V-8 Veggie Crackers

Recently I have come across a couple of recipes for crackers, Ranch Crackers and Chili Cheese Crackers.  That reminded me of how easy and fun it is to make them.  Besides being fun, homemade crackers have a fresher taste and no preservative ingredients.  Many different ingredients can be added to crackers, limited only by the imagination.

I have a recipe that I clipped from Sunset magazine many, many years ago that I use as a basic recipe to make crackers.  Recently I made V-8 Veggie Crackers.  I used V-8 Vegetable Juice and ground Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix.  I whirled the soup mix in my spice grinder until it was finely ground.  I cannot buy dried mixed vegetables where I live; but, if I could, I would use 1/2 c. of that.  The crackers will be an orange-red color from the V-8 Juice.  The dough may be spiced-up with a few drops of hot sauce.

I use all white whole wheat flour, but a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour can be used.  The wheat germ can be omitted, but I use it to add extra nutrition.

Kosher salt can be sprinkled lightly on the top of the cracker dough and rolled in with a rolling pin.  I try to avoid additional salt so I don’t do this.

The crackers need to be rolled out on a cookie sheet with no sides.  If that type of pan is not available, the back of a jelly roll pan can be used, which is what I do.  The outside sections of the crackers may need to be removed before the center sections are ready.   I begin to watch the crackers carefully after about 14 minutes.

Center sections of crackers ready to be put back in the oven after the outside sections have been removed.

The crackers in the left two rows of the photo above could have been thinner.  I separated the dough in half so in the recipe below, I am suggesting the dough be separated into thirds.

Store the crackers airtight, and I think that they are better after a day or two. 

V-8 Veggie Crackers
2 c. white whole wheat flour or half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. wheat germ
1 pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix finely ground in a spice grinder
1/2 t. garlic powder (opt.)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. V-8 Vegetable juice
several drops hot sauce (opt.)
Kosher salt (opt.)

Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix together well.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add vegetable oil and juice to the dry ingredients.  Mix well until the mixture cleans the sides of the bowl.  Use your hands, if necessary.  Divide dough into thirds.  Lightly grease the back of a 10x15 jelly roll pan.  Place a ball of dough in the center of the pan.  With a rolling pin, roll dough out to edges of the pan.  Trim and patch dough to make edges even.  The dough should be less than 1/8-inch thick.  Sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt, if using, and roll in with rolling pin.  Cut into size crackers desired.  You can use a ruler to do this.  I just cut them free form.  Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes.  Watch carefully after 14 minutes and remove outside sections if they are done before the center sections.  The crackers should be very firm when touched with a finger.  It there is any “give”, the crackers are not yet done.  Transfer to a rack to cool.  Store airtight at room temperature.  Makes about 100 crackers.

Linking to:  Full Plate Thursday
Tastetastic Thursday
Strut Your Stuff
What's Cooking Thursday
It's a Keeper Thursday
Twisted Thursday
Weekend Potluck
Weekend Bloggy Reading

Ingredient Spotlight-Red Velvet Cherry Bars

I have not yet welcomed my new followers this week and want to do that.  So welcome and thanks to all of you who take time out of your busy lives to read this blog.  I hope you enjoy today's recipe.

The original recipe was created by Mrs. Emil Jerzak of Porter, Minnesota for the 25th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1974.  It won a $25,000 Grand Prize in the Grocery Products Category.  Above is a photo of the picture that was on the cover of the cookbook for that year.

It was a simple idea.  She combined cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract to make moist bars that kept well.  The bars were glazed with a chocolate glaze made with semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, butter, and milk.  The bars could be baked in a 10x15-inch jelly rolls pan for a thinner more cookie-like bar or in a 9x13-inch pan for a more cake-like bar.  The recipe turned up in "The Cake Mix Doctor" as Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake.  Bars or cake, this is very good.

The recipe originally called for Fudge Cake Mix with is no longer available.  I have used almost all of the chocolate flavors of cake mix for this.  It doesn’t seem to make any difference.  The chocolate version of my Homemade Cake Mix can also be used.  Since  it is February and Valentine’s Day is coming up, I wanted to use Red Velvet Cake Mix to make it more seasonal.

I like to use milk chocolate chips for the frosting/glaze, but they don’t melt as well as the semi-sweet ones do, so sometimes there are tiny bits of unmelted chips in the finished frosting/glaze.

This goes together very quickly; and, if the ingredients are kept on hand, can be made “at the drop of a hat.”

Please forgive this photo.  I was pushing to get this done and put the frosting/glaze on the cake while it was still too hot.  The frosting/glaze seeped down the sides of my baking pan.  So don't do as I did, wait the 15 minutes before topping the bars.

Red Velvet Cherry Bars/Cake
1 pkg. Red Velvet or Chocolate Cake Mix (any flavor)
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 t. almond extract

Frosting/Glaze
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter (must be butter)
1/3 c. milk (low-fat is OK)
1 c. semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pie filling, eggs and almond extract.  Stir until well mixed.  Pour into greased and floured 10x15-inch jelly roll pan or greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes for jelly roll pan or 25 to 30 minutes for baking pan.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Meanwhile combine sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan.  Bring to  boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add chips and stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.  Pour over partially cooled bars.  Cool and cut into bars.  Make 3 to 4 dozen bars depending on the pan used.  Covered tightly, the bars will keep at room temperature up to 5 days, in the refrigerator up to 1 week.  Uncut, the bars may be tightly wrapped in foil and frozen up to 6 months.  Thaw on counter overnight before serving.

Linking to:  Ingredient Spotlight
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Wow Me Wednesday-Ginger Snap Crafts
Wow Me Wednesday-Polka Dots on Parade
We Did It Wednesday
What Works for Me
Strut Your Stuff
Overflowing with Creatativity
Creative Juices
Sweet Treats Thursday

January Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

When I took part in the Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap during the holidays, one of the bloggers who sent cookies to me was Hannah  of Hannaviolin.  I started reading her blog.  At the end of December she posted about being a part of Foodie Penpals and what she had received from her penpal that month.  I thought that being a part of that group sounded like fun so I signed up for January. 

I was partnered to send a package to Ashley at Simple Food Healthy Life and Annica at Annicanicole was to send a package to me.  Today is  the day that I get to share all the lovely things she sent to me.
  

My package was full of many goodies.  There were chocolate covered crackers and mint tea.

Of course, I had to try these right away.  See the cute little designs on the crackers.

These did not last long at my house.

There were these wonderful nut clusters.

Using extreme willpower, I actually have a few of these left.

There was a wonderful chicken enchilada soup mix.  I had never made this kind of soup before.

I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food so this was a bit spicy for me, but I added some extra water; and hubby and I enjoyed this very much.

There was a great no-salt seasoning mix.

Annica said that this is her favorite seasoning.  I used it in a meatloaf I made and have been sprinkling it on my veggies.

There were three other items in the box that I have not eaten yet. 

I am sure they all will be wonderful.  Except for the brownie mix, most of these brands are ones that I have not seen before.  This is one of the nice things about taking part in this exchange.  Annica lives in Missouri so can purchase items that I cannot where I live.

Because this is called Foodie Penpals, one of the requirements is that something hand written be sent.  Annica’s note was in this pretty envelope.

Ashley will be writing about what I sent to her on her blog.

This was so much fun, I have signed up to do this again in February.  To find information about joining the group, visit The Lean Green Bean.  Sign up by February 4th is required to participate in February.

I am linking to Foodie Penpal Reveal Day.