Author Archives: Not Crocker

Parmesan Flax Crackers

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These crackers are delicious, but really, I like the flavour of flax, so I am bias. These bake up crispy, are sturdy for cheese and dip, and can be different flavours based on preference and convenience. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Parmesan Flax Crackers

Adapted from I Breathe… I’m Hungry

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/4 cup flax seeds, finely ground
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (don’t use the powdery stuff, grate fresh)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
  • coarse salt for sprinkling before baking

optional flavours:

  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (great with creamy cheese/dip, salsa, hummus)
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary (good with creamy dips/cheese, hummus, or on their own)
  • 1 tsp dried basil (great with creamy mozzarella for a quick snack)
  • 1/2 tsp curry power (great with tomato soup, really)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine all the ingredients (including spices as desired), except the salt, in a large bowl.
  2. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined.  Let the dough sit for 10 minutes, in the fridge is best.
  3. On a large piece of parchment or wax paper, form the dough into a large log (with the circumference of your desired crackers). If you want square crackers, use a flat surface (cutting boarded) and  the counter to gently square your corners.
  4. Gently wrap the log in the parchment and allow it to chill for 1 hour.
  5. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Using a sharp knife with a thin blade, slice crackers off the log, gently placing them on the prepared cookie sheet. The thinner the cracker, the better.
  7. Sprinkle the crackers with salt and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the crackers gently and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until browned and dried.
  8. Let cool for the crunchiest crackers.

Ready for mixing.

Not the prettiest, but worth it!

Today is not the day!

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For posting! I am pooped!

It has been busy at Appetite, which is amazing. And our apartment is a mess because I finally got the property manager to close the gaping hole in our wall (only to be told that they will have to open it later anyway when they finally replace the pipe). So all of our dining room stuff is in the living room. AND we are having our carpets cleaned on Saturday morning… so we have to figure out how to pack everything into the bedroom tomorrow so that most of the space can be properly cleaned! Madness. Madness all around.

In addition to all this, I hauled a 17lb enamelled cast iron pot home from the other end of town. So, my arms are jelly, my house is a mess, I am making something simple (maybe Egg Drop Soup) and going to sleep!

Here is a picture of my Grandma’s 85th birthday cake, all lit up to tide you over until Saturday!

 

Almond Praline Cookies

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These buttery, crispy cookies are an incredible treat. The cookies have almonds in them and a praline-like topping, I drizzled half with dark chocolate because… why not! I’ve meant to make cookies for a week now but have just been too busy to get to it. I modified my frangipane recipe to make the topping, and it turned out perfectly. I’ve also decided that these would make wonderful Christmas cookies as they are lovely to look at, rich and buttery, and can take some dark chocolate like a champ. Sadly, I can’t use them for my Food Blogger Cookie Exchange cookies, as I am posting them too early! Hmm, now I have to think of a new recipe for the exchange!

Almond Praline Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped (I threw whole almonds into my food processor and pulsed to the desired texture)

Praline:

  • 1/3 cup whole almonds
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 egg white

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
  3. Stir in the flour and salt., mixing well to combine. It will come together in a sort of crumb-like fashion (see picture below). Chill the dough while you bring together the praline topping.
  4. Praline topping: In a food processor, pulse together the praline ingredients until you have a chunky paste. Don’t over pulse, otherwise you will almost have frangipane!
  5. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
  6. Using a flat-bottomed glass, lightly press down the cookies to flatten slightly. Top with 1/4-1/2 tsp of the praline mixture.
  7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. They will not crisp up until cooled. So let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before trying to move them to a wire rack to cool.
  8. If you want to drizzle with chocolate, simply melt 2oz of dark chocolate with 1 tsp of butter and drizzle over top once the cookies have cooled.

Crumb-like texture of the dough.

Dollop of praline mixture.

So delicious.

Cheese and Walnut Stuffed Chicken

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Oh sweet goodness, this is amazing. The stuffing adds texture and flavour that can’t be beat. I served the stuffed chicken breasts with some roasted broccoli that is similarly out of this world. I am going to throw some words out there to describe this dish: succulent, tender, scrumptious, flarghingyum. That’s right, I lost my ability to articulate at the end. The chicken breasts I had were really large, so you can easily stuff three or four regular-sized breasts and have a little less in each. OR double the stuffing and don’t fool around.

Cheese & Walnut Stuffed Chicken

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 cup of dry curd cottage cheese (or use regular cottage cheese and omit the crème fraîche)
  • 1 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 2 1/2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnut halves, crumbled (heat oven to 350°F, lay walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and fragrant, 5-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes)
  • 1/4 cup of yellow onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes (optional, we like spice)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium bowl cream together the crème fraîche and cream cheese.
  2. Mix in the dry curds, walnuts, onion, and spices.
  3. Slice the chicken breasts length-wise through the centre, from the side. You are looking to create a pouch of sorts that is the length of the breast.
  4. Stuff the breasts with as much stuffing as you can manage. Sprinkle both sides of the breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika. Mine stayed together without assistance, but feel free to secure with a toothpick.
  5. Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Place the breasts in the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes per side until browned and cooked through.
  6. Serve with roasted broccoli.

Chicken breasts are stuffed and ready for the pan.

Nestled in, browning nicely.

Roasted Broccoli

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This is a recipe for a super-easy side. Toss the broccoli with some salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil and you are golden (so are they). This would be a great side for stuffed chicken, roast beef, a lot of things. Eat them right off the pan.

Roasted Broccoli

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups of trimmed broccoli florets (large or medium florets work best)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/3 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl toss together the florets, garlic, and olive oil, making sure they are evenly coated.
  3. Lay the florets evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle the florets with the salt and pepper and give them a little toss on the baking sheet.
  4. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the broccoli browns in some places.

Flecked with garlic, salt, and pepper.

Roasty and delicious.