Weekend Project: Make Your Own Damn Snacks - Intermediate Level

Apr 27, 2013 2:02 pm

10 things you could buy in a package, but no!

By Food Republic

It's almost the weekend. You're ready to be done with all the mind-numbing spreadsheets and Google docs and stupid emails from your stupid boss. Sure, you could lie around all weekend, stick your hand in a greasy bag, pull out a pre-made chip and dip it in a store-bought plastic container of some salty dip that looked better on the shelf than it tastes, but screw it. This is the weekend you get your shit together. This is the weekend you start taking control of your life.

You're gonna make your own damn snacks this weekend. Here are 10 really delicious snacks that will both satisfy your weekend cravings and make you feel good about yourself that you will go into the office next week ready to shred. Plus they're on the "somewhat challenging side," so you have something to stimulate your brain while you're rewatching all the Arrested Development.

Weekend Project: Make Your Own Damn Snacks - Intermediate Level

These stuffed cherry peppers are easy to make and pair well with hearty Italian dishes.

Italian Stuffed Cherry Peppers Recipe

Prosciutto and cheese make for a hearty filling

We're always looking for simple recipes for big, flavorful bites. Party food, bar food, random snacks — it's all good. We stumbled upon what appears to be the perfect Italian stuffed cherry pepper recipe. Pour yourself a glass of something nice, and dig into this peppery, sharp and salty treat.

Continue reading »

This rich, easy-to-make melt features creamy stout beer, Granny Smith apples and cheddar cheese.

Green Apple Guinness Melt Recipe

Fruit and beer combined in a cheesy, buttery melt

The rich, rustic dish combines sweet and tangy Granny Smith apples, savory cheddar cheese and creamy stout beer, buried in a butter-filled baguette. And, it’s a recipe so simple you won’t even need the luck of the Irish to prepare as the perfect dish for a St. Paddy’s Day gathering.

Continue reading »

Baltimore Crab Pretzel Sticks Recipe

A recipe for crab pretzels, appetizer-style

Here's how proud the Baltimore area is of its crabmeat. Go ahead, look at the photo. Actually, mine don't do them justice — the real Baltimore crab pretzels are legit twisted stadium pretzels roughly the size of a dinner plate and positively coated with thick crab salad and shredded cheese. I use pre-made pizza dough to achieve very nearly the same results in an hour or less.

Continue reading »

Snickerdoodles are similar to sugar cookies, but are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon before baking.

The Only Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe You Need To Know

Crisp cinnamon sugar cookies à la Pichet Ong

We're big on desserts by pastry chef Pichet Ong (and we won't turn down his style advice, either). His recipe for snickerdoodles is perfect when the urge to bake holiday cookies strikes. No fussy chopping of nuts or fine grating of chocolate, no salted goat milk caramel. Just crisp, chewy, cinnamon-sugar cookies you might want to bake by the double-batch.

Continue reading »

These rich chocolate treats are almost too cute to eat. Almost.

Caramel Pecan Tortoises Recipe

Gooey, nutty chocolate treats in reptile form

We're crazy about the Hand-Crafted Candy Bars cookbook! Screw all those preservatives and artificial crap, we're going back to old-school candymaking techniques with these Caramel Pecan Tortoises. Cute, but importantly, functional.

Continue reading »

Banana bread tastes better the next day, so make a big batch!

Basic Banana Bread Recipe

The only banana bread recipe you'll ever need

Banana bread is perfect for breakfast or lunch. It's also a great way to use bananas that are brown and spotty, rather than just throwing them in the garbage. I like to double this recipe and make a big batch on a lazy Sunday afternoon, that way I have a slice for every day of the week. Serve banana bread warm with a pat of butter, or dollop of cream or yogurt.

Continue reading »

Easy Mango Lassi Recipe

Try this easy mango lassi recipe any time of day

Mango is, to nobody's surprise, a very popular flavor of lassi. Others omit the fruit and add either honey and rosewater or salt and cumin as variations. While Greek yogurt is awesome and deserves every bit of hype it gets, regular, preferably homemade yogurt is the way to go here — Greek's too thick to sip through a straw, something you'll want to do.

Continue reading »

Party Grub: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups With Bourbon

Alcohol, check. Chocolate, check. Life is good.

Hey, you got your chocolate in my bourbon. No, you got your bourbon in my chocolate! Wait, nobody would have a problem with that. Unlike the classic commercials for "two great tastes in one candy bar," where a klutzy move would result in a chocolate bar falling into a jar of peanut butter, this is an...

Continue reading »

Smooth, decadent eggplant in all its glory is known in the Arab world as baba ghanoush.

Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe

A versatile eggplant recipe for fall

Baba ganoush and hummus are pretty much like brothers who could agree on everything except chicks. Well, chickpeas. If you switch out hummus' chickpeas with eggplant, the result is a silky, tangy spread you'll be enjoying by the spoonful. Like hummus and tzatziki, baba ghanoush works as a dip, spread and even just straight up as a healthy side.

Continue reading »

Chorizo Potato Bites Recipe

Our favorite taco recipe in bite-sized party format

This party snack pays homage to three of my favorite other small bites — deviled eggs, chorizo potato tacos and potato skins. Frying the onions and garlic in some of the fat left over from browning the sausage adds an extra layer of flavor, plus frying onions in fat is one of the sacred pillars of tailgating.