The Out of Box Experience Episode 1: Cheese Crackers

A miniseries of the best homemade versions of boxed food I have found. 
The Out of Box Experience Episode 1
Cheese Crackers

These ones have cayenne pepper sprinkled on for the hubby...

I have been hunting for a good cheese cracker recipe for a very long time. No matter how yummy the pictures looked or the recipe sounded, none tasted like the boxed ones I was used to. They were bland, lacking character. It doesn't have to taste exactly like the square ones with one hole in the middle, I'd happily settle for just as good since there are no preservatives.

But these....

These crackers are better than the box kind! The entire first batch was eaten as fast as I was cutting them out and baking them. Some yummy variants include the cayenne listed above, and we also tried garlic parmesan and taco seasoning too. Just sprinkle on any spices you want before you cut the dough into triangles, squares, little animals (my 2 year old loved these), or stars and bake. I am convinced the turmeric/paprika/cayenne blend is what gives them their characteristic flavor, so don't skip it!

Helpful Tools:

Silpat or parchment paper
Bench scraper or offset spatula
1-1.5" cookie cutters or pizza cutter
Rolling pin with guide bands (or Pam spray can with rubber bands 1/8" thick)

Ingredients:
I prefer to measure dry ingredients by weight because it is more accurate, but the cup measurements are in parentheses. 
125g (1 c) all-purpose/wheat flour, plus additional
3g (3/4 t) sea salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t smoky paprika
1/4 t ground turmeric
227g (2 c) grated sharp cheddar cheese
71 g (5 T) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Cold water, a few tablespoons

Put everything but the water and cheese in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and just enough water to form a dough that sticks to the blade. Divide the dough into halves and flatten into disks, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 24 hours, although  when I did a double batch I left some dough in there for a few days and it was fine.

Roll out dough to 1/8 inch. This is probably the hardest part, if you're rolling it with a Pam can and no bands, like I did. Too thick and they won't crisp all the way, so be sure to make it thin and even! They can be close together, just not touching. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. 

To flavor them, after rolling out dough before cutting brush the top of dough with a small amount of water and sprinkle on sea salt (press gently to stick it), or garlic powder, sea salt and parmesan, or cayenne pepper and sea salt, or taco seasoning.

Yield varies greatly depending on size of cutter.
I used a 1.5" star and 1.5" animals, and when I got sick of cutting out these tiny crackers I used the pizza cutter to cut triangles. Poking holes can be done with a skewer or other pointy object, but I didn't think it made much difference, and I like the puffiness. Out of all four flavors we tried I don't think I could pick a favorite. They were all delicious.

This is where I got the recipe from, I have made some minor modifications in my version. She does a really great job on little ghosts with poppy seed eyes, check it out!

http://www.sassyradish.com/2012/10/homemade-cheese-crackers/

Homemade Hamburger Helper

As many of you probably did, I had Hamburger Helper a lot growing up. I always liked it too, it was a completely thoughtless dinner to throw together in a hurry. However, after the birth of our son I began changing our diets, slowly, and now we eat almost no processed food whatsoever. Since our diets have improved, hubby's asthma has disappeared, and he used to need an inhaler multiple times per day. That's enough reason, but I want my kids to eat healthy too.

Scary Ingredient List...

I read the ingredients on the label of Betty's box, and decided I didn't want to feed my family MSG or partially hydrogenated oils (which are trans fats, even though the label says there is none) nor do I need my food to have at least three colors added. Plus the wiki page on disodium guanylate says asthmatics should avoid it, among other health concerns. As much as this makes me want to rant about why someone in the FDA isn't doing something to stop this, I'll probably get further by voting with my wallet. I threw out 5 boxes of it and haven't bought it since. However, making meals from scratch is time consuming, and with two kids now I need quick meals that are still healthy.

It seriously only takes 30 minutes, from start to finish. Just like the box crap. The flavor is amazing, so much better, and it reheats well too. Makes me wonder why it never occurred to me to make these myself to begin with. The basic Cheeseburger Macaroni I had everything on hand for, and I'm anxious to try to make a mexican rice version. You could even prepackage the ingredients in bags if you wanted and just throw it together.


The original blog I found with a recipe for cheeseburger mac is below my recipe, but I tweaked it and the recipe I ended up using follows.


Cheeseburger Macaroni 


1 lb. lean ground beef
1 t. sugar 
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. black pepper
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
2 t. paprika
2 c. milk
1 c. hot water
1 1/2 c. pasta
1-2 c. mexican shredded cheese (or cheddar)

Brown the beef, drain if necessary. Add hot water, milk, pasta and spices, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, cook around 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add cheese and stir.

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/10/23/successful-hamburger-helper-substitute/



Cheesy Enchilada Style

Note: I took a picture of this but it just doesn't look very good...it is rice, beef and cheese after all...
However, it is absolutely delicious, especially spicy and on a flour tortilla!

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. rice
2 c. water
1/4 white onion
1 c. tomato sauce
1 T. chili powder
1 T. taco seasoning
1 T. garlic powder
1 t. oregano
1 t. red pepper
1/2 t. cayenne (opt.)
1 c. shredded mexican cheese

Brown beef, rinse to drain well (grease will interfere with the rice cooking). Add all remaining ingredients except cheese, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes. Taste and modify spices/add water if necessary. Also good with homemade tortilla chips.

This is my own recipe adapted from the HH version.


Beef Stroganoff

Adapted from many recipes online and trial and error.

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 white onion
3 c. milk
2 c. water
4 c. pasta (smaller style is preferable, we like rotini)
2 beef bouillon cubes (or Better than Bouillon paste)
2 t. paprika
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. pepper
1 T. Worcestershire*
1 T. cornstarch/dry milk powder
6 T. sour cream

Brown beef, drain if necessary. Add remaining ingredients except sour cream, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes. After pasta is done, thicken up sauce with cornstarch or dry milk powder. Add sour cream, mix and serve.

*We never use the Worcestershire because hubby won't touch it, but I think it would be a great addition for extra flavor.

So that's all for my Hamburger Helper knockoff recipes! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!