7-layer dip

If you love snack food and appetizers as much as me you may be dreaming of Super Bowl Sunday not because of the game but because of the food. I love football food! And by this I mean wings, nachos, chips and dip, veggies and dip, anything and dip, and of course, 7-layer dip!

There are many version of 7-layer dip out there. As far as I can tell most of them fall into one of two camps: hot or cold. My sister makes a delicious version that is an entirely hot dip that mixes beans, corn, cheeses, salsa and I am sure a few other things. My husband, on the other hand, loves a cold 7-layer dip. And somehow, I fall somewhere in the middle of those extremes. I think this is mostly because I can't quite understand eating cold refried beans and melted cheese is delicious!

My method of 7-layer dip begins with a can of refried beans spread over the bottom of a casserole dish. I top that with pickled jalapenos and shredded cheese. I stick this in the oven (usually at 350) until the beans are hot and the cheese is melted (usually 15-20 minutes).

Then I top the hot ingredients with the cold ingredients. I don't believe that 7-layer dip has to stick with only 7 layers and so I add on whatever sounds good.

For example, I next spread some sour cream on top of the beans and cheese. And then a layer of sliced black olives is always yummy.

And then chopped or mushed avocado is great if they are some good ripe ones to be found.

Next, I like to layer on the salsa. And finally, I top this off with chopped green onions.

Dip in a chip and enjoy the football!

Seasoned Oyster Crackers

I have strong memories attached to seasoned oyster crackers!

A friend of mine from high school's mom used to make these. She even made them years later when I would come to visit. Simple and tasty, these oyster crackers will be a football snack today as we watch the championship games.

This post is also an exercise in experimentation because the batch I made today just didn't turn out right. See the bottom picture, they are the wrong color! Too dark meaning overcooked, which I think is thanks to too long in too hot an oven.

Start with 1/4C vegetable oil in a large enough liquid measure to mix in the rest of the ingredients. Add 1/2 a package of ranch dressing mix, 1/2t garlic powder, and 1T dried dill. Mix well. (This can easily be doubled to spread over a full package of crackers, 14-16 ounces.)

Spread 1/2 a package (about 7-8 oz.) of oyster crackers on a cookie sheet. Dump the mixture over the crackers and mix until they are evenly coated.

I then baked the crackers at 350 for 25 minutes and I stirred them halfway through. This was too hot and too long, I think. Next time I would try a 300 degree oven for about the same amount of time, but checking at the halfway point for doneness too!

Am I a Southerner? And a Hippie?

In response to my husband digging around the kitchen the other night looking for snacks, I decided to make some homemade snack food. I was inspired by a lunch box snack posting on Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn. The hippie in me decided on homemade granola bars and the Southerner in my opted for cheese straws.

Roughly following the recipe for granola bars, I warmed the moist ingredients: cashew butter, brown rice syrup, honey, vanilla, and brown sugar. Meanwhile, in a bowl I combined puffed rice, oats, some Grape Nuts-like cereal, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. I sprinkled cinnamon over everything and then poured on the warmed sweet gooey mixture. I mixed everything up until it was all coated and sticky. I turned it out on a parchment paper lined pan and cooked it for 25 minutes at 325. After I took the tray out, I pressed down on the top and then let them cool. When cooled, I cut it up to make about 10 bars.

Next up the savory snack was cheese straws, which remind me of my grandmother. I am not sure she ever made them in the straw form but she definitely used a similar dough to make little round crackers. Tastiness!

I combined the room temperature butter (1 stick) with the cheddar cheese (8 ounces, grated) using a hand mixer. In another bowl, I sifted flour (1 2/3C) with dry mustard (1 1/4t), cayenne (1/4t), and salt (1t). I added the dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time to the cheese and butter continuing to blend with the hand mixer. I added 2T water to finish off the dough. I rolled it out and chilled it for about 20 minutes.

Then I sliced 1/2 inch strips and tried to twist them, which didn't work very well. I put them on a cookie sheet and baked them for about 12 minutes. I discovered you don't want them to brown at all but just look like golden cheesy goodness. They look lovely standing up in a pint glass for a little snack.