Cheese Crackers!

Still trying to eat healthier around here... And definitely still a challenge! Trying to eat healthy, trying to save money... the two do not go hand in hand. I can't wait until Spring! I'm really looking forward to my garden this year. I got a taste of it last year, and while the weeds definitely took over, my little garden did pretty well! And this year, we're going to have even more! We'll do tomatoes again, along with lettuce, beans, broccoli, and zucchini. The lettuce did amazing last year. And it's so much easier to just run outside and pick it instead of having to run to the store when you want a salad! But in addition to those, we're also adding eggplant, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, pumpkin, and corn. We'll see. I may be getting a little ambitious, but at least seeds were only 20 cents. So we'll see! Anyway, I'm looking foward to it because I have so many recipes I want to try, and it will save money and be healthier! So hurry up, spring! I'm ready for you! Take the cold weather on out, please! But one way to save money is to try to make your own snacks. Now, if you have super-picky kids like mine, that may not be the easiest thing to introduce. But if you get them in there with you helping, it may actually work. Our project yesterday was making our own cheese crackers. I think they're pretty tasty! I had to make two batches, though, because Elijah didn't want his crunchy (seriously? non-crunchy crackers?), so I made one crunchy batch and one softer batch.

Cheese Crackers

1 1/2 c flour

3 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter

sea salt for topping

Preheat oven to 350; spray cookie sheets and set aside. Combine all ingredients (except sea salt) in a food processor and pulse until dough forms (if you've been pulsing for a few minutes and no dough yet, just add a tiny bit of water). 

 Make sure your table or counter is clean, then roll out the dough as thin as you can get it. I found it's just easier if you separate the dough into 3-4 smaller balls since that's easier to roll out. Then use a pastry cutter if you have one or, like I did, a pizza cutter, and cut into small squares (or the shape of your choice...).

 

Transfer the squares to a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt (you may want to press the salt lightly down so that it actually sticks on.)

 

 Bake at 350 for about 15 min., until golden. (If you like crunchy crackers. If not, just bake until your desired crispness.) Let cool, store in an airtight container, and enjoy! As you can see below, my crunchier crackers are on the left, and Elijah's softer ones are on the right.