crackers

If you're a juicer, you'll want to read this veggie pulp cracker recipe from pure2raw, who posted it in our Healthy Recipe group.

Do you enjoy freshly made juice, but never know what to do with the leftover pulp? We have an easy cracker recipe that only requires three ingredients. The pulp crackers can be made in the oven or dehydrator.

Read on for the recipe.

As a schoolkid, I grew up eating the same thing for lunch every day — a whole wheat deli meat and cheese sandwich with a pear and baby carrots. Our Michelle Obama-approved pantry had nary a cracker, chip, cookie, or cake in sight. So it was a bit like finding lost treasure every time I managed to get my hands on a four-pack of Lance Captain's Wafers at school. When I recently discovered Lance had released a new line of all-natural snack packs, the 10-year-old in me couldn't resist giving them a try.

Cracker Creations are described as "seasoned crackers with a cream cheese filling" and tout "real cheese, real vegetables, and 5 grams of whole grain per serving." They come in boxes of six individually sealed cracker twin-packs, in two savory flavors. Find out what we thought of them when you read on.

Every once in a while, I unearth a dish that's good enough to be the recipe to end all other recipes. These discoveries are few and far between, but this weekend I found a baking recipe that's so delicious that it's ended my quest for the perfect savory cookie.

May I present the bacon cookie? The name says it all. Actually, it's a bacon, blue cheese, and pecan coin that's short and crumbly at first bite, then melts in your mouth with a nutty, sharp, cheese-like finish. You'll never — I repeat, never — be able to eat just one.

Serve it as a Christmas party appetizer, or wrap it up in cellophane baggies and give it to everyone you love. If you do, you're guaranteed to be a favorite this holiday season. Want the recipe? Yes, you do.

Over a thoroughly enjoyable bite of blackberry fool, I couldn't help but dream about a crumbly, larden shortbread round to dust off with it. So tonight, while I've still got some blackberry dessert in the icebox, I think I'm going to bake up a batch of shortbread coins to go along with.

A traditional shortbread is truly spare of ingredients, calling only for butter, flour, and sugar. In fact, it's so simple that I plan to experiment with other add-ins just for fun, like the addition of garlic, pepper, and Parmesan cheese to form savory, bite-sized shortbread coins that can be served with any manner of cheese or charcuterie. Want to follow suit with the same idea? Then get both recipes when you read on.

For an all-natural version of cheese crackers worthy of serving at a party, OnSugar blog Fresh Tart turns to blue cheese and butter to create melt-in-your-mouth blue cheese shortbread. I'll confess. I love Cheez-its. I don't want to know what cheez is, and I endeavor to not eat the things (I forbid them from the house...most of the time), but I'm moved by their flaky, tangy, processed perfection. Addictive little beasts, grrr. But as tasty as they are, I'm obviously not bringing them to a party, at least not in this century. (I've brought much worse to parties, including little cocktail pumpernickel slices spread with herb processed cheese and topped with slices of Oscar Mayer salami cut into Christmas-tree shapes. It took me forever to free-form all those little salami trees. I...yeah. That was a long time ago.) These better days, I think it's nice to bring a host/ess something I've actually made myself, mad scissor skills aside.

See her fast and easy recipe when you keep reading.

Snacking on Ritz Pretzel Crisps not only reminded me of my childhood fondness for classic Ritz crackers, but it also got me thinking about my favorite crackers today. While PartySugar and AlexisSF love Wheat Thins, I'm going to have to go with Carr's Table Water Crackers. They have a satisfyingly crisp texture and pair well with any cheese, from a creamy goat to a semifirm cheddar. Oh, and I can't ever pass up a Cheez-It.

What about you: what's your favorite cracker?