Homemade Goodness

I ran across this recipe for homemade ritz style crackers a year ago and won't ever go back to store bought crackers! These are so easy to make and when ever I make them, they go fast. Today I threw together a pot of soup and decided these would be the perfect companion.

Homemade Ritz Style Crackers

This recipe is made in a food processor.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp + another 1/2 tsp salt for topping
• 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter + 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water

• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and 1/2 tsp of salt in the food processor.
• Pulse to combine.
• Add cold butter a few small pats at a time, and pulse to combine.
• Add vegetable oil. Pulse to combine.
• Add water a little bit at a time. Pulse to combine after each addition. The dough should start to form a ball.
• Roll dough out as thin as you can.
• Use cookie cutters to cut the dough out. You can make them Ritz-shaped or any shape that you like. I used a ravioli cutter to get the round shape.
• Poke holes in the dough. Keep in mind that the holes are not just decorative; they help the crackers to bake correctly - so be sure to poke some.
• Bake the crackers on a parchment sheet for ten minutes or until the crackers just begin to brown.
• While the crackers are baking, melt the remaining butter and mix in the remaining salt.
• As soon as you remove the crackers from the oven, brush them with the salty butter.

As for my kitchen pot of soup, I start off with veggie stock and throw in what ever I have sitting around! This pot includes....a sweet potato, the last bag of frozen green beans from our garden last year, two jars of Sgt's canned tomatoes from last years garden, frozen corn, beans, a half a box of orzo pasta, carrots, frozen peas from last years garden, salt & pepper, Italian spices, and onion & garlic seasoning. Throw it all together and let it simmer for a few hours! Easy, hearty, and yummy!! I also love how we are still eating our garden veggies from last Summer. I look forward to growing lots more veggies and preserving the harvest again this year!

Happy, Healthy, Eating!

~MaryDeluxe