CRACKER CRISP TARTINES: FEEDING BABIES

The thing about cooking and summer is that often times, meals are thrown together. It’s lighter longer, we’re outside and it’s so warm out that less actual cooking and more assembly sounds more like it. Tomatoes with a thinned pesto drizzled on top and thick slices of bread on the bbq. Peaches and lentils and lots of herbs mixed into some quick-cooking quinoa. I love when it can be both easy and good, not exclusively one or the other. There is so much great produce this time of year to pull it off. With a toddler and a very messy mash-eating baby at the table, Hugh and I have found it more peaceful to feed, bathe and put the kids to bed and then have dinner ourselves. We can actually talk, sip wine instead of swig it, and no one is asking me to pull the green bits out of their turkey meatballs. And lunch, since we’re usually all around for now, my default is sandwiches but everyone is tiring of those lately too. I started piling things on crackers instead, same but different. In this case, I used the new Wasa THINS. The ingredient list is short and wholesome, they’re great to eat on their own, but also sturdy enough to hold some of my favorite toppings. I have vivid memories of original Wasa crispbread from my childhood - my mom would eat them with mustard as part of some diet she was trying or slather them in peanut butter and honey for my sister and me. These are not just for Curran, these most definitely end up being for all of us. If we’re pulling a late afternoon beach day and I know everyone will get hungry, I bring some dips and cheese to keep everyone happy until dinner time. I can’t get over zealous with the vegetables for the toddler but I can make these recipes below to taste and they make for a quick little lunch. I love that these crackers are thin and delicate so they don’t take over. Crackers can be too much sometimes. All said, let’s just keep snacks and meals easy while the produce is amazing and we’d rather be outside.

This post was sponsored by Wasa Crackers. All words, photos and opinions are my own. Visit their site for more recipe ideas or check out the #snackingwithwasa hashtag.

CRACKER CRISP TARTINES

The trick is to make sure you have a “glue” to hold things down - mashed avocado, nut butter, hummus, ricotta, maybe a soft goat cheese. I have a toaster oven that I use daily so it’s easy to warm up the pizza one but I understand this isn’t the case for everyone. It only needs a minute for the cheese to melt so you could pop 'er in the real oven as well. 
I wrote the recipes for one, but if you are going to make one, you might as well make a few whether it’s a snack or lunch situation. These recipes will work on any Wasa cracker or sturdy cracker of choice.

Pizza Crisp

1 Wasa THINS or similar cracker
1 Tbsp. pizza sauce
1 Tbsp. grated mozzerella
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan
chopped olives
dried Italian Herbs, for garnish
chopped basil, for garnish

Preheat a toasted oven or oven to 375º. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cracker. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan. Toast for 1 minute for the cheese to just melt. Top with a sprinkle of dried herbs and fresh basil. Enjoy warm.

Peach Crisp

1 Wasa THINS or similar cracker
1 Tbsp. mascarpone
1 tsp. maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 a ripe peach, sliced thin
granola, for garnish

Mix the mascarpone with the maple and cinnamon. Spread it on top of the cracker. Arrange the peach slices on top and garnish with granola.

Veggie Crisp

1 Wasa THINS or similar cracker
2 Tbsp. prepared hummus or mashed avocado
1/4 of a cucumber, thinly sliced
shaved fennel
chopped herbs and celery leaves
sea salt and pepper, for garnish

Spread the hummus or avocado on the surface of the cracker. Arrange the vegetables and herbs. Finish with a sprinkle or salt and pepper. 

SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE

First off, my Dad wanted a personal aknowledment for cleaning all the dishes I used to cook with at their house last night. Here it is, Dad! Thank you. As long as we get to share dinners together, I will likely be the one cooking and you will likely be the one cleaning. It's our team. I'll be waiting for my thank you on your non-existent blog whenever your ready. 

We also got to spend some time this weekend with our nearly-three-year-old niece. She picks up on the slightest details and her cuddles make me want to stop time, but it's always refreshing to hear how she takes life in with such fresh eyes. Through her, I witnessed a more life-like example of how inhibited we become as we grow up. She runs without fear, wants to pet every dog, easily expresses sadness, approaches other children without hesitation, certain they will be quick friends. That state of mind takes you by surprise when you are coming from a stage of life without kids, and spend most of your time with friends who don't have kids yet either. I admire her. I just watch her, hoping that she stays so precocious, and for myself, curious about when I started to let fear creep in and judgement manage the things I do and say. I'm not going to go too far down the rabbit hole, but every now and then the older are not always wiser. 

This grilled cheese satisfies the need for something warm and tasty. The greens and apple keep it on the fresher side, and the gruyere is mixed with some chopped shallots (a tip from Ruth Riechl at Gilt Taste) to add just enough kick to that perfectly melty, nutty cheese. Why people choose cold over hot sandwiches, I'm still not sure. We teamed up with the people at Wisconsin Cheese to compose a video of our grilled cheese sandwich recipe. You can watch it here. They are also hosting a recipe contest to enter an idea of your own with a pretty nice prize!

SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE // Makes 2

A few fine tuning notes. First of all, you want to let the moisture out of the chard so it doesn’t get soggy in the sandwich, so keep your sauté moving to release the pockets of steam. To get nice melty cheese, do not use pre shredded kinds. It has a coating on it to keep from sticking that tends to leave the cheese a bit dry. Fresh grated cheese will give you the best possible meltiness which we all prefer in a grilled cheese. Keep in mind, the measurements are all rough, so give and take as you wish.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 leaves of swiss chard, stem removed and thinly chopped

1/3 cup fresh grated gruyere

1/4 cup fresh grated mozzarella

1 heaping tablespoon finely minced shallot

4, ½’’ slices fresh whole grain bread

roughly 1/4 cup thinly sliced apple such as braeburn, honey crisp or pink lady

1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

sea salt

While preparing the sandwiches, start preheating your cast iron or grill pan over medium heat.

Combine both grated cheeses and the finely chopped shallot.

On two slices of the bread, divide the mustard and spread to all edges of the bread. Lay two to three slices of thinly sliced apple on top. Divide the shredded cheese on top of the apple slices in an even layer. Lastly, divide the sautéed greens on top of the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread.

Drizzle olive oil on the top, an optional sprinkle of sea salt and put it in the pan, oiled side down. Cover with a press if using and cook for two minutes. Drizzle oil on top and flip the sandwich over, cook for another two minutes until the cheese is melted through.

Cut in half and serve warm.

APPLE & SMOKED MOZARELLA MINI CALZONES

My dad, sister and I have had years of battling with my mom over the stuff she hoards in the garage. If you need a treadmill, non-functioning keyboard, halloween costumes for any age group, old silverware, paint in ANY shade of the color spectrum, it is in my mom's garage. It's a treasure trove of memories, junk, and admittedly useful items that I've taken to fill up our empty apartment.

Yesterday, I came across a box of frames I had on the wall of my room in college. They were all black, in attempt to keep some aesthetic to an entire wall full of pictures. After sitting in my mom's garage for a few years, they'd gathered a thick coat of dust; I cleaned them all off, and I can recall the specific circumstances of each of those captured moments.

We are just about two weeks from getting married now, and in this crunch time, I will confess that I'm at the height of emotion, most things bring me to tears, but the pictures reminded me how full my life has been/is. Not of things, wealth, or huge success', but full of people who have loved me for the majority of my years. Pictures of me laughing with my sister back when she dyed her hair different colors every week; my best friends Terri, Shan and Brit, from a trip to Italy, noses bright pink whilst experiencing coldest day of our lives; different images with my college roomates, who have undoubtedly been the most sincere friends I've ever known; Hugh and I five plus years ago... we were a little sad to see that yes, we are aging, but the carefree expressions are the same in our most recent pictures too. He has consistently made me so happy. These pictures reminded me how wonderful it is to be surrounded by people that are easy to be around. I just love these people SO much, and the greatest part is that each of them are an active part of my life to this day.

Speaking of being filled with goodness, I bring you mini calzones. Something that may look a little standard from the outside, but has warm fall flavors inside. Just little pockets of simple loveliness, like a box of old, dusty pictures.

APPLE + SMOKED MOZARELLA MINI CALZONES // Makes 12

I have included a link to the whole wheat dough I like, but you can buy one from a local pizza place or at some grocery stores to save yourself time.

1 Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (see recipe here)

1 Yellow Onion, sliced thin

1/2 tbsp. Butter

1 Medium Apple (Honeycrisp, Fuji or anything crispy)

1 Cup Diced Smoked Mozarella Cheese

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Handful of Fresh Thyme

Handful of Fresh Chives

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for brushing

Dijon Mustard to Serve

Heat oven to 500'

1. Make the pizza dough according to recipe link, or if using a premade crust, let it come to room temperature.

2. In the meantime, warm the butter over medium heat in a saucepan and add the thinly sliced onion. Continue to move them every so often until they begin to caramelize, this whole process takes about 20 minutes give or take.

3. Seed and cut the apple into a rough dice. Pull of the thyme leaves, and give the thyme and chives and nice chop. Get all your fillings in order for easy stuffing.

4. Roll out the dough into a shape resembling a rectangle. You want the dough thin, but not too gentle that it will rip when you stuff and fold. Use a sharp knife to cut across, making about 3x3 inch squares. Lay them on a floured baking sheet in lines, see picture.

5. Pile your toppings in the middle of the square. I did the order of onions, apples, both cheeses, herbs and a twist of black pepper... but I don't believe it makes any difference. Gently fold one corner across to the corner opposite, and gently press and fold the open edges. Repeat with all 12 or however many you end up with.

6. Brush the top of each mini calzone with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 14 minutes until tops are crispy brown. Let them rest just a minute before eating, serve with a little dipping dish of dijon mustard.