Childhood Throwback: Ranch Oyster Crackers

Certain foods just exude memories of childhood. Seems just like yesterday I was popping Bagel Bites in the toaster oven and picking off those creepy square pepperoni pieces one by one...Or, eating the cornbread coating of the corn dog, sans hot dog. Apparently I liked things 'just so' by a very young age!



I distinctly remember one of the grade school homeroom mothers always made ranch oyster crackers. I'm not sure why or for what occasion, but all I know is that I ate them a lot and my mom surely didn't make them! The other day I got an intense craving for them and was pleased to find they weren't just a figment of my imagination. And, 20-some odd years later, they're just as tasty as I remember.

Try these zesty crackers in a bowl of chili. Its an utter delight.

Homeroom Ranch Oyster Crackers
1 1oz. package Ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper (optional)
1/4 cup canola oil
5 cups oyster crackers

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
1. In a large bowl, combine ranch, dill, garlic powder, lemon pepper and oil. Stir until well combined.
2. Add oyster crackers and toss gently until crackers are evenly covered with seasoning.
3. Spread crackers evenly on a cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Gently stir about half way through baking.

Healthy Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips

Though I distinctly remember one or two occasions where I nearly chucked a shoe at ESPN, or Fox Sports, or ESPN2 for constantly hogging up our TV, I must admit I'm a little sad that football is nearly over. I'm much more of a college football fan, so I'm just hanging on till the Super Bowl. Since no team I have a vested interest in made it to the big game, I've already picked my new favorite to win.


Not only will I miss football, but I'll dearly miss having a great excuse to eat junk food in the middle of the day, having friends over just to eat said junk food, and of course, spending a Saturday or Sunday with a beer in hand and dedicating myself to nothing but drinking, eating and watching the TV. I promise I'm not really lazy at heart :)

In honor of the near end of the football season (really, one of the only regularly televised sports that can keep my attention) here's a tasty and healthy treat that doesn't actually taste healthy!


I grew up eating Chile Con Queso in the Velveeta form. No mockery of this quintessential snack,but here's a real deal dip that's heart healthy. Baked tortilla chips are never as crispy and delightful as their fried cousins, but at least you're not consuming a mountain of fat, right?

The dip is a little bit thinner than what I'm used to, but if you let this sit in a crock pot or even on your stove (on low heat) while you're watching the game, it will thicken up!

The Recipe Girl is having a Super Bowl Party Recipe Smackdown contest. Send Lori your best football fare, and you could win $250! Woohoo! Check it out here.

Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips
Eating Well, Feb '09

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup light colored beer
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1 10 oz can Rotel (drained)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup scallions
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, and saute until beginning to soften and brown. Add beer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer.

2. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and cook, stirring until melted. Add tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne (if using). Serve warm, garnished with cilantro & scallions.

Chile-Lime Tortilla Chips
12 6 inch corn tortillas
cooking spray
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray and cut into quarters. Place wedges in an even layer on 1-2 cookie sheets. Combine lime juice & chili powder in a bowl. Brush the mixture on the tortillas and sprinkle with salt.

2. Bake tortillas until golden & crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Try flipping them mid-bake to get an even crispiness.

TJ's Ginger Senbei Snacks, reviewed

To say the least, today's snack market is overly saturated. Walk down your favorite grocer's junk-food snack aisle and there is surely a treat for every discerning taste: super salty, no salt, a little salt, a little lime, zesty lime, sweet 'n salty, just plain.

With all these options, picking out a snack gets a little exhausting. However, I seem to have found a snack, a holy grail if you will, that makes all all other packaged snacks seem like the spam of the junk food world. Pirate's Booty, Funyuns, and Andy Capp's Hot Fries, move over.

Trader Joe's Ginger Senbei snacks are like little fortune cookies broken up and lightly covered in a sweet ginger coating. Admittedly unauthentic, TJ's packaging explains that "senbei are traditional Japanese crackers" though these ginger senbei benefit from "a little innovation," resulting in "flavors never considered by the Japanese." At least they're honest.


"Think of them as ginger-infused-ice-cream-cones without the ice cream." Need I say anymore?


Though not low in sugar, these snacks are fat free and have only 110 calories per 20 crackers. Not too shabby! I believe I purchased the senbei for about $3/bag. Though I'm grounded from visiting the grocery store this week, I cannot wait to head back out to Trader Joe's for another round of these sweet snacks. I'd love to try them with vanilla frozen yogurt or even as a coating for a dessert treat!What snacks are your holy grail?

Gladiator Power Bars

In honor of the triumphant return of American Gladiators to our TV screens, I've made some homemade energy/power/protein bars. As a child, I was fixated by this bizarre icon of early 90s television. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why my parents allowed these weekly viewings. There's nothing inherently wrong with the show, though it just seems to be an odd choice for a child's TV repertoire. In any case, I digress.

I work out fairly often and enjoy energy bars as a quick snack or energy boost. As we all know, this habit can get expensive as an average bar costs about $1.50. On top of that, read the label of your favorite energy bar and you may see ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, fractionated palm kernel oil, and sugar alcohols (think digestive problems). Yuck.

These bars are based upon Alton Brown's Protein Bar recipe. You can interchange the fruits, and if you're in the mood for an indulgent bar, add mini chocolate chips. Because I didn't want to get stuck with a bag of wheat germ or oat bran, I visited my local Whole Foods and purchased all the dry goods in bulk. Total cost: $2.20 (the 1/4 cup of wheat germ cost $.08!) Beat that Luna Bar! I added some spices (cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice) to rev up the taste, used crunchy peanut butter for half the amount called for, and experimented with adding peanut butter chips & chocolate chips I had on hand. The latter is optional, of course. Don't want to bring your health down! :)

Verdict: The bars are certainly hearty and the peanut butter has a predominant taste. Nothing can beat my Luna Bars which in my mind, are a like a candy bar with vitamins, but obviously some things are too good to be true. These homemade power bars are made from wholesome ingredients and are low cost to make. I'll be freezing some to add into my rotation though I can't call them a replacement quite yet.
Update: I finished off my batch of fresh bars, and moved onto the frozen ones. I actually prefer these to the fresh! Leave them out for just a few minutes to soften and they're ready to eat.

Gladiator Power Bars
(adapted from Alton Brown's Protein Bars)

1 cup vanilla soy protein powder
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 (12.3-ounce) package silken tofu
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated Splenda for baking
2 large whole eggs, beaten
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter (optional, use all creamy pb if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, but delicious)
Cooking Spray

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coarsely chop the raisins, blueberries and apricots and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth. Add the apple juice, brown sugar, Splenda, eggs, peanut butters and vanilla, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit (and chocolate chips, if using). Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

A Love Affair with Soft Pretzels

Soft, buttery pretzels make me salivate. I must shut my eyes when passing by soft pretzel stands to avoid purchasing one, so I’ve had my fair share of the good, the bad, and the well, just terrible (i.e. pretzel stand in Phoenix airport – stay away). According to essortment.com, pretzels have a long and storied history: “Somewhere straddling the border of northern Italy or southern France, pretzels were invented by an ambitious monk baking unleavened bread for the Christian Lent. Possibly out of boredom, he made some little shapes with leftover bread dough. Because Christians in those days prayed with their hands crossed over their chests, he tried shaping the dough to mimic that action. They were baked to a soft bread consistency and given as a treat to children that memorized their prayers. The monk named his new treat 'pretiola' - a Latin word meaning 'little reward'.

Pretzels have their characteristic dark color, and their unique ‘pretzel’ taste from a lye bath. Professional (or ambitious) bakers use a bath combining sodium hydroxides (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Sounds like a chemical experiment, huh? Pretzel recipes calling for a lye bath also strongly suggest using goggles and rubber gloves as the resulting alkaline is so caustic it can burn skin and ruin clothing. Once the pretzels begin baking, a Maillard reaction then gives the pretzel its characteristic brown color and distinctive flavor.

I’m ambitious, but I didn’t feel like purchasing any of my baking ingredients at the local hardware store -- lye is the main ingredient in drain cleaners like Drano and Red Devil. So, I've tweaked a recipe using a much milder alternative – a baking soda bath. I usually fail at attempts at making the cute prayer shaped pretzels, so I’ve come to make pretzel rolls instead, which make the most AMAZING turkey swiss sandwiches. If you’re not a fan of salt, experiment with adding raisins and cinnamon sugar during the kneading. I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoy cooking and eating these. A whole batch never lasts for more than a day and a half between the Mr. and myself.

Soft & Buttery Pretzels

*adapted from allrecipes.com

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups water

1/4 cup kosher or pretzel salt, for topping

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (I use the oven) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 415 degrees F. In a medium sized pot, combine the baking soda and water and bring to a simmer over low heat.

When the dough has risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Lightly knead dough to remove air bubbles and shape into a roll. Using a serrated knife, cut a small incision to allow bread to split. I experimented below with both a cross and one vertical cut (the cross came out better).

Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution using a spatula to flip and remove.

Place pretzel on a kitchen towel to allow water to drain. Place all dipped pretzel rolls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until browned. After removing from the oven, brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher or pretzel salt, to taste. Yum!