Home Made Cheese-It's and Gardening

In attempts to eat better I have tried to cut out processed foods with ingredients that I can't pronounce. Unfortunately that has left me without something salty and crunchy until I found a recipe to make these wonderful little Cheese-Its! I love that I know what is going in my food and am not going to lie, I feel a little smug knowing that I made them. Feel free to make these delicious crackers into any shape you would like! This would be perfect for a homemade goldfish! 

Skill Level: Moderate

Feeds: Me! Snacking for several days... 

Ingredients: 

8 oz sharp cheddar, cubed 

4 tbs cold butter, cubed 

1 c flour 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika 

2 tbs cold water 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Unfortunately I have a small food processor mostly fit for chopping up an onion if I am feeling lazy so, I had to make this in two batches. Place the cheese in the food processor and blend until it is a fine crumble. 

 2. Add in the flour, spices and butter to the food processor and blend until incorporated. When the mixture looks the same throughout add the water and give it just a few spins so to not overwork the dough.

 3. Place the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

 4. I recommend taking half the dough and cutting it half so it is easier to roll out. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut it into any shape you like!

 5. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Check on them frequently towards the end because they have a tendency to burn. I sprinkled salt on them when they came out for an extra little crunch

Spring is in the air!!! I am so excited that fresh produce is going to be coming back into my life. I am so tired of sad greenhouse tomatoes so I decided to plant my own. Because I live in an apartment my gardening was a bit limited to a few pots but I still enjoyed myself. Evie was...... well lets just say she was far from helpful. She was really excited that I was playing with dirt and wanted to get as close as she could to the action.

 This is the little stinky pretending to be helpful...

My lovely garden! I was able to plant a large tomato plant, cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, thyme and parsley!

Mind-blowng Mediterranean Meatloaf

Sometimes a craving for something just hits me. I was watching The Kitchen on the food network one morning while they were making some of their favorite recipes.  In the middle of a tofu stir fry and a grapefruit margarita was a hidden gem of a recipe that I just had to make. 

It is an amazingly minty, fresh and easy recipe is a perfect combo of textures and flavors. I highly recommend it with some sautéed spinach. 

Skill Level: Moderate

Feeds: 6

Based off: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-and-geoffreys-ultimate-meatloaf.html

Ingredients: 

1 lbs ground beef* 

1 lbs ground pork* (I am not going to lie, I used 1 lbs mild italian sausage) 

1/2 c putted kalamata olives, finely copped 

1 small white onion, diced 

8 crushed saltine crackers** 

1/2 c 2% greek yogurt 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh mint 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh oregano or 1 tbs. dried oregano 

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large egg 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 c crumbled feta 

Mint Tzatziki: 

1 English cucumber, seeds removed 

salt

1 c 2% Greek yogurt 

1 minced garlic clove 

3 tbs minced fresh mint 

* My grocery store never has even pounds of meat so I got the closest to a pound- usually around 1.2-1.4lbs. 

** place the saltine crackers in a ziplock bag and smooth the crackers into a crumb with a rolling pin or can. 

Directions:
 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 2. Line a roasting pan or a cookie sheet with a lip with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
 3. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bow. Wash your hands. Using your hands, mix the meat together until it is incorporated but not overworked. If you over mix, the meatloaf will be tough. 
4. Shape the meat into a log shape and place it on the pan. 
5. Bake the meatloaf 45 minutes to an hour until a meat thermometer reads 155 in the center. Because you are working with pork you really need to make sure that the meatloaf is cooked all the way through. 
6. Let the meatloaf rest for 15 or so minutes and make the tzatziki sauce. 
7. Dice the cucumber and liberally cover in salt (1-2 tbs.). I like having my cucumbers a little larger than what was recommended which was grading, I find it adds a nice textural difference to the meal. Place the slated cucumber in a strainer over a bowl. The salt will bring out the excess moisture in the cucumbers so your sauce won't get too runny. Let the cucumber sit for 10-15 minutes.
8. In the meantime mix the remaining ingredients for the sauce together. When you just can't take it any more and you are so hungry you just don't care add in the cucumbers and spoon it over a slice of your meatloaf. Enjoy!