Monday, November 4, 2013

Cheezy Bites

These were really cool. It isn't exactly the texture one would expect, but honestly, I hardly noticed it over the cheesy flavor. These make a great snack or gift if nicely wrapped. :]
You have to prep it the day before you want it, but it doesn't take much time at all.

Ingredients
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup [1 stick] of salted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper [cayenne pepper]
8 ounces [two cups] of extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Topping
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds [both of these seeds you can find on by the seasonings in little seasoning bottles at Wal-mart]
1 egg white
1 tablespoon of water

  Other things you might need
cheese grater 
mixing bowl
mixer
parchment paper
cookie sheet


Directions


Combine flour, butter, salt, and ground red pepper and beat until it looks doughy.



2
Grate cheese and mix in with the flour mixture.





3
Shape into a ball and flatten slightly.



4
Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. I refrigerated it overnight, and I had to let it thaw about an hour.


5
Heat oven to 350.


6
Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thickness on a slightly floured surface, flouring your roller every little bit. Now, personally, I had never rolled anything out before, but it really is not hard at all, just remember to flour your roller or else the dough will stick to it.



7
Cut dough with cookie cutters or a pizza cutter and place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.



8
Combine poppy sesame seeds and set aside.



9
Lightly beat egg white and water together in a separate bowl.


10
Brush cut-outs with egg-white mixture. By the way, if you do not have a brush, you can just use your fingers; I used my fingers.


11
Sprinkle cut-outs with the poppy seed mixture.



12
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until very slightly browned around the edges.


13
Enjoy :]






Friday, November 1, 2013

Jazzy Snacky Mix

Have you ever had Chex Mix?? We used to get it all the time, mix in some nuts, and munch on it for as long as it lasted... A couple of years ago, they made every single type- cheddar, spicy, sweet- "60% less fat!" At which time, it stopped being good, lol. I  hadn't had Chex Mix for a very long time, but yesterday, I made my own kind of mix, and not only was it good, it was easy, very easy, which is, frankly, totally awesome. :]

Ingredients
5 cups of Chex cereal, whichever type is your preference- I used wheat Chex cereal.
2 cups of oyster crackers [you can find these on the chip/cracker aisle]
2 cups pretzel sticks, broken in half
1 1/2 cups sweetened, dried cranberries [trust me, it goes really well with this.]
1 can [about 2 cups] salted cashew halves
1/2 cup [1 stick] butter, melted
1 [1.1-1.4 ounce package] of Ranch, Caesar, or Italian dry salad dressing mix [I used a .7 ounce package of Italian, and a .4 ounce package of Ranch. You can find them in little packets on the salad dressing aisle.]

  Other things you might need
large roasting pan
wooden spoon to stir

Directions

1
Heat oven to 300.

2
Combine all ingredients except the butter and dry salad dressing mix in a large roasting pan.

3
Melt butter and combine with the dry salad mix.

4
Pour the butter mixture over the Chex mixture and stir thoroughly to coat.


5
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.


6
Have a party and enjoy!