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I love appetizers – stuffed mushrooms, grilled shrimp, spanokopitas… I could easily make a meal out of just that. But when entertaining, sometimes I prefer something that’s quicker to prepare and a little less formal. I have two go-to options to meet this requirement. The first is a cheese and cracker tray. The second is nuts.
I like jazzing up some store-bought nuts with a little something special – rosemary cashews, spiced mixed nuts, and most recently, for Easter, this recipe for sugared nuts. It only took 5 minutes to put together and impressed everyone. They were sweet and additive – it’s hard to stop at just one handful!
Sugared Nuts
Adapted from The Gingerbread Blog
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. nuts (I used a mix of walnuts and almonds)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Turn the crock pot to high. Cover and allow to heat up for 15 minutes.
Reset crock pot to low heat and add nuts and melted butter. Stir so that nuts are completed coated. Add confectioners’ sugar and stir again. Leave lid off and cook for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Nuts should be coated in a glaze.
In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and ginger. Sprinkle over buttered nuts, stirring well. Transfer nuts to a serving bowl. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Storage: These nuts taste best the day they’re made, but will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days.
Last week, I made the world’s most expensive salad. As I was getting the balsamic vinegar from my cabinet, a glass spice jar fell, and hit the stove top in just the wrong spot. It cracked the glass top, making two burners unusable and making me scared to use the stove or oven at all. All it’ll take is a little water to slip through that crack and I’ll end up electrocuting myself.
The new stove is supposed to arrive this coming Saturday, putting a little bit of a cramp in my Veteran’s weekend baking plans. I had planned to knock out my holiday care packages, sending them early because of our upcoming move. Lucky for me that I had at least one no-bake item on my list – these pretzel s’mores that I discovered through Pinterest. Not only were the s’mores easy to make, they’ve got that amazing salty-sweet combo that I love. Fingers crossed that the recipients of my care packages enjoy them as much as I did!
Looking for more holiday treats? Head over to Meal Planning Magic to see what else bloggers made to celebrate the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats.
Pretzel S’mores
Inspired by Love From the Oven
Makes ~3 dozen pretzel s’mores
Ingredients:
- 13 oz. bag of pretzels (I used the square waffle ones but use whatever shape you’d like)
- ~18 snack sized chocolate bars (milk chocolate or dark, your choice)
- 1/2 bag of marshmallows (~18 marshmallows)
- 1 1/2 bags candy melts, melted
- sprinkles (if desired)
Note: You may have extra pretzels, marshmallows, and chocolate melts leftover.
Prep: Line a shallow Pyrex (or other microwave safe dish) with wax or parchment paper. In addition, line a baking sheet with wax paper. Set both aside.
Prep the chocolate and marshmallows. Break the mini chocolate bars into 3-4 pieces, depending on the size and shape of your pretzels. Cut the marshmallows into 3 pieces.
Make the S’mores: In the Pyrex dish, place one layer of pretzels, leaving about an inch between each pretzel. Top with a piece of marshmallow and a piece of chocolate. Microwave for 10-20 seconds, until marshmallows puff up a little. Some of the chocolate may also start to melt. Remove from microwave and top with a second pretzel.
Allow pretzels to sit for a minute or two to set. Dip in melted chocolate melts and set on wax paper-lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes (or freeze for less time) until chocolate is set.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
This year will be the first year in five years that my hubby and I will not be hosting our annual holiday party. With moving to a new home in early December, it’s just going to be too difficult to manage. In fact, I’m not even sure that we’ll be decorating for Christmas this year. Even though I know it’s the right decision, I am disappointed. I absolutely love Christmas time – the parties, the decorations…. I love putting up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day, wrapping gifts and setting them under the tree as soon as I purchase them…
But I couldn’t let this year pass without doing something for the holidays. While I might not be able to decorate or throw a party, I plan on indulging in holiday sweets over the next several weeks. And, I’m going to share those sweets with you! Over the next 10 weeks, I’ll be participating in Meal Planning Magic‘s 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats (I missed the first two weeks due to travel). Every Thursday, I’ll be sharing something new with you that might interest you for this year’s festivities.
For the first post, I’m sharing a sweet snack – Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels. Addictive is the best word to describe them. My book club ladies, my hubby, and my coworkers loved these little snacks. They’re quick and easy to make and keep pretty (mine were eaten within 3 days but were still fresh by the end). If I were hosting my holiday party, these would definitely make the menu!
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
Adapted from Your Home Based Mom via Your Cup of Cake
Makes 1 lb. of pretzels
- 1 16-18 oz. bag of pretzels
- ½ c. canola/veggie oil
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ c. cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (½ c. sugar + 1½ tsp. cinnamon)
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour pretzels into a large mixing bowl (microwave-safe if you have one).
- In a measuring cup, gently whisk together oil, the 1/3 c. sugar and the 1½ tsp. cinnamon. Microwave for 1 minutes. Gently whisk again. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Gently whisk. Pour over pretzels and toss until pretzels are coated in mixture. (If you have a microwave-safe mixing bowl, pour mixture over pretzels, microwave for 1 minutes, toss, microwave for 30 seconds, and toss again).
- Pour pretzels onto prepared baking sheets, spreading so that pretzels are in one even layer. Sprinkle with additional ½ c. cinnamon sugar. Allow to sit out for 30 minutes before moving to a serving dish or storage container.
Store in an airtight container.
Confession: I’ve got the munchies and I’m tired of the usual snacks. Cheerios and my little bags of popcorn that usually satisfy my munchies aren’t appealing to me. Granola bars, crackers & cheese, and fruit don’t really work for munchies. What I really want are potato chips. That would work. Salty, thin Lay’s chips, perhaps with a bit of homemade onion dip. While I can eat these until I make myself sick, I would have to walk the entire weekend just to burn off those calories. And that’s not going to happen (instead, I’ll be painting our downstairs and shopping for dresses for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower).
Inspired by some dried cranberries I found in my baking drawer, I went in search of a trail mix recipe that I found years ago. While higher in calories, the dried fruit and nuts qualified that recipe as a healthy munchie, at least in my mind. I wasn’t able to find the recipe online, in my recipe binders, or in my huge folder of torn-out recipes but I think this is a pretty good estimate of what I remember – the sweet cranberries adding a burst of flavor to the crunchy banana chips and the almonds. This is a munchie that will be left at home, out of sight of my cube-mate who loved this snack when he sampled it.
Cranberry-Banana Trail Mix
Inspired by a lost recipe from Self Magazine
Makes ~2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 c. banana chips
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries
- 1/2 c. almonds or walnuts
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pepper (white pepper is better than black, but use whatever you have)
Directions: Throw all ingredients in a bowl and toss.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container.
Easter weekend, I hosted our almost annual wine and cheese party. I say almost annual because we somehow missed last year. I love hosting this party because everyone brings a wine and/or a cheese to share, keeping the menu diverse and the party stress-free. I always try to do a little something extra to make the food shine, like the cheesecake truffles I made a couple of years ago.
This year, I hoped that these crackers would stand out. I’ve been making them since they were first published in Fine Cooking in December 2007. They’re so easy to make, and I absolutely love the “everything” topping – it’s what first made me fall in love with fennel seeds. If you’re not interested in the “everything” or rosemary-sea salt toppings below, make up your own, but be sure to come back and share with the rest of us! 
Crackers
Adapted from Fine Cooking No. 89 p. 45
Makes 3 dozen crackers
Ingredients for the Crackers:
- 1 1/2 c. (6 3/4 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
- scant 1/2 c. (2 oz.) whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp. table salt
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 c. water
- Choice of 1 topping – “everything” crackers, rosemary-sea salt, or your own
Ingredients for “Everything” Cracker Topping:
- 2 tsp. sesame seeds
- 2 tsp. poppy seeds
- 1 Tbs. fennel seeds
- 1-2 tsp. kosher salt
Ingredients for Rosemary & Sea Salt Cracker Topping:*
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
* I did not mix rosemary and sea salt in a bowl or measure. Instead, I just sprinkled the sea salt and dried rosemary on the crackers until it looked like enough to flavor the crackers.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450F and pull out 1-2 large baking sheets. The baking sheets will remain unlined – no parchment paper necessary.
- Fill a small bowl with water and set aside, along with a pastry brush. Mix desired toppings in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and table salt. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in olive oil and water.
- Lightly flour a counter top with either flour. Place 1/3 of the dough onto the prepared surface, leaving the remaining dough in the bowl and covered with a clean towel. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Brush with water and sprinkle with your topping, adding extra kosher salt if necessary. Using a sharp knife, dough scraper, or pizza cutter, slice crackers into pieces, about 1-inch wide and 2 inches long.
- Using a rubber cookie spatula, place crackers on baking sheet, and bake for 9-11 minutes, until slightly browned. (While cooking, prepare the next batch of crackers to go in the oven.) Move to wire rack to cool completely.
Store cooled crackers in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to a week.
The weather is gorgeous – 70+ and sunny. Love it! It’s the perfect weather to renew good habits. I’ve been taking regular walks outside both to enjoy the weather and to start training for the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure, which I’ll walk later this year. I’m also loving all the fruit that’s starting to appear in the stores and farm stands. I’ve been getting tired of apples and bananas and have been waiting for berries and nectarines.
This is one of my favorite fruit salads – mixed berries topped with just a touch of homemade vanilla syrup. The syrup adds a brightness and uniqueness to the berries and is a great way to dress up a simple fruit salad for a more formal event, such as a wedding or baby.
Mixed Berry Salad with Vanilla Syrup
Adapted from Fine Cooking, June/July 2004
Ingredients:
- 6-8 c. fresh mixed berries (any type that are in season. I like a combination of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4. c. water
Instructions:
- Clean and slice berries and toss in a large bowl. Cover and place in the fridge to keep cold.
- Fill a small saucepan with 1/4 c. water and 1/4 c. sugar.
- Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds from one half of the vanilla bean and place in the saucepan with water and sugar. (Save the vanilla bean pod for a garnish, or place in your jar of vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.)
- Over medium heat, bring water and sugar to just boiling. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Lower heat and simmer for 7 minutes, allowing the vanilla to infuse the syrup.
- Allow syrup to cool before moving to a refrigerator to chill completely.
Serve: Pour 1-2 Tbs. syrup over fruit & enjoy!
Everyone knows I’m not a football fan. Actually, that’s an understatement. To me, football is a bunch of fat guys jumping on each other. I just don’t understand the obsession with football. My college didn’t even have a football team, not even a terrible one. I remember one of my first trips home with my husband, 5 years ago. We went to his buddy’s house to watch an Alabama game. Intimidated with all these new people, I whispered to the hubby, “did so-and-so play for Alabama?” Confused by my question, because the guy was not exactly built like a football player, I was told no. I should have just left it at that, but I whispered (a little louder than I realized), “If he didn’t play, then why does he have all these professional photos of Alabama football players on his wall?” I could have understood it if the photos were of him, but some random dude he didn’t know? Just didn’t make sense to me. Needless to say, the hubby looked at me and rolled his eyes while the rest of the room overheard me and wondered what type of lunatic my now-husband had brought home.
You’d think that after being with my husband for 5 years, that I would have gained some appreciation for football. Nope. While the hubby watches football, I curl up with a mystery novel. Despite my opinion of football, I somehow got talked into watching a game at a friend’s house. In fact, not only did I have to pretend to watch the game, but I got volunteered to bring something. No idea how that happened…. and really, I think the only reason I survived the game was because I brought some crafts, and received constant compliments on how wonderful these pretzels were.
This was my first time making soft pretzels (or pretzel bites) and although a bit of work, they weren’t very hard. We all found them super tasty. I thought they tasted like real New York pretzels, bought just off the street. I served the pretzel bites with cheese dip from Two Peas and Their Pod, but I did not repost the recipe here because I wasn’t happy with the way it came out (although the dish was gone by the end of the night).
Note: I did make these in advance and reheated a couple times throughout the night. The flavor and texture was fine through each reheat.
Make ahead / freezing instructions available on Annie’s Eats, although she uses a slightly different recipe than the one below.
Homemade Soft Pretzels or Pretzel Bites
Adapted from Bobby Flay, via Two Peas and Their Pod
Makes 8 large pretzels or 8+ dozen pretzel bites
Ingredients 
~ 1 1/2 c. warm water
~ 2 Tbs. light brown sugar
~ 1 pkg. active dry yeast
~ 3 oz. unsalted butter, melted
~ 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt plus more (or coarse sea salt) for sprinkling
~ 4 1/2-5 c. all-purpose flour
~ vegetable oil or spray
~ 3 quarts water
~ 3/4 c. baking soda
~ 1 egg, beaten, with 1 Tbs. cold water
Make the Pretzel Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water, sugar, yeast, and melted butter until just combined. Turn off and let stand for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, turn mixer to low and add kosher salt and flour. When just combined, increase speed to medium until dough begins to pull away from sides, 3-4 minutes. If dough is too wet, add flour 1 Tbs. at a time.
Turn dough onto a flat surface and with your hands, knead into a ball.
Oil or spray mixing bowl and return dough to bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise. Dough should double in size, about 1 hour.
Cook the Pretzels: When dough has doubled in size, prep everything for cooking.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- Set a small roasting pan or large skillet with at least 3-inch high sides on the stove over high heat. Fill with the 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add baking soda.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
As water is coming to a boil, remove dough from bowl and place on counter or a large cutting board. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, 22-inches long.
- If making pretzel bites, cut dough into 1-inch pieces (I used a plastic bowl / dough scraper to protect the counters).
- If making full pretzels, lay dough on counter. Take the right side and cross it over to the left. Then take the left side and cross it to the right. Press down slightly where dough overlaps.
In batches, put pretzel bites or pretzels into boiling baking soda-water for 30 seconds. Do not let the pretzels touch during boiling. With a slotted spoon, remove, letting excess water drip off before placing on baking sheet.
Brush tops of pretzels with egg wash. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, on baking sheet or baking rack before serving.
Variations: According to Two Peas and Their Pod, you can make these into cinnamon and sugar pretzels by sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar instead of salt. The frosting would be 3 Tbs. cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and a little bit of milk, whisked together. I have yet to try this, but plan on it!
Every year, we invite a lot of people to our annual holiday party. It’s a great time. Everyone tends to wander the houses between the living room and kitchen upstairs, and the pool room and second living room downstairs. While I set most of the food in our dining room, I always make sure there is something downstairs – usually little bowls of nuts on the bar tables in the pool room, and a mini appetizer and dessert tray in the second living room. These rosemary cashews were perfect. Sweet with just a slight kick, they’re delicious served warm or at room temperature.
Note that the recipe on Food Network’s website is different from the one found in Barefoot in Paris – it has different quantities of several of the ingredients as well as a different baking temperature. I used the recipe from Barefoot in Paris.
Rosemary Cashews
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris (p. 36)
Makes 3 cups
Ingredients: 
- 1 lb. unsalted cashews
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. light brown sugar
- 1 Tbs. kosher salt
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Place nuts on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes, stirring nuts halfway through.
Combine rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl.
In a large bowl (or serving dish if serving immediately), sprinkle above mix and drizzle butter over nuts, tossing as you go. I do recommend sprinkling and tossing the nuts to make sure they’re evenly seasoned. Stir well until nuts are covered in the spices.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
A friend brought these to a holiday party a couple of years ago, and the hubby has been talking about them ever since then. Intuitively, I knew how to make these, but did a bit of searching around anyway, to see if there were hints or anything I was missing. It seems that most people use Hershey kisses to make these treats, although Beantown Baker used chocolate bark instead. I’ve also included two techniques for making these (for melting the chocolate) below, based on what sort of chocolate you use.
These goodies went into care packages this week – I hope the recipients of these goodies like them!
Chocolatey Pretzel Treats
By Books n’ Cooks
Makes 10 dozen treats
Ingredients:
- 1/2 a 1 lb. bag of pretzels – either the ties, the circles, or the checker boards
- 1 bag Hershey kisses (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hugs, or other solid-chocolate kiss, unwrapped) or bag chocolate melts
- 1 bag M&Ms
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover the baking sheet with pretzels, with the backside facing down.
- Method 1: If making with Hershey kisses, preheat the oven to 200F. Set a candy on the center of each pretzel. Bake until kisses are softened, 4-8 minutes. (The Hershey hugs soften the fastest). Remove from oven. Spread chocolate with a knife, or push it into place with the M&Ms.
- Method 2: If using candy melts or chocolate bark, melt in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, stirring chocolate until smooth. Pour a bit of the chocolate over each pretzel, using a teaspoon or a squeeze bottle.
Lay 3 M&Ms on each pretzel treat. Refrigerate the sheet until chocolate is set.
Store in an airtight container, or in the freezer.
These nuts are great for munching. I love the rosemary flavor combined with the sweet brown sugar. Quick and easy to make, these nuts can be made up to a week ahead of time.
Mixed Spiced Nuts
Source: Fine Cooking No. 75 (p. 90c)
Ingredients:
- 4 c. mixed unsalted nuts (I chose peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds and walnuts for a batch and a half)
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread nuts out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes, until toasted (be sure to shake baking sheet to stir nuts a couple times to ensure nuts are toasted throughout).
While nuts are toasting, you’ll make the butter sauce for the nuts. While I used a small skillet, I’d recommend using a large pot so that you’ll be able to toss the nuts in the same pot, rather than a separate one.
So heat your skillet or pot over medium heat. When hot, toast coriander and cumin until aromatic, just a few seconds. Lower heat to low and add butter, brown sugar, rosemary and cayenne. Stir until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Keep warm.
Remove nuts from oven and add to pot of spiced butter. (If you used a skillet, add nuts to a warmed bowl, warmed to make it easier to spread the butter). Using a rubber spatula so that you can really scrape the sides of the pot, stir nuts and spiced butter until nuts are coated. Add salt to taste.
Let nuts cool completely before transferring to a serving bowl or an airtight container.
