I realize that I’m a few days late for writing a post about an easy party snack that takes very little effort, is tremendously delicious, and is great for sharing since it is HIGHLY addictive and calorie-dense. My bad.

But lucky for us, there are more reasons to celebrate and indulge coming right up. Valentines Day! The Olympics! Saturday!

If you don’t have a good roasted nut recipe in your arsenal, this is an excellent candidate. I’ve previously relied quite heavily on these little gems, but I’m glad to now have another that doesn’t scream “HOLIDAYS!” quite so loudly. You can use any mix of nuts you like: I had planned to only use cashews and tossed in pecans on a whim, but I now think I like the pecans even more than the cashews.

This is pretty simple stuff: preheat oven, mix the nuts with some goop, try not to burn them in the oven. In fact that last part might be the most challenging. I dropped the temp of the oven from the original recipe because I (gasp) burned the crap out of my first batch. Pecans are especially susceptible to burning, so keep a sharp eye.

The result is a pile of shiny, glazed pecans and cashews that is a pleasant, slightly savory departure from your average honey-roasted fare. Best of luck keeping them around for very long.

Savory Honey-Glazed Nuts
Adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook

1 c roasted & salted cashews
1 c raw pecan halves
1/4 c honey
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp ground yellow mustard
a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together honey, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Add nuts and mix well until all nuts are coated. Spread nuts out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes, then stir the nuts, then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove nuts from the oven and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow the nuts to cool completely. Once you store them, the nuts will stick together slightly, but shouldn’t be sticky on your fingers.

If heaven is real, then I really don’t think it’s made of puffy clouds and golden harps. I rather imagine it must be filled with endless tables, buckling under the weight of all the chips, dips, cheeses and crackers (all calorie-free, OBVIOUSLY) that a person could possibly want. Really, is there a better way to eat than scooping up succulent dips and salsas with crisp, salty shards of simple carbohydrates?

My obsession with chips is pretty severe. I’m hopeless at Mexican restaurants. Those continuously re-filling bowls of free chips and salsa at the start of the meal virtually guarantee that I’ll be in a food coma before my main course even arrives. I’m pretty shameless about them at potlucks and dinner parties, too. But unless I am hosting a party of my own, I actually avoid buying them: if I have chips in the house, there’s like a 70% chance that I’ll skip cooking dinner and simply dine on chips and salsa instead, strangely able to justify it by pretending they are vegetables. Sad, I know.

But I’ve found a little loophole. As long as I have corn tortillas in my fridge (which is pretty regular) I can make teeny batches of chips whenever I like! Satisfy my cravings without overdosing! Plus they are baked, which in the chip world, is code for healthy! (Right?)

It’s shockingly simple. Cut tortillas. Spray with cooking spray and salt. Flip over and repeat. Bake. Eat.

I’ll admit: it’s hard to compare these to true, deep-fried tortilla chips. But for an emergency craving, they are quite, quite sufficient. And a bit healthier, I daresay. Emphasis on bit.

Whatever. Sometimes I just want chips and now I can have them whenever I want. NOW THAT IS POWER.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Makes 24 chips, but this can obviously be flexed up or down

4 corn tortillas (white or yellow, the thinner the better)
cooking spray
salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut tortillas into six even wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Flip over each wedge and spray the other salt, also adding a bit more salt.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping chips partway through, or until chips are lightly browned and fairly crisp. Chips will still be a bit bendy while they are warm, but they will crisp up in 2-3 minutes after they are removed from the oven. Sprinkle with additional salt if needed.

The answer should be YES. I felt for years that pizza rolls were just one of those things that could only be purchased in the freezer section, compliments of food scientists and packaging specialists. But no! You can make your own, and I daresay they are even better than their freezer-burned counterparts. For one thing, you can know exactly what’s inside and make that choice yourself.

For this, my first foray into homemade pizza roll-dom, I stuck with the basics: pepperoni, zesty red pizza sauce, and the three cheeses I put on all my pizzas all the time always: mozzarella, parmesan, and asiago.

I like my pepperoni in little chunks for pizza rolls. Instead of buying your pepperoni sliced, you can ask your local deli for a few inches of the pepperoni “stick” (I asked for four inches, which turned out to be six ounces). I also know that Boar’s Head makes a stick that would work equally well. Or, if you don’t want to fuss with it, cutting up sliced pepperoni will also suffice.

Since there’s no cooking involved until you fry these suckers up, the only well time commitment is the making of the rolls. Pizza rolls are basically wontons or ravioli, pick your filling-filled-pasta name of choice. You can make these any shape you want, but I wanted a nice round little pouch of pizza. Don’t be scared of folding your own, it’s easy!

First, add 2-3 teaspoons of filling to the center of the wrapper. Don’t worry about being too precise, you’ll know pretty quickly if you’ve put too much in. Then, after running a wet finger along all four edges of the wrapper, begin folding it like a little letter.

Look how pretty! Now repeat a gazillion times (okay, 50 times).

Once the rolls are made, it’s time to fry. You don’t need a deep fryer for this, just a candy/deep fry thermometer and a medium sauce pan. For most everything that you want to fry at home, this is all you’ll need. Since these rolls are so small, a couple of inches of oil in the bottom of the pan is all you’ll need.

Working a few at a time, you’ll fry all of your pizza rolls in no time.

I took a bite of one after I let it cool for a bit, thinking there was no way it could be as good as the ones the food scientists make and package and sell from the freezer: I was dead wrong. They are pizza rolls exactly as I dream they should be. And next time, I may expand beyond pepperoni! For as many toppings as pizza can have, rolls can have just as many fillings.

Happy pizza rolls to you!

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Makes about 50 rolls

6 oz pepperoni (from a whole stick, chopped into small cubes)
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 oz parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
1 oz asiago cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
1 c pizza sauce
50 wonton wrappers (one package)
2-3 c vegetable oil

Once pepperoni has been chopped and cheese has been grated, combine them in a medium bowl along with the pizza sauce and mix well. Working one wrapper at a time, place 2-3 teaspoons of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run it along all four edges of the wrapper. Fold the two side corners over the mixture the press one over the other. Then, fold the bottom corner up over the mixture, then roll the whole wrapper so that it presses onto the top corner. If any gaps remain, press them closed. Set aside and repeat until all filling is used, making sure to exclude as much liquid as possible to prevent the wraps from getting soggy.

In a medium sauce pan, add enough oil to fill the pan about two inches deep. Place a candy/deep fryer thermometer over the edge and heat on high until the oil is about 375°F. Working in small batches, add rolls to the oil and fry until golden brown in color. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Continue with all rolls.

Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving to avoid squirting yourself in the face with boiling hot pizza sauce. Be amazed at how quickly these will disappear.

Perhaps associated with the first burst of warm-ish weather, I tend to also get an itch to vacation at this time of year. It might also be years of Spring Break indoctrination, but I suddenly yearn to pack my bags for some tropical adventure! Not that I actually did a lot of that growing up, but the once or twice that we did vacation somewhere warm over Spring Break were enough to permanently spark anticipation every February. Unfortunately, we have no imminent vacation plans for this spring. So! To ease my wanderlust, I’ve settled by making some charred corn salsa.

Now obviously, fresh sweet corn on the cob and peppers are not exactly in season in the midwest. I fully admit that. But what better way to pretend it is summer than to dine on some wonderfully summery vegetables?

This salsa is pretty quick to make. Once the ingredients are prepped, the only cooking involved is a little charring of the peppers and corn. In theory, you could even go without this step and mix it all together raw, but I love the smokiness that comes from a little bit of pan-charring.

The onions and cilantro, though, should remain raw. They’ll provide a delightful bite and lovely color.

When it’s done, I like to chill this salsa for a couple hours before eating it, but you could also eat it while the corn and peppers are still warm. And this isn’t just for chip dipping: it makes a delightful filling for quesadillas, breakfast burritos, and omelettes, and it makes a wonderfully spicy salad when mixed with some chopped romaine.

Here’s to the return of warm weather!

Charred Corn Salsa
Inspired by Chipotle

2 tsp canola oil
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
2 cans (or two ears) sweet corn, drained
1/2 red onion, diced
1 T finely chopped cilantro
dash lemon or lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch or two sea salt

Prepare all ingredients that require chopping or mincing. If using ears of corn, cut the kernels off the cob raw and discard cobs.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add minced poblano pepper and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the peppers begin to char a bit, stirring once or twice. Add corn and sauté for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. For the last 3 minutes, turn the heat up to medium high to allow the corn to char, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and transfer corn mixture to a mixing bowl.

Add onion, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Mix well and taste, adding more salt or cumin as necessary.

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Delicious in quesadillas, breakfast burritos, omelettes, or simply on chips! Stores for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.

I think I was in sixth or seventh grade when I first heard about hummus. One of my classmates probably brought it in their packed lunch, with a pack of carrot sticks or some pita bread. My hometown was (and still is) definitely the kind of place where sixth graders are excited about eating hummus and carrots for lunch.

Unfortunately, I was horrified by the idea of eating hummus. For the better part of my childhood, I thought that hummus (ground chickpeas with tahini paste) and HUMUS (fully decomposed soil) were the same thing. I was all for eating the fruits of the earth, but the earth itself NO WAY.

The connections one makes as a child are truly fascinating, aren’t they?

Now, however, I know the truth. I know that in fact, that extra “m” makes a HUGE and delicious difference. What’s more, hummus is an incredibly easy and inexpensive snack to make.

And it starts, of course, with chick peas.

Chick peas, or garbanzo beans, are an ancient legume originally cultivated in the Middle East. Like most beans, you can buy them dried or canned, and either will work to make hummus, though dried beans would obviously require the additional step of cooking the beans. My initiative to learn how to make hummus at all was due to a can of chick peas I inherited from a friend’s moving-away-pantry-cleanout, so I opted for the canned this time around.

I’d made hummus before, only once, but I didn’t really like the way it turned out. It was somewhat clumpy, and had what I can only define as a gritty texture. It turns out the answer to making a really smooth hummus is to simply peel the chick peas!

And before you balk: yes, you have to peel each chick pea by hand, but it doesn’t take long! I think it took me a whole twenty minutes to liberate each chick pea from it’s skin, and I actually rather enjoyed the satisfying little pop! as I popped each one out.

Once the chick peas are peeled, the smooth dip you’re craving is only a few minutes away. A whirl in the food processor and the addition of garlic, tahina paste, a bit of lemon juice and seasoning are all that remain.

So what now I dressed my hummus up a little bit with a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil, but you can serve it just like it is.

What you’re left with is a punchy, garlicky hummus that tastes great on just about everything. Use it as a dip, a sandwich spread, or a topping on toast!

Do not use it for gardening. May any confusion you have between hummus and humus stop here.

Smooth Garlic Hummus
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

one 15-oz can chick peas or garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 c tahina paste
juice of one lemon, about 2 tablespoons
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 c water
olive oil & additional paprika for serving

Remove skins from the chick peas. You can do this quickly and easily by placing the chick pea between the thumb and index finger with the pointy end toward your palm and squeezing gently until the chick pea pops right out.

Pulse the chick peas in a food processor until light, powdery clumps are formed, about 45 seconds. Add tahina paste, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and paprika. Blend until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides several times. Leave the food processor in the on position and slowly drizzle the water through the spout until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spoon hummus into a serving bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit more paprika. Serve with pita chips or pita and carrots.

With another wedding cake baked and spring semester in my rear-view mirror, I finally feel like summer has begun. No, summer isn‘t quite the same as it used to be; the three-month vistas of free time I enjoyed from age 5-22 no longer lie ahead. I’ve been nostalgic for those childhood summers lately: sleeping in, spending the day flitting about town with mom, attempting badminton on the lawn with my sister, eating dinner off the grill in the cool Colorado evenings. Bliss!

After the sun set, summer nights in our house usually involved a movie. And where there are movies, there sure as Sam was gonna be some popcorn.

Admittedly, most of the popcorn I remember eating at home was microwave popcorn, though there was also brief stint where Kelli and I found an air popper almost as entertaining to watch as whatever movie was selected for the night. I do remember, quite vividly, one attempt to pop corn on the stove and the ensuing clouds of smoke that followed when it cooked too fast and burned to a crisp. Perhaps scarred by this event, up until recently I had mentally relegated popcorn popping to the arts of yesteryear, one that I was unlikely to ever master. But then, after seeing some friends pop corn at a party — quite casually and deliciously and with no clouds of smoke, I might add — I bravely bought a bag of cheap yellow kernels and decided to give it a shot.

OMG.

Revelation. Perfection. Obsession. Sublime happiness.

It turns out making popcorn is really easy. And really fast. I’m really not sure now what happened that fateful night as a child when I developed a fear of popcorn-making, but I am now here to say that if any of you have similar fears, give them up! Tonight! You can make freshly-popped popcorn with just a few kitchen tools that you already have.

Here’s how:

1. You’ll need a large pot with a lid, measuring cups, some popcorn kernels, and canola oil. The sea salt is not necessarily required, but I’ll be using it later.

2. Measure out the quantity of popcorn you’d like to make. A little goes a long way… 1/4 cup of kernels will yield about 5 cups of popcorn. If you’re making popcorn for more than one of two people, use 1/2 cup of kernels. Add the kernels and 2 tablespoons of canola oil to the pot and tilt the pot back and forth to coat the kernels.

3. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat, making sure the lid is nearby. As the pot heats up, shake the pot back and forth over the burner every 15-20 seconds. The oil will begin to sizzle lightly around the edges of the kernels. Once the first couple of kernels pop, quickly place the lid on the pot and continue to shake back and forth across the burner until about the popping frequency reduces to one every two seconds or so.

4. Remove the popcorn from the heat and continue to shake for a few seconds before removing the lid so that no rogue kernels pop out in your face. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl.

5. Now it’s time to season and flavor these puffy little kernels! They are tasty on their own, but the possibilities for flavoring popcorn are endless. I wanted three different flavors, so I separated mine into three separate mixing bowls.

6. Season your popcorn, using a light hand, and sampling along the way to ensure you don’t over-salt. Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

Melted Butter & Sea Salt
Sea Salt & White Truffle Oil (just a dash! A little goes a long way!)
Garlic Powder & Rosemary

Et voila! In less than ten minutes, you can have fresh, homemade popcorn, seasoned exactly the way you want it. A bag of popcorn kernels costs just a couple of dollars and can yield WEEKS worth of single servings. You know what I’m getting at.

Now I just need to figure out a way to smuggle THIS into the movie theatre… I don’t think they’ll notice, do you?

What are your favorite popcorn seasonings and flavors

And there is no better time of year for party food. Whether it’s an office bash or a neighborhood block party or simply a gathering of friends and family, you can never go wrong with a table filled with edible holiday splendor. Many of the posts in the coming weeks will focus on party-ready treats that make worthy contributions to any festive spread. And what classic shall we feature today The cheeseball!

This isn’t just a cheeseball. This is THREE cheeseballs.  Better still: this is three cheesePRESENTS. We’re taking an already-classic holiday favorite and raising it to the tenth Christmas power. Plus, this way you don’t have to choose between your favorite cheeseball flavors… you can make them ALL!

These cheeseballs start, conveniently, with the same base. A mixture of cream cheese, butter, and seasoning, it’s already delicious and could easily be a dip on its own at this point. But to turn this white goop into cheeseball magic-times-three, you’ll need some glorious mix-ins.

Each of these cheeseballs has a distinct personality. The cheddar & cranberry is rich and sweet, the feta & pecan is crunchy and has just a little kick, the chèvre & scallion is creamy and fresh. While most cheeseballs are rolled in an ingredient to give it lots of color on the outside, I elected to scrap that technique and mix those ingredients right into the cheeseballs so the flavor and texture would be spread throughout and the “ribbons” I’d apply soon after would pop a little brighter on the finished products.

With the mixtures made, all that remained was shaping them into packages and adding some finishing touches. I had originally planned to use some squarish pan or serving dish as a mold, but I found that I could just as easily wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and shape them with my hands. A bit messy, yes, but ultimately quite effective.

At this point, the cheeseballs are rather soft. Give ’em a chill for an hour or two in the fridge so they harden up before adding the final decorations. You can really jazz these up however you like. I opted for some simple, classic-looking bow-and-ribbons on two of the three, and a slightly more abstract “bow” for the third.

Surrounded by crackers, this platter of cheeseballs makes quite the centerpiece of a party spread. And it’s superfun to watch people trying to eat them without disturbing the ribbons. Kind of the same as real packages, right?

Pile o’ Presents Cheeseballs
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes three package-shaped cheeseballs

Note: If you don’t need three cheeseballs, you can easily make just one or two of the flavors at one time. Simply cut the first section ingredients to the needed proportions, and then omit the mix-ins that you are not planning to use. Options are lovely, aren’t they?

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
24 oz (3 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
3/4 c dried cranberries, finely chopped
2 T ginger apple chutney (or other flavorful chutney)
6-8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 shallot, finely chopped (should yield about 1/4 c)
1 c finely chopped pecans
8 oz chèvre
1/2 c green onions, finely chopped (whites & greens)
1/3 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
additional dried cranberries, green onions, parsley leaves, and pecan halves to “wrap” packages
various crackers for serving

Combine butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper, salt, and white pepper in a large bowl. Mix well until smooth & creamy. Divide the mixture evenly into three separate bowls, using the original mixing bowl for one third. To the first bowl, add the cheddar, cranberries, and chutney and mix well. To the second bowl, add the feta, shallot, and pecans and mix well. To the third bowl, add the chèvre, green onions, and parsley and mix well.

Find a serving platter large enough to hold three cheeseballs and crackers and set aside. Stretch out a piece of plastic wrap to about 2 feet long. Scoop the contents of one bowl onto the plastic wrap and fold the wrap around the cheese. Mold the cheese to the desired shape using your hands. Gently pull the plastic wrap away from the cheese and carefully place the cheeseball onto the serving platter. Repeat with new plastic wrap for the other two mixtures, shaping each one slightly differently to make your pile of packages more interesting. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

After an hour, the cheeseballs should be fairly firm. “Wrap” your packages by arranging the additional cranberries, green onions, parsley leaves, and pecan halves (each to their respective flavor) as you would ribbons and bows. Use your creativity! Return the cheeseballs to the fridge until 1 hour prior to serving.

Remove one hour prior to serving. Arrange crackers around the cheeseballs, providing an additional bowl of crackers on the side.

A shift in the weather has finally come to North Carolina.  After a disgustingly hot Labor Day weekend, the last few days have been gloriously cool. I’m thrilled for fall to arrive, but sometimes, I think the transition into the season is almost more exhilarating than the heart of the season itself. Just a few months ago, I ached for the warmth of summer. I couldn’t wait to shed my scarves, jeans, and sweaters and swap them out for flip flops and tank tops. But now, as we teeter on the outer edge of a long, hot summer, I can’t wait to don my long-sleeved tees, comfy socks, and tall, brown boots.

Buuuut it’s still a bit warm for that. But there are still plenty of ways to get ready for fall. One of them is to add this rockin’ dip to your TO MAKE IMMEDIATELY list. Take it to your next football tailgate, Halloween party, or movie night. Seriously, I urge you to find any excuse.

I’ve “made” onion dip before. A packet of onion soup mix and a tub of sour cream and shazam! Chip & dip time! But this is unlike any onion dip I’ve ever had. probably because it actually features the fine, fine flavors of real onion. A LOT of onion. This recipe yields about three cups, but it starts with four full cups of raw onion. Then, aided by the deep and sultry additions of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, those crisp raw onions transform until their decadent, caramelized selves.

Instead of sour cream, the bulk of this dip is made of Greek yogurt. I’ve recently been rather obsessed with using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, and this recipe was a major success.

After that, the onions mix in and the dip is technically ready for snacking. However, a couple hours in the fridge allows the flavor to pull from the onions into the rest of the dip, so sneak a few chips and then allow the dip to chill for a while.

And then.

Break out the party plates and invite over your friends. And heck, go ahead and put on some jeans and a jacket. Fall is coming, and this dip wants you to celebrate.

Caramelized Onion Dip
Adapted from Simply Recipes

2 T olive oil
4 cups diced yellow onions, about 3 medium-sized onions
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
splash of Worcestershire sauce
additional salt to taste

Place a large, heavy pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Heat until oil glistens. Add onions and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and are becoming translucent. Add brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions for 30 more minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently. Remove pot from the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes to allow onions to cool a bit.

While onions are cooling, combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add onions and stir until all are coated with the yogurt mixture.

Dip can be served immediately, with tasty potato chips, but is even more dreamy after chilling for a couple of hours.

I’m not sure when “pickles” came to indicate cucumbers that are pickled, and nothing else. You can buy pickled garlic, pickled eggs (eeeeeew), but the pickles section is predominantly composed of cukes. Oh sure, there’s variety: sweet pickles, bread & butter pickles, dill pickles, kosher dill pickles, zesty dilly pickles, pickle chips, and more. But they are all cucumbers!

It turns out this was not always so. Those of you who can have probably seen many kinds of pickles in your cookbooks. Pickled okra! Pickled beets! Pickled peaches!

And one of my personal favorites, pickled green beans!

Dilly beans start with a heap of fresh, brilliant green snap beans. They’re dirt cheap right now at my local farmers market, so it’s a great time to buy a bunch and pickle them.

For a little extra pizazz, each jar gets a dried chili pepper. Pretty to look at, and they give these pickles a zesty little kick.

As with many pickles, these are also very quick to make. The lengthiest part of the process is snipping the ends off the beans. Then, quick boil of vinegar, water, and pickling salt and a trip through the water bath canner and you’re set!

I love these little pickles. They are unbelievably crisp, zesty, and dilly, and they offer a great change of pace from ye olde cucumber pickles.

Happy green bean season!

Dilly Beans
Adapted just a bit from Saving the Seasons

Makes 3-4 pints

2 lbs fresh green beans
4 dried red chili peppers
4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 tsp dill seed
2 1/2 c white vinegar
2 1/2 c water
1/4 c pickling salt

Wash beans thoroughly and snip off both ends of each bean. In each of four sterilized jars, add one dried pepper, one clove garlic, and 1 1/2 tsp dill seed.

Before packing the beans into the jars, combine vinegar, water, and pickling salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil. While that is heating, pack beans vertically in the jars as tightly as possible without crushing the beans.

Once the vinegar mixture has come to a boil, pour into jars leaving 1/4″ head space in each jar. Wipe rims of jars and lid, tightening the rings until they are finger-tight. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow jars to rest for 24 hours, then label, remove rings, and store.

We had a bit of a cold front move through North Carolina this weekend. Saturday dawned cool and cloudy. I pulled out a pair of jeans for the first time since, I don’t know, April In combination with students returning for the first week of class, late summer suddenly felt just a teensy bit like autumn. Obviously busting out a fall baking project became an immediate weekend priority.

But what? Every once in a while, I see a recipe for homemade cheddar crackers traipsing about the internet, and I promise myself, “THIS! This is next!” And then it never is. Until today! This particular cheddar cracker is a pretty basic one (as I imagine all cheddar crackers are) composed of a little butter, a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, some salt & peppers, and a beautiful heap of sharp cheddar.

If you have a food processor, this is certainly a great opportunity to use it. I scoffed, at first… why would I need to use a stinkin’ food processor to make a simple dough Shouldn’t a pastry cutter do the trick The truth is, yes: you can. But the food processor takes this dough from flour to mealy-cheese-stuff to ball-o-dough in a matter of seconds.

Someone give this sucker a promotion.

Then! Chill it. As with pie dough, this dough should be rolled out and cut to shape when it is very, very cold, so it’s needs a while to hang out.

While you wait you should make something tasty for lunch. I made goat cheese pasta, which I would link to but I can’t yet because I haven’t posted it yet but I promise it’s coming.

Then! After an hour or so (or longer, if you want) the fun part begins! You’ll need a rolling pin and the cutest little cookie cutters on the block. I have this little autumn set that are each about an inch wide, but you can use whatever you want. Or you can just cut them into your favorite shape with the tip of a knife.

And let’s not waste the scraps. Clump ’em back together and re-roll them, and you should be able to use almost every bit of your dough.

These crackers then go into the oven, puff up, and come out as perfect little bites of cheesy goodness. Reminiscent of Cheez-its, the whole wheat flour adds a full, nutty flavor to these crackers, and the peppers and sharp cheddar give them a nice little bite.

Sadly, the hot muggy weather of summer has returned after our brief moment of fall-itude, but I can still pretend. After all, I have two jars of cute little fall leaves to snack on.

Crispy Cheddar Crackers
Adapted from Home Cooking in Montana

Makes about 5 cups of crackers

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 T unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
3 1/2 T water
additional salt for sprinkling

Combine flours, peppers, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix well. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add grated cheese about 1/2 c at a time, pulsing 4-5 times after each addition.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse between each addition until the majority of the mixture forms into a ball of dough. Remove dough from food processor and press any remaining bits into the dough to form a single ball. Press into a disc-shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or if you’re making the crackers much later, the dough can remain refrigerated for 1-2 days until you’re ready to use it.

After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 °F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. Roll out dough, flipping and re-applying flour as needed to prevent sticking, until it is about 1/8″ thick. Using your favorite tiny cookie cutters, a pizza cutter, or simply a knife, cut dough into crackers about one inch wide and place crackers on the lined cookie sheet. Crackers can be placed very close together as they will not expand outwards very much while baking. Once all dough has been used, sprinkle all crackers lightly with salt.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms of the crackers are golden brown. Check the crackers after 15 minutes, especially if you are using a lower rack in your oven. Once crackers are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. If you have any left, that is…