Read Your Recipe!
When faced with a dessert buffet, I often find myself coming back to the rice krispie treats. They’re just so chewy and reliable. Even a bad rice krispie treat is still really good. I’ve made these fancy ones and then later made these decadent peanut butter ones. These faux “Quaker Oat Bars” were akin to this new recipe, but not quite. When I’m sharing with you today takes the cake when it comes to the health factor. I mean, seriously, when’s the last time I actually put the word “healthy” in a title?
Alternate title: So Easy a Middle Schooler Could Make Them. Seriously. My middle school students make this exact recipe. Now, there are plenty of simple recipes that my middle schoolers make that I wouldn’t deem bloggable, but this is not one. These pretzels have a crisp exterior with a chewy center; the flavor has just a hint of sweetness which offsets the salt so well. I considered playing with additions but then I thought, why mess with perfection?
Blogging about food (I really dislike the word blogging, not gonna lie) is a lot like any creative venture – sometimes I’m bursting with recipes and ideas and everything I make seems to turn out exactly as I’d hoped. Other times, though, my brain is as dry as the Sahara and everything I make tastes like crap.
As far as chips go, barbecue potato chips are my absolute favorite. In this homemade iteration, I added plenty of spices and waited in eager anticipation for my microwave timer to go off. That’s right, I said microwave. What you’re about to read is a recipe for microwave potato chips.
I don’t have a lot of dips on this site, and that’s because I don’t really make dip. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, though, it’s just that most dips are diet snafoos (that can’t be how that’s spelled). Anyways – I love the flavor of spinach and artichoke dip and thought I could find that balance – a dip that still tastes cheesy, creamy, and indulgent but a) doesn’t have mayo, and b) has ingredients that will make my body happy and make me feel good about sharing with my toddler.
Whenever I state something about my future with absolute certainty, the opposite inevitably comes true. For example, I once said, “I would never date a gym teacher” (some inane idea about them just wanting to play games all day – whereas now I’m like, um hellooo that’s awesome). Regardless, I’ll give you two guesses as to my husband’s occupation.
There is quite the bevy of breakfast options in internet-world, this much is true. Most weekday mornings, however, I don’t want to make pancakes or oatmeal because I’m usually prepping dinner/packing lunch before hustling off to work. No more pans to clean, please! That being said, dunking clementine slices in the Greek yogurt container is getting sort of old.
Not just a cookie, this treat comes with a fun activity to do with your friends – it’s called, “name the secret ingredient” I had to give clues, the last one being that it was a grain that starts with a “Q”. This goes to show just how delicious and non-quinoa tasting these babies are!
And olive oil. That is the most interesting part of this recipe, but I worried it might scare you away if I put it in the title. It scared me away at first. Never baked with olive oil before? Read on…
I made a pasta a WHILE back with greens and chickpeas … the word on the street is that certain toddler (shout out to James) is just crazy about the crunchy chickpeas. Could the same be true for my picky toddler?
I played field hockey in college and our head trainer, Wendy, would bring her chocolate chip pumpkin bread for our away game bus trips. Wendy is the best – for all that she did for us (including the bread) but also because she is hilarious.This bread has haunted me for years now, as I’ve tried several recipes and haven’t yet captured that elusive, sumptuous flavor. I would hoard the bread, saving several pieces for later before passing the bag behind me. It was difficult to rationalize the extra calories when I rode the bench as a freshman, but by senior year I swear it was the chocolate pumpkin bread that got me through those tough games!
In level 1 cooking one of the first thing we talk about is how to understand a recipe. See, the thing is, if you understand how to read a recipe and how to do what the recipe tells you, you can cook! This muffin recipe supports and exemplifies that statement – let me explain.
Make these now. I could go on and on about how good they are (as I take typing breaks so I can scoop more into my mouth) but we are in a MAJOR rush as my gym child care is opening in 20 minutes and if we are stuck in the house with our 1 year old much longer, bad things will happen.
When my husband gets in from work (in the fall it’s around 7), he says a quick hello and then proceeds to the kitchen where he opens things. Things like the fridge and the snack cabinets. He opens them, stands there for about 20 seconds, and then closes them. Sometimes he opens cabinets where we keep the glasses or the plates. It’s like his hungry stomach is making him confused. High protein granola to the rescue! Let me explain…
When I am at my mom’s house down the shore, my cooking inspiration doesn’t come from outdoor farmers markets or fresh seafood shops. It’s more like this, “Bec, you have to make something with walnuts because I’ve had this bag of walnuts and I need to clear out room so that’s your job”. So basically, I cook to be an obedient child.
I would just like to say that the rice krispie treat is underrated. They come together in LITerally five minutes and their deliciousness makes you have shameful conversations with yourself. “I already had one, I don’t need another. But they’re basically breakfast cereal, so another one is fine. Marshmallows are fat free, so it’s cool if I have a third. Oh look, that edge isn’t totally straight, I should even it out”.