July 2020: Fire Crackers

So, I’m not sure where the sourdough movement stands these days. Stores seem to be doing well at restocking the shelves and yeast is perhaps no longer in limited supply. But for the few holdout still nursing a starter, I thought I’d share this cracker recipe which unlike my attempts at making sourdough breads, has been a predictably simple process. This recipe is a riff off King Arthur’s recipe. They coached me through the first several batches but now I’m off and running. The house favorite seems to be these “fire” crackers, made with crushed red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, and a little coarse salt. They are pretty easy to make and just the thing to scoop up all those 4th of July dips.

Sourdough discard crackers with coarse salt, crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup starter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tbsp butter , softened
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
• oil for brushing the tops
• Coarse salt for sprinking on tops

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil and coarse salt.
2. Mix throughly so the dough forms and knead it slightly until all the ingredients are well combined.
3. Seperate into two piece, flatten them into patties, and then wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or over night to stiffen up.
4. After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Remove the dough from plastic and place between two layers of parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough out between the paper to about 1/16 inch thick.
7. Transfer the rolled slab onto a baking sheet and brush with oil.
8. Sprinkle the coarse salt on top and lightly pat the granuals into the dough using the spare paper.
9. Using a knife or pizza cutter slice the dough into 1 1/4 inch squares.
10. Then place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
11. Taste test the crackers in the middle of the pan to ensure they are crisp. If not continue baking for a few minutes till you achive your desired crunch.
12. You can remove the crisped ones to a rack to cool while the other continue baking if worried about them becoming over done.

Stay safe everyone!

May 2019: Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

April shower’s don’t always bring May flowers, or so I’ve been reminded with the passing of Mother’s Day...

It started out harmless enough. On the Wednesday before, I went to the bank running routine errands and as I was leaving, the clerk wished me “Happy Mother’s Day!” Boom! Just like that, I was triggered. First of all, it was Wednesday, approximately four days too early.

Slowdown tiger… Let’s take things a day at a time…

But then I started the dark spiral into how inappropriate it felt to assume we are all celebrating. I am not a mother, nor do I have my own mother to celebrate the day with, and the blatant cheeriness dripping from the clerk’s chin, all about had me ready to turn around and release the Mother of Dragons at her for making such a careless mistake.

… DRACARYS!!!

My mom Sandrita of House Targaryen.

Somehow the words “you too” found their way out of my mouth and I left without torching the place. But then, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I felt the next several days build with enthusiasm for mom’s everywhere. But I also felt the communal outcry for the bereaved. What that bank clerk neglected, the village provided, and for all the hater’s of social media it would be a shame to dismiss the macro moment of holding space for all of those that have been touched by the institution of motherhood. Being a mother or having a mother makes little difference. The gift of motherhood is ubiquitous and the internet honored them all! My irritation simmered as the larger community reflected a broader sense consciousness and that got me reflecting on my snap judgement of the bank clerk. It seems we were no different, her and I. Both of us, projecting assumptions onto the other. That I would be celebrating Mother’s Day, and she’d be more “woke” and guarded with words… Ugh… I’m ashamed at my own presumption. When a gesture of kindness turns into a source of frustration, it should be a clue that the problem isn’t them; it’s you!

As much as I think I’ve moved on from my mother’s passing, this incident exposed just how raw loss can be, even years later. I’ve heard that moving forward from grief doesn’t mean life eventually returns to “normal”. Instead, we carry the grief with us, heavier by way of holding an emotional weight that only becomes lighter when love lifts us. I’m learning that it’s sometimes impossible to keep a heart from breaking and no amount of glue can restore a shattered one to whole. But loss finds forward traction with love from friends and family, and community members that gather those shards and carry what they can as an emotional service. Humanity and all of its kindness, keeps the burden of pain from being a solo voyage. A village can help shoulder heaviness which is why we need to promote togetherness at all cost. Cue the Full Moon Baking Club…

Communities need work. The growing amount of division among us is concerning but in my experience, baked goods have always had a way of bringing folks together. It’s far from a fix but it’s a start, and if we hope to repair communities we need to disrupt the flow towards isolation and provide opportunities for joyful assembly. This month I invite you to make this recipe, compliments of King Arthur Flour, with the intention to gather, be together and share moments that will spawn memories. We can build relationships and cultivate inclusive environments that proactively combat feelings of “otherness”. And since there are many folks that daily are excluded from the simple pleasure of enjoying food due to allergies, intolerances, and other dietary restrictions, I’m thinking of them this month with this flourless recipe. For all those gluten-free folks battling celiac or gluten intolerance, take a night off from grieving your loss of tasty baked goods, with this cookie recipe. They are delicious and I applaud King Arthur Flour for thinking outside their own box. Cause even the flourless crave flowers… Open your heart by opening your oven door and let cookies be the floodgate in which kindness flows. Happy full moon my friends!

Holding you in heart,

Ashley

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or mini chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt at medium speed of your mixer, until well-blended.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, and blend on low-medium speed until incorporated.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop the dough by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet and push the top of the dough to flatten just slightly.
6. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. The tops should be slightly crinkled and you will want to pull them BEFORE they begin to brown on the edges.

* For the original recipe click here.