Appetizers, Recipes

Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix

Sarah

pretzel mixI love snack food. Especially at the holidays or times when I have long breaks. Sometimes it’s more fun to eat little bits of a wide variety of many things… or is it a lot of a wide variety of many things? I’m not sure. Anyways… I was home a few weeks ago visiting my family while my husband was hanging out with his brothers for the weekend, and as usual, my mom, sister, and I spent some time cooking. My sis and I whipped up this quick, easy, and tasty snack mix… and I have to admit that I probably ate more of the mixture before it was baked than after, but that’s beside the point. What IS the point is how delicious this [appropriately named] sweet and spicy snack mix is, and how easy it was to make. The crunch is so satisfying too. This would be a great addition to your Christmas meal or party spread… but I know I’ll be making it other times of the year too! Deeelicious!

Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix [from Everyday Food, September 2008]

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups thin pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup whole almonds
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix pretzels and almonds. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and cayenne pepper over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over pretzels and almonds. Stir to coat. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until mixture caramelizes; flipping every 3-5 minutes to prevent burning. Recipe can be doubled.

Click here for the printable: Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite snack mix?

Fruit, Recipes, Sides

Cranberry Sauce Face/Off

Sarah

Cranberry sauce is VERY serious business. Because it’s my favorite holiday dish, like stuffing, ya know? It’s the only way I can stomach turkey or a big hunk o’ meat, as is traditional for holiday meals. And FYI… I’m not talking about that stuff in a can. I hope you didn’t think that was the case.

canned cranberry sauce
canned cranberry sauce=gross

No, I’m talking about real, whole berry cranberry sauce. Today I’ll be sharing my two best cranberry sauce recipes, just in time for your Christmas dinner.

cranberry sauces in the snow
The magic of cranberry sauce. On the left, the traditional family Cranberry Relish; on the right, a new recipe: Gingered Cranberry-Apricot Sauce.

I love my family’s traditional cranberry relish because it’s tart and sweet at the same time. The sweetness of the citrus pairs perfectly with tangy cranberries. The Cranberry Relish is a snap to make too–from start to finish, this dish takes about 10 minutes, tops. How simple is that? Love it!

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 orange, scrubbed and sliced
  • 1 lime, scrubbed and sliced
  • 1/2-3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Place cranberries in the bowl of a food processor. Add half of the orange and lime [including the rind], and pulse several times to chop. Then add the rest of the orange and lime and pulse a few more times. Pour in 1/4 cup sugar and pulse to combine. Taste and add additional sugar as desired. I usually use about 1/2 cup sugar total, but adjust to your tastes. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Notes:

Feel free to use any type of citrus in this cranberry relish… oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, clementines, etc. Just be sure to remove the seeds first!

and for recipe #2…

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about trying a cooked cranberry sauce. It wasn’t what I had grown up enjoying. However, I am so glad I gave this Gingered Cranberry-Apricot Sauce a try. The combination of spicy ginger, sweet apricot, and tangy cranberries is fabulous! It’s unlike any cranberry dish I have ever tasted… I made it for Thanksgiving and it’s making a repeat appearance at Christmas. Yum!

Gingered Cranberry-Apricot Sauce [from Woman’s Day]

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1/2-3/4 cup sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons ginger
  • 15.25 ounce can apricot halves [I used the lite version in a natural juice]

Directions:

Drain apricots, reserving juice into a measuring cup. Add water to juice to make 1 cup of liquid. Chop apricots into thirds.

In a medium saucepan, combine liquid, cranberries, apricots, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon ginger. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes or until the majority of the cranberries have burst. Taste, and add additional sugar or ginger to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Click here for the printable: Cranberry Sauce Face/Off

Question of the Day: Cranberry Sauce… Yea or Nay?

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

Sarah

Okay, school is OVER! Finally. 🙂 At least for 3 weeks. And I have big plans… involving fun reading, fun baking/cooking, relaxing, time with family, etc. I can’t wait!

Week of December 20

Monday: crispy honey-ginger chicken from How Sweet It Is

Tuesday: biscuits and gravy from The Paupered Chef

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday-Sunday: out of town for Christmas

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Study Break, aka Eggless Cookie Dough that’s safe to eat

Sarah

I may or may not have just made some raw cookie dough [sans eggs] to help me with finals… just one large paper, one short essay, and one multiple choice exam stand in between me and FREEDOM!!!!

eggless cookie dough that's safe to eat!
In case you’re interested in my rendition, ya know, if you may or may not want to join me in my cookie dough fest, I used about 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1/8 cup white chocolate chips + 1/8 cup butterscotch chips. Deeelicious! My college friends and I used to buy tubes of store-bought cookie dough and tubs of funfetti frosting to munch on during girls’ nights. Brings back memories… gotta go, I don’t want to experience the memory of 2 am paper-writing! 🙂

Eggless Cookie Dough - safe to eat and enjoy!

  • Servings: lots
  • Print

from Cupcake Project

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • any amount of any mix-ins you’d like – I used 3/4 cup total of semi sweet, butterscotch, and white chocolate chips but anything works!!

Directions:

Mix up in a bowl. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate/freeze for future cookie dough cravings. 🙂

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

Sarah

Week of December 13-19

Monday: easy meal from the freezer

Tuesday: breakfast for dinner

Wednesday: out to eat to celebrate the end of the semester!

Thursday: chicken and wild rice soup

Friday: Mustard chicken [that I still didn’t make…]

Saturday: leftovers

Sunday: tacos

I apologize for my absence as of late… finals week begins Monday so things are quite hectic. All of my work is due by Wednesday, then I will have about 3 1/2 weeks of much needed relaxation. Until then, you’ll find me attached to my computer. Such is life though… enjoy your weeks! 🙂