i'm a copycat.

it's probably not very surprising that i spend a good amount of my spare time reading food blogs. 

to that end, i get pretty inspired sometimes by said content.

and even sometimes, make said recipes. word. for. word.

my latest copycating skills:

crackers.

first, it never even occurred to me once in my whole effin life that i could make crackers. at my own home. i always assumed crackers were one of those foods like kit kats, hamburger helper and spam that you just bought (i have never and will never buy spam!). luckily crackers come in a multitude of flavors and textures, so why on earth would i ever venture outside of these tasty choices? there are even rye triscuts now for goodness sake!
but then i was inspired.
recipe by oh she glows. this woman is oh so damn smart and creative that it's sort of mind blowing. her recipes are almost 100 percent vegan. and every damn one looks amazingly delicious. i did have to tweak her recipe a bit because well, i'm not vegan, so i didn't have the vegan supplies. i wonder if it's wrong to unveganize a recipe? hmmmm.
these were crunchy and salty with a bit of a chew, everything a cracker should be. so many varieties could be created with this base recipe.

pumpkin pie pop tarts.

another food under the 'why would i make this at home category.' well hold on let me back up, this is more of a personal vendetta for me. after discovering that pumpkin pie pop tarts by kellogs DO exist i was ecstatic! but after searching multiple grocery story establishments and even sending out an APB on facebook, i have yet to see these poptarts. the website even has a poptart finder, yet the pumpkin pie variety is not included on this finder. then fate walked in.
recipe by joy the baker. this woman also makes countless delicious recipes paired with charming musings of her daily life. she has become my latest girl crush, up there with heather burns of bored to death and debra winger of everything, but lately of in treatment (i'm watching way too much hbo!). but anyway, her recipes are butter friendly and quite clearly attest to each mouth-watering calorie. she also must be a bit psychic because she is always making something with an ingredient i want to use in a new way or for a craving i didn't even know i had, ie., the poptarts! like i said, genius.
these were better than i had imagined and probably better than the actual kellogs one because i made them with real ingredients and no preservatives. the crust is soft and buttery and the pumpkin pie filling has just the right balance of spices; makes for a lovely fall breakfast and even better late night snack. pair with milk of course.

salt and vinegar chickpeas.

i love salt and vinegar chips. i've been known to finish off a bag even though half of my tongue has gone numb from all the salt. i don't buy salt and vinegar chips very often for this very reason.

 recipe also by oh she glows. this make for a really salty, crunchy yet satisfying snack. lots of protein so they keep you full, but low in fat and calories so zero guilt. i also used garbanzo beans since tjs was out of chick peas, but i'm pretty sure they're the same thing and anyway, garbanzo beans work well too! beware these are highly addictive, the 'four servings' were polished off in two sittings and easily could have been one if i hadn't restrained myself.

Recipes:

Crackers (unveganized) [Adaped Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp brown sugar, not packed

1 tsp herbs de provence

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/4 cup ground flax

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tbsp olive oil

Method: 

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl

Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients

Mix until a ball forms (I had to add about an additional 1/3 cup of flour, mixture was very sticky!)

Flour surface of counter and rolling pin liberally

Roll out 1/2 of dough into about 1/8 inch thickness

Cut into shapes, place on pam-sprayed cookie sheet

Brush olive oil onto each cracker, sprinkle with additional herbs and cheese if desired

Bake for about 20-22 minutes, depending on the thickness of cracker
Makes about 35-40 crackers depending on thickness

Enjoy alone, with cheese, hummus, fig spread, turkey, pumpkin (just some ideas that I may have tried)

Pumpkin Pie Poptarts (Barely Adapted Recipe Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 large egg (for brushing the dough)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

sprinkle cloves

For the Filling:

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

For the Glaze(s):

maple:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons milk

pumpkin:

1/2 cup powered sugar

2 tablespoons pumpkin

2 tablespoons milk

Method:

Dough:

Mix flour, spices (I thought this was a brilliant idea on my part to spice the dough!) sugar and salt.  

Add the cold butter, break apart with fingers (I probably added another 1/4 cup flour, I just couldn't get the mix to hold together, all that butter was tricky to work with!)

In another bowl beat the egg with the milk.  

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients 

Mix well with hands

Liberally flour your counter

Knead dough till it comes together

Refrigerate 30 minutes 

Make filling: mix ingredients

Make glazes: mix all ingredients and set aside (the pumpkin glaze was my idea, you cannot have too much pumpkin here!)

Roll out about half of the dough on your liberally-floured counter with a liberally floured rolling pin
Cut into smallish squares (mine were about half the size of a kellogs poptart)
Fill with 1-2 tsps of filling
Top with another squarish shape of similar size
Seal edges with fork to make pretty crimped edges (awwww cute!)
Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes
Let cool and glaze
Share with your friends and inspire all to boycott the kellogs pumpkin pie pop tarts which I can't find anywhere anyway!

Salt and Vinegar Chickpeas (Barely adapted recipe Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans

2 cups white vinegar ( I was low on vinegar, original recipe calls for 3 cups

1 cup water

1-2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 425
Add garbanzo beans, vinegar and water to a pot

Bring to a boil, continue to bowl for about 30 minutes, stir occasionally (all liquid should be absorbed)

Toss garbanzo beans with oil and salt, place in a single layer on baking sheet

Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring regularly

Be careful not to overcook, mine got a little crunchy with some dark edges but they were lovely just the same