttermilk out of the deal.

From July 2011

This is awesome because then you HAVE to make things like buttermilk corn bread, buttermilk fried chicken and delicious graham crackers.

Please don't ask, "Why did you make graham crackers? You should just buy them!" I KNOW! But see, I had buttermilk, and well, I am cheap, and these were free, and any time I don't have to load up kids to go to the store, I'm interested, ya see?

From July 2011

It's just so very fun. So, can I share my graham cracker recipe? I made it up this morning, and I don't want to forget how it goes. Ready?

Graham Crackers:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl honey
1 cup white flour

1 cup graham flour

1 cup wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

Cream butter, sugar, honey and vanilla together.

In a separate bowl mix flours, powder, soda and salt together.

Alternately mix some flour, then some milk, then some flour until it's all blended together. If it's too wet, add more white flour. If it's too dry add more buttermilk. It needs to stick to itself entirely and not be sticky or too crumbly, just a nice ball of dough.

Roll to as thin as you can, no more than 1/16th of an inch. If you want you can sprinkle brown sugar or cinnamon sugar on the top.

 Cut with a pizza cutter, stab with a fork and bake on a greased baking dish 10-12 minutes. You want them to be dark and crunchy. Let cool on a piece of parchment paper.

These got more "grahamy" as the day went on and they sat.  The ones that I under baked or rolled too thick were still tasty but not like a cracker. I suppose if you haven't got buttermilk coming out your ears, you have my permission to use regular old milk.

So good.