Dill Pickle Mini Saltines

 I'm proud to say I did a thing today. It's not a really big thing, but it is a thing I don't normally do. I made a recipe of my own.  I know, I probably do it more often than I think I do but it felt like an achievement none the less. I guess there are recipes I have crafted before like the Awesomesauce Bruschetta or Potato Feta Wonder which,  to my surprise, needs to be put on the blog. I will have to do that the next time the kids are home. Anyway, here's this tasty treat I created and am sending to the youngest at boarding school. 

Ingredients

1 box mini Saltines

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and melted

2 heaping Tablespoons Trader Joe's "Seasoning in a Pickle"

2 + Tablespoons pickle juice from a pickle jar

1 Tablespoon dried Dill

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

parchment paper

Process

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

3. Place mini Saltines in a large mixing bowl. 

4. In a measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave (two bursts of 20 seconds)

5. Whisk into the melted butter the remaining ingredients. Mix well. 

6. Pour the butter mixture over the Saltines and stir and toss to mix. 

7. Transfer the well coated Saltines to the baking sheet and spread out to prevent sticking. 

8. Bake for 10 minutes and stir. 

9. Bake another 10 minutes and stir. 

10. Repeat step 9. 

11. Spread those crackers out once again, checking for dampness, and cook another 5 minutes. 

12. Completely cool before serving or storing.

Strawberry Balsamic Chutney

 Our friend Nick is a local caterer and he delighted us at a recent event with a delicious appetizer. It was a crustini made from slices of toasted baguette with a smear of goat cheese topped with a balsamic strawberry chutney. I couldn't get enough! Luckily, Nick was kind enough to explain to me what it was and how he made it so now I have the skills to recreate it at home. We are only eating for two around here now that all the kids are away at school and college, so fortunately SP knows how to make lovely toasted baguette slices! 

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 shallot, chopped thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large container strawberries, diced

2 teaspoons honey

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper 

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

a couple of dashes or dribbles of Balsamic glaze

Process

1. In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over a low medium heat. 

2. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until soft  and not browned. 

3. Add the strawberries, honey, salt and spices and saute. 

4. You can turn the heat up a bit, and when softening,  start mashing with a potato masher.  

5. When it becomes one blended pot, add the vinegar and the glaze and simmer for a while on lower heat as it reduces just a bit. 

6. Remove from heat and spoon into a glass jar to cool in the fridge. 

7. Serve on crustini on top of a slathering of goat cheese.  Yum!