Browsing Tag:

snacks

RECIPES/ Sweets

Salty Sweet Peanut Butter Caramel Funky Fritos

I know, I know.  This is not the usual type of recipe I post here at New Nostalgia.  There is nothing real or healthy about these–AT ALL!

But, sometimes you gotta break the healthy rules and make something junky–especially when it is for a dessert contest!  City Impact  (where my husband works) was having their annual BBQ Cookout, and something they do every year is a fun dessert contest.

The winners get great gift cards, so I decided to enter something extra gooey sweet!

I started making this recipe about 4 years ago, always in the fall during football season and only once a year.

I put candy corn in it instead of the chocolate candies, which really is the perfect salty/ sweet combination, inspired by the typical peanuts and candy corn mix.  It looks very fall and festive.

While munching away on these Funky Fritos, my daughter asked me what was in them.  I started listing the 4 ingredients, and when I got to corn syrup, she had a freakout and said “oh man, Mom, I CAN’T BELIEVE you made something with CORN SYRUP in it.”

My husband smiled, shook his head and said “only YOUR daughter would say something like that!” 🙂

Salty Sweet Peanut Butter Caramel Funky Fritos

1 cup white corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 10.5 ounce bag Fritos

Chocolate Candies or Candy Corn (optional)

 

Pour out the Fritos on a large shallow pan lined with greased parchment paper. Combine the corn syrup and sugar and bring to a boil (I use my microwave for this kind of chore – usually takes about 6-8 minutes for the sugar to be dissolved and you’re set!)

Then stir in the PB til smooth. Pour the mixture over the chips, sprinkle with candies, and chill for about 30-60 minutes. Break apart and enjoy!

 

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RECIPES/ Sides

Roasted Strawberries

We have been to our local strawberry patch, RocaBerry Farm, to pick strawberries TWICE this past week.  My kids just love going to the patch and hunting for the sweet treasures.  The price is great–99 cents a pound!  We now have a freezer full of hulled strawberries, which makes me very happy! 
{my youngest trying not to step on the berries!}
I was drooling browsing through Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday Cookbook, and came upon a recipe for Roasted Strawberries.  I have been a huge fan of Heidi’s online journal, 101 Cookbooks, and knew she would not steer me wrong.

She didn’t.  This recipe is super easy to make, and let me tell you, it makes the house smell DELISH! The finished product is unlike your typical strawberry sauce.  It is much more concentrated and special. They are perfect slathered on toast, biscuits, bran muffins, or over ice cream.  
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Roasted Strawberries
8 ounces small tο medium strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon port wine (optional, I didn’t use)
A few drops balsamic vinegar
Preheat thе oven tο 350F wіth a rack іn thе middle οf thе oven.
It іѕ valuable tο υѕе a rimmed baking sheet οr large baking dish fοr thіѕ recipe—уου don’t want thе juices  to run οff thе sheet onto thе floor οf уουr oven. If уου аrе bу a baking sheet, line іt wіth parchment paper.
Cυt each strawberry іn half. If уουr strawberries аrе οn thе large side, сυt thеm іntο quarters οr sixths. Add thе berries tο a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk thе maple syrup, olive oil, аnԁ salt. Pour thіѕ over thе strawberries аnԁ very gently toss tο coat thе berries. Arrange thе strawberries іn a single layer οn thе prepared baking sheet.
Heat fοr аbουt 40 minutes, јυѕt long enough fοr thе berry juices tο thicken, bυt nοt long enough fοr thе juices tο burn. Watch thе edges οf thе pan.
WhіƖе still warm, scrape thе berries аnԁ juices frοm thе pan іntο a small bowl. Stir іn thе port аnԁ balsamic vinegar. Uѕе immediately οr Ɩеt сοοƖ аnԁ store іn thе refrigerator fοr up tο a week.
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Need more strawberry inspiration?


How about Homemade Freezer Jam?  or Homemade Fruit Leather??  MMMMmmmmm.
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Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

My Favorite Healthy Snack

My favorite healthy snack lately?  An Apple and Justin’s Maple Almond Butter!
MMMMM!

I have found myself on the go a lot recently, so lately I have been throwing an apple and a packet of Justin’s Maple Almond Butter in my bag, just in case I get the munchies.

It is so convenient, I just take a bite of my apple, then squeeze the almond butter right on.  It tastes like dessert to me, and reminds me of a caramel apple, just not so sticky and sweet.

I love this on Pink Lady apples, and I also love it on green Granny Smith apples.
The sweet almond butter goes perfectly with the tart apple.
Delish!

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RECIPES/ Sides

Homemade Cheese-Its

I found this recipe from A Bird And A Bean.  It is such an easy and fun snack to make!
I do not buy much processed junk food, so when we get a craving for something crispy and cheesy, I now know have the perfect recipe to make.
Next time I will roll them out thinner for more of a crunch.  These had crunchy bottoms and crisp layers of cheesiness, and my girls liked them “poofy” so they were still a hit even rolled a bit thicker.  
I think I will take a toothpick and poke the middle of each one before baking next time, it may help de-poof and will make them look like the original.
Thanks, Erin, for a great recipe! 
 I love eating a cracker with minimal ingredients and no preservatives!

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
**I didn’t need to chill mine, I think if you add less water you can skip this step.
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
  • 1 (8-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% Cheddar cheese (preferably orange)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until crumbly. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 25 minutes. Test for crispiness; crackers may take a few minutes more to finish crisping. Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

57
RECIPES/ Sides

Baked Kale Chips

Kale is a super healthy food.  When I read up on treating cancer nutritionally, kale kept coming up everywhere I read,  so I knew I had to find a way to get more kale in out diet. I remember reading on a few different blogs about making homemade Kale Chips.  I gave it a try and I like them!  My kids were apprehensive, but after crunching on some and tasting the salt I sprinkled on them, it grew on them and the pan was gone by the end of the night.  I think I tore mine into pieces that were too small, which ended up making some of the edges over cooked, which then made those spots taste a little weird.
Next time, I will try to get kale that is straight leafed and bake it flat and whole like she did here at Roost 
The recipe I used is from The Little Red House.  I loved that it called for lemon zest, yum!
Baked Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale, rinsed, dried and bottom (thickest part) of the stems cut off.
olive oil
lemon zest (a few tsp)
coarse salt and cracked pepper
 
Cut (or tear) kale into smaller, bite sized pieces.
Toss with olive oil, lemon zest, and s & p.
Spread onto lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until light and crispy.
Here is one more recipe for kale chips that intrigued me from Bonzai Aphrodite.  She adds a whole bunch of yummy ingredients, I would love to try this recipe sometime.
What’s New and Beneficial About Kale
  • Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in kale do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability – just not as much.
  • Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.
  • Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale’s glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.
  • Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale’s flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

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Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

Simple Summer Squash Recipe

One thing about blogging that continues to amaze me is how I can ask a question and within minutes receive answers from readers.  It is such a fun reminder that there really ARE people out there reading and they actually care enough to take a moment to talk to me!  That is just so fun.  

This is exactly how I got this recipe.  I wrote a post bragging and giddy about my garden harvest, and ended it with asking you all what to do with my overgrown summer squash.  I got quite a few great ideas, but the first commenter was Megan from Just The Scraps, and her simple preparation of summer squash really appealed to me. I tried it last night and I was so happy with how it turned out!   My 3 daughters and little niece all ate it and enjoyed it. Thank you so much, Megan, for commenting and sharing how you make summer squash.

This is more of a “method” then a recipe, or a “no recipe” recipe.

 Megan’s directions from her comment:
Try cutting the squash in bite sized pieces. Melt some butter in a pan and add some minced/chopped garlic. Stir in the squash and cover, so it can steam a bit. Stir occasionally until it reaches desired tenderness.
I sliced mine pretty thin and took out most of the seeds because my squash was overgrown and the seeds were large and tough.  It only cooked for about 5 minutes once I put the lid on, and was perfectly tender.
I added salt and pepper.  Simple!

Here is another suggestion from her:
Last night I made kabobs with chicken, sausage, and chunks of zucchini, on the grill. Sprinkled it all with some salt and pepper. DELISH!
This post is linked to:
Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk

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RECIPES/ Sides

Easy Cheesy Mini Bagels

Sara Lee sells Whole Wheat Mini Bagels with NO high fructose corn syrup..yippee! 

 I made spaghetti for dinner tonight.   I am one who just can’t eat spaghetti without some time of bread to dip in the sauce, but I had no time to make bread.  I had these mini bagels on hand, so I:

~spread on some butter
~sprinkled with garlic salt
~sprinkled with cheese
~put ’em under the broiler until golden and melty!


As I was dipping them in the sauce, I thought
about how easy it would be to make Homemade
Bagel Bite Mini Pizzas.  I could make a bunch
ahead of time and freeze them, then just pop them
in the oven when needed.  With fiber from the
bagels and protein from the cheese, it would make
a pretty filling and healthy snack.  I’m sure that
will be a future post!:)

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