TOASTED SALTINE TRICK

WHICH ONE OF THESE SALTINE CRACKERS

WOULD YOU RATHER EAT?

Me too!!!!!

 

This isn't really a recipe, but it is such a quick and easy kitchen trick, that I had to share it.

 

Recently, I noticed that my saltines tasted like..........nothing!! They were pale and flavorless (even the good quality brands), when did that happen?

 

So I set out to see if I could bring my crackers back to life in the oven. I was shocked at how quick and easy (and effective) it was to do!!

 

 

Lay some crackers on a dry cookie sheet and put them under a pre-heated broiler for about 30 seconds or so, flip them over and do the same on the other side, but watch them because once they start to turn golden, they get dark fast. You don't have to toast both sides, but there is more flavor if you do.

 

There are a million uses for these toasted crackers. They are great in a salad, they are great crushed and added to meatloaf mixture, they are great for snacking with some sharp cheddar or peanut butter, but my favorite is with tomato soup!!

 

 

I hope you'll try this fun tip, but here's a warning: once you try these, you will never be happy with a non-toasted saltine again!!

 

 

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PINEAPPLE--PUMPKIN--CARROT BARS

I have tried a LOT of snack cake recipes in the past 40+ years, but this one is, BY FAR, the best yet. It is super moist and tender from the crushed pineapple, pumpkin and grated carrots and it would be PERFECT for any potluck or party; your guests of all ages will love it. It is one of those RARE recipes that is super easy AND it gets RAVE reviews.

 

 

No need for an electric mixer, this quick and easy treat goes together in a flash with a big bowl and a spoon.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
1 2/3  cups white sugar
2/3  cup vegetable oil
1  (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups shredded carrots  (see note below)
1  cup crushed pineapple (see note below)

Preheat oven to 350�F and grease and flour a 10x15 baking pan (see note below).

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and set it aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs till smooth, then add the sugar, oil and pumpkin, whisking it until its very well mixed, then stir in the drained crushed pineapple and grated carrots. Stir till well combined.

Stir in the flour mixture and gently fold until its all well mixed.
Pour into prepared 10 x 15 pan and bake at 350�F for 25-30 minutes (my electric oven took 30 minutes).

Remove from heat and cool before you frost.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
(1) 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese (room temperature)
6 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2  cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth, add extract and powdered sugar and beat until right consistency.

NOTES:
This cake will turn out better if you hand grate the carrots with a box grater rather than grating them with your food processor. The food processor leaves very long strings of carrot, which don't do so well in a cake/bar. The box grater will give you a smaller/shorter grate.

Make sure the crushed pineapple is squeezed dry of all of it's extra water. I found that a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple.....squeezed dry with my hands, gives me 1 cup of ready to use crushed pineapple which is just right for this recipe.

Not everyone has the 10 x 15 baking pan that is called for in this recipe. You can bake this cake in a 9 x 13 pan if you bake it a little longer (about 10-15 minutes longer... just test it with a toothpick to make sure its baked all the way through). The 9 x 13 pan will give you a thicker bar (almost like a cake) but it tastes the same. If you decide to use the 9x13 pan, the bars will be more like a cake

Personally, I like to line my baking pans with parchment paper and then spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. When the cake/bars are completely cool, you can just lift the whole thing out of the pan and it makes it much easier to cut up neatly.

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BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Oh my goodness, these baked sweet potato fries are tasty AND low calorie!! Even my picky picky husband said they were good THREE TIMES during dinner. Now that is a record!!

 

 

 

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Keep in mind that you are not going to get a CRISPY fry (because they are baked) but they ARE addictingly tasty and give you that "a little sweet a little salty" flavor that hits all the right
comfort notes. Crisp or not, I could easily eat a big bowl of these and not feel guilty at all....now THAT is saying something.

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon regular chili powder (see note)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (see note)
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar

OK, a word about yams/sweet potatoes. Don't ask me which is which. I always buy the one with the deep orange flesh, so I'm calling them sweet potatoes in this post.

PRE-HEAT YOUR OVEN to 400�F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into French fries. Soak in water for one hour (important), then drain and pat them dry.

Put the potatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon vegetable oil, toss around, making sure the oil coats everything.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and brown sugar together until very well mixed. Sprinkle HALF of this mixture over the oiled potatoes and toss well. Sprinkle the last half of the mixture over the potatoes and toss well, making sure everything is coated.

Spread the potatoes out onto a lightly sprayed cookie sheet (I don't spray my cookie sheet. Instead I line it with Reynolds non-stick foil (it works perfectly in this recipe) just make sure you spread the fries out so they don't touch each other (use two cookie sheets if necessary).

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Bake in PRE-HEATED 400�F oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the potatoes over and bake another 15 minutes. Depending on how hot your oven runs, you might have to add a couple more minutes to get those crusty edges. Remove from heat.

They aren't the prettiest fries ever, but they are delicious (hubby likes to salt his after they come out of the oven, but personally, I think they don't need it).

 

 

 

Note: If you like a little more spice, you can use chipotle chili powder in place of the regular chili powder + smoked paprika.