Cooking With Michele® » Snacks

Spiced Almonds

Michele — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:46:35 +0000

Looking for something quick to make to put out for guests to nibble on? Here’s your answer: spiced almonds. You can whip up a batch up these in 5 minutes, and best of all
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Pork Cracklin’s

Michele — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:47:19 +0000

I can just hear the gasps now. What is she thinking posting something like this right after the holidays when she and the rest of us have all agreed to eat a little healthier!? For starters, I promised recipes from my Celebration of the Pig dinner, and this was one of the more talked about parts of the lineup.
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Pesto Pizza with Three Cheeses

Michele — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:18:15 +0000

Does this make you a bit hungry?Or how about this savory looking corner?
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Lost Notes…Found Again

Michele — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:14:03 +0000

I was cleaning out my purse the other day and came across a tiny scrap of paper, merely 2 inches wide and less than 4 inches tall, quite worn and crumbled. On one side it has this listed:

- crostini
- sheep’s ricotta w/ chive, EVOO, S/P
- fallone (pizza dough with greens)
- braseola con ruchetta
- potato flan
- speck (Alto Adige)
- garlic crostini w/ oil
- cacio o’chiato (Calabria)
- parm reg
- fontina val d’osta
- pecorino r

I was stumped for a moment trying to figure out why I had written this list down. While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s a list of Italian foods – including alot of great cheeses I might add – I couldn’t recall what it was. Here’s a bit of a clue: I did find these photos on my computer:

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Beet Chips

Michele — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:03:22 +0000

I have a habit of gaining culinary inspiration while exercising. I know it may seem like a self-defeating thing: I work out while watching food on TV which only fuels my appetite more and then I can’t wait to cook and eat again. But in this case, it’s a snack that’s crunchy, savory, a bit sweet, easy, and actually really good for you (don’t tell your kids that!).
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Puff Pastry “Pizza”

Michele — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:22:33 +0000

I’ve been on a puff pastry kick lately – it started with an amuse bouche at my New Year’s Eve dinner and now I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. I don’t want to ever make it myself, mind you – I did that once in a pastry class and while it was fascinating, it was also exhausting and took two weeks. So go right ahead and buy frozen puff pastry and you won’t hear any criticism from me!In my ongoing quest to use up what I have on hand, I decided to make a leek and gruyere puff pastry pizza
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Sweet Potato Hummus

Michele — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:45:06 +0000

I’m cooking dishes for a surprise birthday party for a friend tomorrow night, and this was first up on my list today. The recipe was created by a friend of mine, Megan, who is one of the coordinators from Operation Frontline Colorado. It’s easy, it’s tasty, and it’s different.It all starts with a large sweet potato
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Cumin Pita Crisps and Lemony Hummus

Michele — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:01:28 +0000

Pita crisps and hummus – I know you might be thinking, “Doesn’t the store sell both of those so why would I make my own?” Two reasons: freshness and flavor. Okay, and maybe a third, because neither is hard to make. Have you noticed I’m kind of a stickler about making your own whenever possible? And really, isn’t that why you’re reading a recipe food blog anyway?!Let’s start with the pita crisps. I find the store bought ones to be dense and thick, almost cracker like in texture. In reality pita bread is delicate, but the secret is how you prepare the chips.
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Kale Chips

Michele — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:22:32 +0000

I seem to be alone here – alone, that is, in that I like making resolutions at the start of the year. Every food blog I read has been starting with a definitive statement about “No resolutions here!” Maybe I should follow suit, because I’m not off to a very good start as far as eating healthy. It’s not that I don’t make healthy foods – it’s that I surround those meals with potato chips, cookies, chocolate and wine – none of which are helping my waistline!Thankfully, I’ve found a new food that seems quite in vogue this year – kale chips.
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Fried Shoestring Zucchini

Michele — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:54:00 +0000

This will be my final post of recipes from last month’s Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 event. You can find my tabbouleh recipe already on this blog, so I won’t include it here, but instead, will go right to my favorite dish from the event, fried shoestring zucchini. Maybe I was just depressed, or maybe just craving fried food, but this stuff was delicious and addictive. I actually ate it for breakfast the morning I shot this photo!

Start by shredding zucchini on the fine setting of a mandoline. I have not tried making this using a grater, but I’m thinking if you don’t have a mandoline you could use a grater box, just making sure to grate the zucchini lengthwise so you get long ribbons.

Heat a saucepan of canola oil (about 2-3 inches deep) over medium high heat. You know it’s ready (about 350 degrees) when you dangle in a zucchini strip and it sizzles. Don’t put the zucchini into cold or cool oil or it will just absorb all of the oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add a good handful of the shredded zucchini to the oil – it will bubble fiercely because of the water in the zucchini, so just let it go awhile.

When the water has started cooking out (which takes a surprising amount of time, like 5 minutes or more), the bubbles will die down a bit and you will see the zucchini start to turn brown. Keep cooking it until it’s mostly browned, but not burning. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels while you cook the next batch. Make sure to salt the fried shoestring zucchini while it’s still hot – and since salty foods are a perfect pairing with Champagne, why not enjoy this as an appetizer with a glass of bubbly the next time you have friends over?

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