Best of the Month July 2013

A recap of my most popular blog posts of July 2013

This has been a good month for my blog.  I have made some cosmetic changes to by adding a picture header and a drop down menu bar to de-clutter my side bar.  I also finally got around to writing an 'about me' page.  It still needs work but I hope my readers will get a better sense of who I am. Last but not least I've started joining link parties to get my blog out there and to meet new people.  All of this has had good results and my blog has more views than ever.  I hope this continues.

In case you missed them, or are just curious here are my most viewed posts of July.

Light Wheat English Muffins

Light Wheat English Muffins:

Soft, flat buns full of nooks and crannies, English Muffins make a great breakfast or lunch sandwich even a great snack.

These were accepted to YeastSpotting.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553515344/

Mocha Graham Crackers

Mocha Graham Crackers:

The perfect sweet and crunchy, chocolaty snack.  With a kick of espresso.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553464365/

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich:

An egg salad made with no mayonnaise.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553411409/

How to Roll a Spring Roll

How to Roll a Spring Roll:

A tutorial showing how to roll a spring roll (also called a fresh roll or summer roll).

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553453087/

Sambar

Sambar:

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553499747/




Enjoy.

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Mocha Graham Crackers

Crisp chocolate graham crackers flavored with instant espresso powder.

The other night I got a craving.  I wanted something crunchy and sweet.  I don't often crave sweet, but when I do I usually want chocolate.  The crunchy craving was for something the texture of a cracker so of course graham crackers.  I was too lazy to go to the store so I searched for a recipe (can I really be lazy when I'm willing to make something from scratch instead of buying it?  I just didn't want to leave the house) and found this recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I was pleased to see that I had all of the ingredients on hand.  Of course I made some substitutions and additions because I'm not the best at following directions.  I used coconut oil instead of butter and added some instant espresso.  They turned out great and satisfied my craving.

Modified from King Arthur Flower Chocolate Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

2 oz (1/2 cup) all purpose flour
3.75 oz (3/4 cup) whole wheat flour
5 oz (1 1/4 cup) powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1.5 oz (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
4 oz (1/2 cup) coconut oil
1.5 oz (2 Tbsp) honey
1 oz (2 Tbsp) cold milk

Preheat oven to 325F.  Cut 2 sheets of parchment to line your cookie sheets.

In a food processor (using plastic pastry blade) stir together all of the dry ingredients until combined.  Cut in the solid coconut oil (I measured the coconut oil while it was soft then refrigerated it until it hardened) until mixture is crumbly. Use the pulse function on the food processor for this.

Mix the honey and milk, stirring until honey dissolves.  Add the liquid and pulse until combined and the dough comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead about 10 times until smooth.

Divide dough in half and roll out on the sheets of parchment until it forms a rectangle of about 10 x 14 inches and is about 1/16-inch thick.  Prick all over with the tines of a fork and bake for about 15 minutes.  Cut the cookies with a pizza cutter right out of the oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan.  Store in a sealed container to keep crisp.  Enjoy

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