Figs with Bleu Cheese & Honey

Sometimes the tastiest things are the simplest things.

I am really excited that figs are in season. They’re not usually high on my list of “gosh I really want to eat that” things, but Arugula Files’ post reminding us all they are finally in season reminded me of something.

My Grandmother had a fig tree in her backyard when I was growing up. I never understood the strange fruit, and I don’t remember particularly loving them but they do remind me of being young and curious and, of course, my Grandmother.

So when I saw a figs-stuffed-with-cheese recipe in my newly purchased Farmers Market Desserts book I was pretty excited. The recipe in the book is simple to begin with, but I was feeling downright lazy. It was more than enough that I’d gotten up way too early on a Sunday to hunt down figs at the Dupont Farmers Market (which can be found at the Country Pleasures Farm stand in very limited quantities).

So I stuffed them with bleu cheese and drizzled them with honey and called it a day. And ate them. I ate them all.

Think about those heavy fall dinners that are coming our way…I don’t know about you, but I still want dessert! This would be the way to go!

Enjoy :)

Homemade Graham Crackers

When I brought these to work the other day I got a lot of this: “What would posses you!?” and “Why would you MAKE graham crackers?!” Well, normally I wouldn’t make graham crackers. But I did it for @bukiporter.

See, awhile ago, I holla’d into the Twitterverse and basically said, “Afraid to bake something? I’ll bake it for you and together we’ll see if it was worth it.” And @bukiporter answered my call with a graham cracker recipe recently posted on Smitten Kitchen. Knowing by now that Deb doesn’t post crappy recipes, I had faith that these would at least taste good. But we all have different levels of tolerance for bullshit in the kitchen. Me? I have a low tolerance for bullshit. Bullshit being too many ingredients, weird and/or hard to find ingredients, too many steps in the recipe, too much rigging shit up in my kitchen (which is why I’d rather microwave chocolate than rig up a double boiler, go ahead, judge me), etc. etc.

So off I went…on a graham cracker making adventure.

Honestly, this recipe isn’t that hard. Relatively low on the scale of being time-consuming (even though you have to let the dough chill just about every time you touch it). The ingredients and steps are simple and straight forward. But here’s the thing. If you make these – don’t expect a graham cracker as you know it. You’re not going to get the texture of store-bought graham crackers. You’ll get the taste, but not the texture. They just aren’t as light, airy, thinly crispy, or easy to crumb. You know what I mean? All those things we’ve come to know and define a graham cracker by.