Sourdough Crackers

1 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unfed ("discarded") sourdough starter
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons dried herbs of your choice, optional
oil for brushing
coarse salt for sprinkling on top

Mix together the flour, salt, sourdough starter, butter, and optional herbs to make a smooth (not sticky), cohesive dough.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a couple of hours, until the dough is firm.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Very lightly flour a piece of parchment, your rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough to about 1/16" thick. The dough will have ragged, uneven edges; that's OK. Just try to make it as even as possible.
Transfer the dough and parchment together onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and then sprinkle the salt over the top of the crackers.
Cut the dough into 1 1/4" squares; a rolling pizza wheel works well here.
Prick each square with the tines of a fork.
Bake the crackers for about 20 minutes, until the squares are starting to brown around the edges.
When fully browned, remove the crackers from the oven, and transfer them to a cooling rack. Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
Yield: about 100 crackers, 20 servings.

French Bread

* 5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 packages active dry yeast
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 2 cups warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
* Cornmeal
*1 egg white, slightly beaten
*1 tablespoon water

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt.
Add the warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Let sit for 10 min.
 Beat on high speed for 3 minutes stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal.
Roll each portion of the dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. Pinch ends and pull slightly to taper. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet.
 In a small bowl stir together egg white and water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaves. Let rise until nearly double in size (35 to 45 minutes).
P
reheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of each loaf. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove bread from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves

Apple Crisp

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).

Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together.

Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cornstarch

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cornstarch and gently toss to combine. Working one at a time, dip the chicken into the eggs.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
5. Add chicken to the prepared baking dish. 

6. Top with sweet and sour sauce. 

7. Place into oven and bake until the sauce has thickened, about 55 minutes, turning over every 15 minutes to evenly coat the chicken.
8. Serve immediately.