jonesing for... » snack

peanut butter granola

Jessica J. — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:00:18 +0000

Let’s face it. Granola like this is basically crumbled up cookies under the guise of being healthfood and thus it is glorious in its deception and deliciousness. I whipped this up late Sunday night when a craving for peanut butter/oatmeal cookies hit me and I wanted to change things up. I threw in a couple handfuls of raisins and half a can of mixed nuts I had sitting in the freezer and voila! Tasty, terrible-for-you granola! Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Granola

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup honey-roasted peanut butter
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup raisins

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375 F.

2.) Melt butter and peanut butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Stir in salt and vanilla. Stir in oats and coat evenly with peanut butter mixture.

3.) Pour oat mixture out onto large cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan. Toss with nuts and raisins and store in an airtight container.

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crostini with ricotta & goat cheese spread

Jessica J. — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:38:15 +0000

I love having guests. Whether it be for an evening or a weekend, taking care of those temporarily staying at my place has always been a favorite past time. During high school my nickname was “The Hostess with the Mostest” for my love of party-throwing and general affection to having people stay at my house. In college I found myself cooking for our newspaper’s fellow staff workers and making dinners every weekend at my friends’ apartments. Now, being the grownup I am (/sarcasm), I get to entertain guests staying at my apartment!

My oldest sister D visited me last weekend for a little overnight getaway and I had this delicious and light appetizer waiting for when she arrived. Creamy ricotta mixed with pungent goat cheese and lemon zest spread on garlic toasts. Something great to nosh on while she freshened up after her car ride but not too filling with the knowledge we’d be going out to dinner in a few hours. Not too fancy but the perfect thing to make your guest feel special.

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Crostini with Ricotta & Goat Cheese Spread

The flavor gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to make this a day in advance. Just let it come to room temperature so it’s easy to spread.

Based on the recipe from Giada deLaurentiis.

Ingredients

1 skinny French baguette, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
4 oz. fresh soft goat cheese at room temperature
¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese at room temperature
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.) Brush baguette slices with oil, dust with salt and pepper, then grill or broil until toasted. Rub hot bread with garlic cloves until they dissolve.

2.) In a small bowl, stir together 1 tsp. olive oil, goat cheese, ricotta, basil, chives, lemon zest, and juice. Taste for seasoning.

3.) Spread goat cheese mixture over crostini and garnish with lemon zest.

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Post tags: appetizer, cheese, snack

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cheddar crackers

Jessica J. — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Well, hey there! Long time, no real post. I am finally back up and running, however, so here we go!

My new job is amazing and everything I wanted it to be, but one of the side effects of testing and developing recipes is, well, being full from eating all day. I don’t eat real dinners or bake for the office too often now, but I do like to snack, and these fit that craving just perfectly. They’re also great to set out for munchies during any kind of gathering, which I did for a mini housewarming soiree this weekend.

These cheddar crackers are akin to Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, Goldfish Crackers, etc, etc, but far yummier and more fun to make. You can really add anything to change up the flavor profile once you get the basic dough down, such as sprinkling them with sesame seeds, using other cheeses, or adding fresh herbs. They’re addictive and easy and oh-so-delicious, even after a day of eating, I’ll still eat them by the handful.

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Cheddar Crackers

Based on the recipe from Country Living.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ tsp. ground pepper
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
8oz grated cheddar cheese
3-4 tablespoons water

Optional: Sesame seeds.

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, pepper, and butter until crumbled and combined. Pulse in the cheese a little bit at a time until incorporated, and then slowly add the water until a dough ball forms and pulls away from the sides.

3.) Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate until chilled, at least a half hour or up to 24 hours.

4.) Once properly chilled, flour a board and roll out the dough to about 1/8″ thick and cut into squares, circles, shapes – whatever you like! Using a fluted cutter gives them a fun shape.

5.) Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet (don’t worry about spacing them out – they puff up, they don’t spread out). Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Cool and snack!

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parmesan and black pepper popcorn

Jessica J. — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:14:33 +0000

Happy Oscar Sunday!

Just a quick post before the festivities start. Here’s a special treat to make for the ceremony tonight, using items I always have in my fridge and pantry. Spicy-salty popcorn you’ll eat handful after handful of, and not even feel that guilty about since I go easy on the oil.

Enjoy the awards tonight – and go “Inglourious Basterds” and Kathryn Bigelow!

Parmesan & Black Pepper Popcorn

Based on the recipe from CHOW.

Ingredients

4 cups air-popped popcorn
1 tablespoon melted butter (or a healthier alternative is to use a Misto oil sprayer filled with olive oil)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon fine table salt

Directions

1.) Top hot popcorn with melted butter (or spray with oil) and toss with other ingredients. Serve hot.

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