It’s Super Bowl time. Therefore I’ve devoted three installments of “One Teaspoon From Disaster” to this day.

Because many of us (OK, probably just me) care way more about these snacks than the football game, I’m recommending three lovely yet easy recipes that break away from traditional sporting-event food.

Last up: Orange-Cran Snack Mix. Perfect for the coffee table (where, hopefully, no one is resting their feet. Socks or no socks, don’t prop them up there). This is just as easy as that certain cereal mix that turns up at every large gathering, but about a million times yummier.

The cereal is still there, but the secret goodness is the orange juice, which you need to make sure is fully defrosted before spooning it in. The dried cranberries and almonds are a nice sweet-salty pair. This will disappear fast!

Orange-cran snack mix
Ingredients:
2 C. Quaker Oatmeal cereal squares
2 C. Corn Chex
2 C. mini pretzel twists
1 C. whole unsalted almonds
1/4 C. butter
1/3 C. o.j. concentrate
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 C. dried cranberries
Directions:
Combine cereals, pretzels and almonds in a large bowl. Melt butter and mix in o.j., sugar and spices. Pour over cereal mixture and stir well to coat. Spread in a sprayed 9- x 13-inch pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. (Seriously.) Stir in cranberries and let cool until mixture is crisp. Store in airtight container.

Sorry no photo, but this one is easy to imagine.

Posted by · February 2, 2007 3:12 AM · Comments (0)

It’s Super Bowl time. Therefore I’m devoting three installments of “One Teaspoon From Disaster” to this day.

Not the actual event, mind you. But rather the food we eat while watching other people exercise. And because many of us (OK, probably just me) care way more about these snacks than the football game, I’m recommending three lovely yet easy recipes that break away from traditional sporting-event food.

Up now: Creamy crab dip. This recipe is practically as easy as opening a jar of nasty nacho cheese and a bag of tortilla chips, so why bother? This is way more impressive anyway. There is something fancy about crab. But “con carne”? Not so much. Serve warm from the oven with small slices of crusty baguette. I used reduced-fat cream cheese without consequence or flavor sacrifice.

Creamy crab dip
Ingredients:
1, 8-ounce package cream cheese
1, 6-ounce can crab
1 1/3 tsp. minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. horseradish
4 Tbsp. mayo
Directions:
Mix ingredients and spread into a small casserole dish. Bake at 250 degrees until warm throughout. Serve warm with crackers, chips, crusty bread.

Sorry no photo available today, but stay tuned.

Posted by · February 2, 2007 3:05 AM · Comments (0)

It’s Super Bowl time. Therefore I’m devoting the next three installments of “One Teaspoon From Disaster” to this day.

Not the actual event, mind you. This isn’t my take on “One Fumble From Botching the Game.” But rather the food we eat while watching other people exercise. And because many of us (OK, probably just me) care way more about these snacks than the football game, I’m recommending three lovely yet easy recipes that break away from traditional sporting-event food.

First up: Spinach pita triangles. Forget pizza. These pita bites topped with pesto, feta cheese and fresh spinach and then baked are delicious and filling. Remember to use tomato-based pesto (not the green stuff), or they won’t taste as wonderful. I prefer using the pita flat bread rather than pita pocket bread – it’s easier to add the toppings.

A little Martha Stewart-ish? OK, maybe. (Not her recipe, by the way, but something I’d give her permission to use.) Wait until you see my replacements for nacho cheese and party snack mix. Who says Martha can’t do football games?

Spinach pita triangles
Ingredients:
4, 6-inch pita breads
6 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
3 C. fresh spinach, chopped
1/3 C. feta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 C. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
black pepper to taste
Directions:
Spread tomatoe pesto on pita. Top with remaining ingredients and drizzle olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees until crisp (10-12 minutes). Cut into triangles and serve warm.

Sorry no photo available, but will be again soon.

Posted by · February 2, 2007 2:56 AM · Comments (0)