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!