Homemade Oyster Crackers

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Homemade Oyster Crackers

Oyster crackers. They are probably something you don’t even think about, unless you’re ordering a bowl of clam chowder or crab soup. Usually, we’ll just use broken-up pieces of saltines for a crunchy bite to top our soup with – but yesterday I was feeling particularly ambitious!

Turns out they were super easy to make, requiring only a few ingredients. The hardest part was cutting and transferring all the little squares to the baking sheet. And that little amount of work totally paid off, the taste and texture was about a million times better than you’d find in the store-bought crackers.

In fact, we loved them so much, it’s got me thinking about what other crackers I can make here at home!  I know these would be great with additions thrown in as well, like fresh (or dried!) herbs. Or even just a little bit of black pepper. Will definitely be making these again!

Homemade Oyster Crackers

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, until the flour resembles a coarse meal.

Place flour into a medium size bowl and add water, using a rubber spatula to work the flour into the water. Place on a flat work surface and knead dough until it comes together into a ball.

Set dough on a lightly floured work surface and cover with a clean kitchen towel, allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Roll dough out on a well-floured surface to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 1/2-inch squares and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake until crackers are just starting to show color around the bottom edges, about 15 minutes. Turn oven off and crack oven door, let crackers sit in oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Source: adapted from Serious Eats

 

The Vampire Kiss Cocktail

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The Vampire Kiss Cocktail

Happy Halloween! Are you guys busy getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating and mischief tonight? I know we are. Last night we put the finishing touches on our costumes, and carved our pumpkins – something that everyone looks forward to. I currently have my seeds drying and are going to roast them today. Then I’m thinking maybe pumpkin seed brittle this weekend!

Since the spooky day fell on a Friday this year, I thought it would be fun to share a Halloween-inspired cocktail. I know a lot of folks are heading out to parties tonight, or hosting one themselves, and this drink is just too much fun!

It’s a pretty simple recipe – vodka, pineapple juice, raspberry puree, and some seltzer water for a little fizzy action to tickle the taste buds. But the real kicker is the creepy blood rim that’s made with just corn syrup and red food coloring. How devilishly delicious!

I hope that everyone has a very festive and Happy Halloween! We’re ready to roam the streets of Chincoteague begging for candy for the first time. So watch out ‘teaguers, we have some little ghouls heading your way tonight. Everyone be safe, and have a great weekend!

Vampire Kiss Cocktails

1 cup vodka
2 cups pineapple juice
2 Tbsp raspberry puree*
1 cup seltzer water
ice

For the blood rim:
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp red food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Stir to combine well.

Combine the corn syrup and the food coloring until well blended in a shallow bowl. Gently dip the rim of the wine glass slightly into the “blood”, then fill with ice. Fill glasses up with the mixed cocktail and serve.

* To make raspberry puree, combine 1/2 cup fresh raspberries with 1 tsp. granulated sugar in a food processor. Blend until smooth, then push through a fine-mesh strainer to remove large pieces of pulp and seeds.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

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Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Have I mentioned enough times how much I love this little stretch of land that we call home? Sure we love the ocean, and the bay, and the abundance of fresh seafood that comes with both. But you know what I love more than anything? Our community. Good people and great events are always just right on the horizon here on the Eastern Shore!

One event we always look forward to is the suborbital rocket launches out of Wallops Flight Facility. For the past few years our little corner of NASA has been launching resupply missions to the International Space Station, one recent launch (LADEE) even went to the moon! They don’t go that often, a few times a year – but it’s always so exciting for us. We have many friends and family who work at the base, so to say that I’m proud that these folks are launching things into space is kind of an understatement.

Last night we had a catastrophic failure, the rocket exploded about 6 seconds after liftoff. I’ve never seen anything like it, and never hope to again. Thankfully, no one was injured…which, is just a testament to how wonderful our folks at Wallops are.  But, the facility is destroyed. All the work that went into the launch, and the scientific experiments on board – just gone. Wallops will rebuild though, and most certainly relaunch! But please keep our small community in your thoughts and prayers.

So, the cupcakes. I baked these to take to our PTA’s Annual Pumpkin Walk. Families and local buisnesses carve pumpkins to display on one of our nature trails here on the island to create a spooky and fun walk to raise some money for the PTA. They of course have a bake sale as well, so I baked these to donate to the cause. We got to the walk about 30 minutes after it started, and they were already gone – definitely a hit!

I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe, then added some chopped apples, caramel sauce, and fall spices to the batter. Then topped them with a caramel cream cheese frosting. Holy moly, were they good! The spices were not overbearing, allowing the fresh flavor of the apple to really shine through. And I loved having the tender chunks of apples in the cake as well. I’ll most certainly be making this one again and again. I think it would be great as a 9-inch layer cake too! Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup caramel sauce

For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. block cream cheese, room temperature
12 Tbsp butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup caramel sauce
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Add in the sugar, and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated. 10 seconds, until evenly combined. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Add in the apples and caramel sauce and mix until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated. Then add the vanilla, caramel sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix for 10 seconds, until evenly combined. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Drizzle with additional caramel sauce if desired before serving.

Goulash

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Goulash

I’m always on the lookout for easy recipes that require minimal ingredients. They’re great for those nights on the fly for our family, when what I’ve planned on the menu for that evening hasn’t turned out…for one reason or another. Y’all know what I’m talking about! Dishes like these, where I have all the ingredients I need handy in the pantry, are a lifesaver.

Oddly, I’d never had goulash before. To me, it was very reminiscent of Beefaroni – which reminds me of school lunches and childhood. Ground beef and macaroni are simmered in a rich, lightly spiced tomato sauce until it’s a thick stew. It’s classic lowbrow comfort food, but it’s delicious.

I’d imagine it would be great with all kinds of things thrown in as well… veggies, different proteins, beans, cheese, you name it! Definitely a great base for one of those clean out the fridge nights…

I like the simplicity of the basic version, though. Not to mention that when it’s made with ground sirloin and whole wheat pasta, it’s not terribly bad for you either. Better than the “heart attack in a sack” you might end up with otherwise on those busy nights.

Goulash

1 lb ground sirloin
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
8 oz elbow macaroni
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil

In large saute pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes longer, until onion is translucent. Add in garlic and tomato paste, and cook for about 3 minutes until tomato paste is starting to brown. Add in the stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and spices. Stir to combine. Cover, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add pasta into the pot and stir to combine, recover, and cook on low for an additional 20 minutes. Check pasta for doneness. Add 1/4 cup additional water and cook for 5 minutes longer, if necessary. If mixture is too thick, add 1/4 cup warm water and stir to combine until it’s the consistency you’d like. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Source: adapted from Feral Kitchen