little luxuries: Oat Crackers

 
I think the human spirit is wired to seek out and appreciate the little luxuries that are present in some form or another in all of our lives.  It's been well documented that wealth does not translate into happiness, and that satisfaction with one's life is unrelated to financial or social status.  

Even when faced with reduced circumstances, or trying times, it's in our nature to find something, however inconsequential, to take joy in.

Worldly goods or expensive surroundings have no bearing on this innate ability to feel pleasure.

We all carry it with us, this capacity to enjoy, and if we only stay alive to them, little opportunities will present themselves,

like a patch of sun on a cool spring afternoon

a glass of Merlot after a frustrating day

and a stack of homemade oat biscuits with a few shards of salty gouda on the side.

Oatmeal Biscuits     ---from Patricia Wells, At Home in Provence
 oven to 400

• In the bowl of a food processor combine:

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (Patricia uses all purpose)
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tsp firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda

• Process until the oats are broken up and then add: 

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut in pieces

• Pulse about 10 times to cut in the butter.  Then, through the feed tube, drizzle in:

1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp whole milk, more if needed

• Pulse the machine just until a dough forms, but stop before it becomes a ball.  
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut with a 2" cookie cutter into rounds and transfer to a nonstick baking sheet.
• Pierce each round all over with the tines of a fork.  Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are lightly browned around the edges.
• Let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool.

Have a great weekend!