Can't wait for next year's camping trip! [Simple Cracker Recipe]

Our backyard for the weekend.

The damage to the cans with our arsenal.

When my boyfriend first told me about the camping trip, I was reluctant to go and I made a huge deal out of it. I was worried about bugs, safety, and being clean. My mind was on "Let's think about everything that can possibly go wrong and worry myself to death." About 2 weeks before leaving, I wasn't stressed about the trip anymore and I was ready to go. The night before leaving, I was excited and could barely sleep.

Fire in her natural beauty.

Wow. The camping trip from this past weekend was amazing. I never thought I would have so much fun outdoors. I didn't worry at all. I went with the flow and it felt great to be away from civilization. I jumped from a rock into the water and nearly froze my butt off. I started shaking like chihuahua. Now, I know why those tiny things shake so much. We also found a secluded hillside and shot at beer cans and paper targets. The best part was chopping and splitting firewood. It's a great way workout I tell ya! And there's nothing more satisfying than getting the perfect hit so that the firewood splits all the way down to the bottom so the two pieces fly in opposite directions. Gorgeous.

The food was a carnivore's dream. We had so much. There were patties, sausages, drumsticks, wings, ribs, and bacon. Meat in every single meal. The amount of meat I consumed was enough to last me 2 weeks. I certainly wasn't used to the protein intake. By the second day, I wasn't pooping right. The only veggies I had a chance to eat was a tiny bit of green beans, broccoli cheese, and a lot of salad mix.

Hamburger for lunch.

Pasta, green beans, and chicken (still on the grill) for dinner.

Sausage sandwich for lunch.

My last photo of our trip. Lake Spaulding.

On our drive back home, I was already brainstorming food ideas for the next trip like grilled corn, baby carrots, and crackers. We had four bags of chips that we killed, but I think some homemade crackers next time will also do us some good.

Simple Cracker Recipe

Note: I did not come up with this recipe. I found it online 2 years ago, but I did not bookmark the URL. Please let me know who the original author is if you know.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP olive oil
4 TBSP water
1 tsp seasoning (My favorite to use is curry powder)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix 1 cup flour, salt, and oil.
3. Add 3 TBSP water and seasoning. Mix well. Add more water or flour until it makes a compact ball.
4. Roll out thin.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until brown.

How to cut pasta by hand (a step-by-step picture tutorial)

My favorite time of the year is August when the big back-to-school sale occurs. I love that $1 can buy me an insane amount of supplies. I have bought notebooks, filler paper, and folders for 1 cent. Today I managed to purchase two glue sticks and one 4 oz. school glue for 50 cents.

When I was in elementary school, my parents didn't buy me over priced Crayola or Lisa Franks school supplies.  Instead, I used off brands that worked just as well and I learned that you don't always need the name brand. As a result, I feel strongly about improvising to get the job done instead of buying tools for every single task.

Since I don't make pasta that frequently, I never purchased a pasta machine. When it comes to cutting the pasta, it's a painstaking task that takes between 30 minutes and an hour depending on the batch. I use a knife to cut so the dough bunches up, tears, and gets stretched out. 

One day when I was ripping paper by creasing the edges, I thought, why can't I do that with the pasta? The technique I'm about to show you is all about creasing and ripping so the process is faster and more efficient  with minimal effort and time.

Roll out the dough.

Using the edge of a pastry scraper, put pressure into the pasta dough and slide/drag the pastry scraper down to create a line in the dough. It doesn't need to go all the way through the dough.

When you have finished "drawing" lines, gently pull the noodle away from the rest of the dough. It should break away easily -- like tearing paper with a perforated edge. 

Whoo. The batch of completed noodles.