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.

Cottage cheese and Fruit

 This is an oldy. Apparently, clabbered milk is an ancient form of fermentation. It is also a form of wild fermentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Put 2 quarts rich clabbered milk into a cheese cloth bag and hang to drip. when whey has drained put curds in a bowl and stir until creamy. Beat whites 4 eggs stiff with enough sugar to sweeten well. Mix 1/2 cup thick cream into curds and fold in beaten whites of eggs. Pile fresh fruit in center of dish and surround with mixture. "

Apple Peel Twigs

This is another recipe I have had a photo of forever and keep forgetting to put it up. Not sure where I got it to start with which is unfortunate, but at least I salvaged it.

Nana Wee's Banana Bread

This recipe is from my friend Dawn (aka Egg Basket) and her grandmother Wee. It is fantastic and I highly recommend it. I wish I had taken a picture of it fresh out of the oven yesterday. I wish I could some how affix the aroma of it to the internet.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
3 heaping Tablespoons sour cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups sifted flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 pan. 
2. In a large bowl, cream the Crisco and sugar. 
3. Beat in the eggs. 
4. Add bananas and mix. 
5. Add sour cream and mix. 
6. Add lemon juice and mix.
7. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. 
8. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix until the flour is damp. 
9. Fold in the nuts.
10. Pour into greased and floured baking dish. 
11. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Enjoy. 

Kale Chips

Asian Snack Mix

I just found this link on Facebook. It's Gourments Asian healthier alternative to Chex Mix.

The Asian standbys of soy sauce, hoisin, and toasted sesame oil, along with those crisp and shiny Japanese rice snacks, have become so much a part of American cuisine that’s there’s nothing “ethnic” about this truly addictive party mix. We guarantee that you won’t be able to keep from nibbling on it all evening long! In fact, we predict that you will find yourself making it often because you won’t want to run out of it.

By Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

Photo by Chris Gentile

Makes 14 cups
Active time: 15 min // Total time: 1 1/2 hr

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 cups (3 oz) popped popcorn
• 6 cups (6 oz) rice cereal squares
• 1 (5 oz) can chow mein noodles
• 1 (3 oz) package Asian rice cracker snack mix
• 2 cups salted roasted cashews or dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 cup wasabi peas or dried peas

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 250°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk in sugar, soy, hoisin, sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger and cayenne. Remove from heat.
• Combine popcorn, rice cereal, chow mein noodles, Asian snack mix, cashews and wasabi peas in a very large bowl. Drizzle with butter mixture and toss well to coat. Spread evenly in 2 large (18- by 13-inch) rimmed sheet pans.
• Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, a total of 1 hour.
• Cool completely in pans on racks.

Cooks’ Notes: Snack mix can be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. If for some reason it needs to be re-crisped, reheat it in the rimmed sheet pans in a preheated 250°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Halloumi and a Mediterranean Breakfast

It's been a long time since I blogged.
My apologies. Life has been busy.
REALLY BUSY!

I was away for a few weeks, tending to some family matters in Connecticut. While I was down there I stayed with my dear old friend Sloop.

One morning his roommate from Turkey made us breakfast. As I hovered in the kitchen the first thing I saw was this:

and I was instantly in heaven.
Halloumi heaven.
Meet my friend Halloumi.
I've never met a cheese I didn't like.
Halloumi is a special breed.
Why?
Because it is:
firm
grill-able
fry-able
and
oh so yummy too.
Halloumi is the sheep and goats milk cheese from Cyprus Greece.
The special thing about halloumi is that it doesn't melt when it cooks.
See it retains it's shape?
Fry it up
and serve it
with your
choice of accompaniments.

Dehydrated Apple Slices

No recipe required!

Just peel

core

and slice your apples.

Put them in single layers

in a food dehydrator

and have at it!

High-Tech S’mores

This recipe makes one s'more at a time.

Ingredients
1 bag marshmallows
1 box graham crackers
Several Hershey’s bars
A microwave

Process
1. On a small plate place one square of graham cracker.
2. On top of cracker place one or two rectangles chocolate.
3. Top chocolate with marshmallow and squish a bit.
4. Place plate in the microwave and cook on high for 10 to 15 seconds.
5. Remove (marshmallow will have expanded) from microwave, top with another graham cracker square, press together to adhere, and let cool a minute.
6. Enjoy sitting on the couch watching late night TV.

Laurie’s Honey and Almond Biscotti

This recipe for Honey Almond Biscotti comes from my dear friend La. It makes roughly 2 dozen biscotti.

Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup slivered almonds toasted

Process
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter and flour a large baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, 1 and1/2 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt until blended.
4. Make well in center of dry ingredients.
5. Add 4 eggs, honey, lemon peel, and vanilla to center of well.
6. Stir egg mixture gradually, until blended and mixed with dry ingredients.
7. Mix in the almonds.
8. Drop dough onto prepared sheet by Tablespoonfuls, forming into two 12-inch-long by 2-inch-wide logs.
9. Space logs 3 inches apart on sheet.
10. Using moistened fingertips, flatten or shape logs neatly (as in smooth into biscotti like shapes).
11. Beat remaining egg in small bowl. Brush logs generously with egg.
12. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
13. Bake until logs are golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.
14. Reduce oven to 325. Cool logs on baking sheet about 10 minutes.
15. Transfer warm logs to work/cutting surface.
16. Cut logs, on a slight diagonal, into 1/2 inch-thick slices.
17. Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 clean baking sheets.
18. Return to oven and bake until lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
19. Cool completely.
20. Store in an airtight container up to week, but if you have a bunch of people around you with the munchies, they won’t last an hour!

Ranch Oyster Crackers

My guess is that this is the recipe on the back of the oyster cracker bag, but it is on a card in my recipe box so I can't figure out who to give credit for it except for Hidden Valley Ranch!
Ingredients
16 ounce bag Oyster crackers
1 package Ranch Salad Dressing/Dip mix
3/4 cup oil - scant
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Process

1. Preheat oven 275 degrees.
   
2. Stir all ingredients except crackers together in a bowl.
   
3. Add crackers and stir well but gently so that the crackers do not break.
   
4. Spread out on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
   
5. Let cool before eating.
   

Rosemary Corn Bread

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I found in November 2003's Real Simple magazine. The use of yogurt and inclusion of whole kernel corn makes this recipe fabulous!
http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=524254
Ingredients
2 8.5 ounce boxes corn bread mix
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 8-ounce container plain yogurt
2 7-ounce cans whole-kernel corn, drained
1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary leaves

Process

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
   

2. Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
   

3. Stir all the ingredients together.
   

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
   

5. Bake 25 minutes or just until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
   

6. When cool, cut lengthwise into 3 strips and then crosswise into quarters. Cut each square into 2 triangles. (The corn bread can be made ahead to this point. Remove from pan, wrap in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.)

7. To serve, thaw and reheat in the foil in a 325ºF oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
   

   
   Yield: 24 servings

Thin Corn Bread

Ingredients
1 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
butter, the size of an egg, melted (I don't know how to translate such an archaic direction )
1.5 cups boiling water

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Mix ingredients together.
   
3. Beat well and spread thin on a baking sheet.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until done.
   

Candy Corn Crisped Rice Cereal Treats

This was the perfect activity for today, the day after Halloween. I cleaned up a bowl of candy decorations into a perfect snack for the kids lunch boxes. Perfect way to find a use for that extra Halloween candy!

Ingredients

1 stick butter, plus more to grease the pan
10 cups crisped rice cereal.
9 cups marshmallows
2 cups candy corn
1 cup chocolate bits (chop some candy bars or else use chips)

Process

1. Grease a large lipped cookie pan


2. In a big saucepan, melt 1 stick butter with the marshmallows. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and ensure smoothness.


3. In a large bowl, mix cereal, chocolate and candy corns.


4. Add melted marshmallow to cereal mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.


5. Spread mixture onto cookie sheet and press together and into corners of pan.


6. Refrigerate until well chilled and then cut into small pieces. Enjoy!