We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Whoopie pies, made popular by the Amish, are a dessert sandwich made by enclosing a vanilla frosting between to chocolate cake-like cookies.  This recipe has been modified somewhat from it's original Amish version however, mainly to substitute a healthier fat for the shortening that was initially called for.

Graham crackers have been on my "To-Do List" for quite some time, so I finally decided to tackle the project.  Fortunately, it wasn't even much of a project; graham crackers are surprisingly easy to make. By making your own graham crackers, you can avoid some of the less desirable ingredients used in most grocery store shelf, boxed products--namely the high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils.  You also have the ability to adjust : The type and amount of sweetener used .  For example, you can use all honey if you'd like, or substitute molasses, which is a sweetener that would complement a graham cracker well. If you decide to try a different sweetener, keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of flour.  The type of fat used.   You could try coconut oil, lard, or tallow in place of the butter.  Perhaps you'd like to try olive oil?  Or even substituting half the fat with a fruit puree, like bananas or applesauce? ...

Soft and fluffy, these buns are great as a side with salad, to use as sandwich rolls, hamburger buns, or even just eaten buttered as a snack.  I take advantage of my bread machine's dough cycle to make these buns, but they can just as easily be made with a mixer or by hand. When making any bread recipe, you may need to slightly adjust the amount of flour or milk added, depending on the humidity levels in your home.  If the dough looks too dry, add a little drizzle of milk; conversely, if the dough is too sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.  The dough should form a smooth ball and be springy to the touch.  As my husband says, "It's all in the dough ball!" Everything Buns ( Click for Printable Version ) The Dough: 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk 1/4 cup honey 3  tablespoons melted butter 4 cups bread flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons fast acting yeast The "Everything" Topping: 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon water sesame seeds poppy see...

I created this simple recipe for my sons to take in their school lunches and to have as after-school snacks.  You can make your own granola to use if you'd like; I have instructions for doing this in my recipe for Homemade Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt . There are plenty of healthy fats and protein in these bites--just what young, growing bodies need (but these make fine snacks for grown-ups too).  It is best to keep these refrigerated, since they can become quite soft if your house gets warm.

Looking for a good snack for movie night?  I have one for you.  But be careful, because good popcorn can be addicting! You can make a batch of delicious Cheesy Garlic Popcorn in about 15 minutes--not really much longer than it takes to make a bag of the microwave stuff, and this popcorn is much tastier and healthier (there's definitely no "natural butter flavor" in this popcorn, whatever that is). I used a trusty cast iron pan with its lid to pop this popcorn.  If you use cast iron, please note that you will not need to do your workout that day; just making the popcorn counts as exercise.  Seriously, that pan was really heavy, next time I'm using a different one.  Nonetheless, the popcorn doesn't care how heavy your pan is, it still tastes delicious!