I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
I’m a snacker. In fact, I never like to have the stuff around in the house because I will devour it all in one sitting. I kid you not. So when I do get the craving for that salty-crunchy-sweet-and-maybe-spicy bite, I like to take the homemade route, and whip up a batch of trail mix.
Last Christmas, you remember me loving on Georgia-grown Schermer Pecans. And I love them looong after the holidays are done. For my homemade trail mix, I use both their plain pecans and cinnamon pecans, along with salty pistachios and crispy sesame sticks. To add a chewy, fruity punch, I mix in sweetened dried cranberries and some orange peels. But THE secret, my friends, is all in the fresh OJ and egg whites. It coats the trail mix, allowing the brown sugar, salt and chile pepper to cling to it all in the best, best way. I mean my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Of course, the beauty with trail mix is you can add anything you heart desires. Though, I do highly, highly recommend the Schermer Pecans with whatever you do choose…they’re divine! Enjoy! Truly, MKR
Combine orange peels, orange juice & egg white in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir in plain pecans & pistachios. Combine sugar, salt, and chipotle. Add to pecan mixture; toss well. Spread mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven; cool completely. Stir in cinnamon pecans, sesame sticks and cranberries.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
When it comes to nachos, lets just say I take my nachos very seriously (you may remember my queso drenched vegetarian nachos, an ultimate lesson in layering and loading). They’re simply the easiest food to dress up, get creative with and full-out nosh on. So in the spirit of mixing it up, today I give you my latest nacho creation: warm and cozy fall nachos (because you know I love all things fall).
Spicy sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, cremini mushrooms and Great Northern beans come together on top of hearty, whole-grain chips for a simple, yet incredibly satisfying crunch in every bite. A perfect blend of savory, salty and a hint of sweetness make these sweet potato nachos a true crowd-pleaser—and needless to say—an elevated take on your run-of-the-mill chips and cheese. Plus you can prep the majority of the ingredients up to two days before, so when you go to actually build the nachos and bake them, it should only take about 20 minutes.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve, however, when it comes to these fall sweet potato nachos. See, the secret is in blending your sweet potatoes in a blender for a mashed potato consistency. I also douse the sweet potatoes with cayenne to give them a subtle heat, blending and seasoning with cayenne, salt and pepper as I go. Once blended, I use a spatula and spread the spicy mashed sweet potatoes onto every few chips (I like to use the really intense, thick 12-seed kind of chips to hold the weight of the toppings), along with a layer of Great Northern white beans, cremini mushrooms (always wiped clean with a dish rag, never rinsed with water), caramelized onions and a MIX of shredded Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese. Lastly, while the cheese is melting, I flash fry sage (it takes about 30 seconds!) for a delightful addition with the fresh arugula to top it all off.
While I’m pretty set on this winning combo for fall, I do love that the beauty of nachos is the opportunity to switch it up and choose whatever toppings you desire. So try these fall sweet potato nachos as is but, then go ahead and have a little fun with your own renditions too. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
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Fall Nachos with Sweet Potatoes, Great Northern Beans, Cremini Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions with Fried Sage & Fresh Arugula
1 cup cremini mushrooms, roughly cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 block white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Hearty chips (look for thick, heavy and whole grain)
cayenne, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh arugula, to garnish
fresh sage, to fry and garnish
For the caramelized onions
6 giant onions, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large pot, boil sweet potatoes until tender.
Blend sweet potatoes in a blender to create a mashed potato consistency.
Place chips onto baking sheet, spreading with sweet potatoes, a layer of beans, caramelized onions* and mushrooms.
Cook nachos without cheese for 10 minutes.
Take nachos out, sprinkle shredded cheeses on top, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until melted.
While the cheese is melting, fry the fresh sage in about an inch of oil in a small saute pan. Be sure to wait until the oil is hot before flash-frying the sage. It will take only about 30 seconds to fry.
Top nachos with fried sage and fresh arugula, and serve!
For the caramelized onions
Remove skins of onions and slice them into 1/4 inch slices.
Melt the butter in your skillet on medium heat.
Add onions to your pan and stir them, making sure to coat them with butter.
Stir onions and scrape the skillet every 5-10 minutes.
After about an hour of cooking, your onions will be properly caramelized.
Once cooked through, pour the water into the pan, scraping all of the bits. Season the onions with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
To cut down on prep time, you can make your sweet potato mash and caramelized onions the night before. When blending the sweet potatoes, add a tiny bit of water to the bender if it seems too dry. Season and taste as you go, adding more water if need be.
I usually put half to 3/4 of my caramelized onions on my nachos, and save the rest. They keep well up to 2-3 days.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
Growing up in Michigan, every summer party included a carved watermelon with balled melon. For every birthday party, special or not-so-special occasion, my mother would cut the watermelon into that basket shape, and add in all the balled cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew. It was such a common theme for me that I literally grew up believing that summer tasted like a bowl of cantaloupe. In my adult years, I discovered that frozen melon balls make best ice cubes for summer drinks (genius, right?!). So when I opened up my CSA box last week, I found fresh cantaloupe inside, and I was determined to put it to good use.
The thing about cantaloupe is that it can be a bit boring if just left alone. But it can also be delightful when balanced and paired well. With this heat wave, I’m craving dishes that are easy to prepare, simple to enjoy and are just all around refreshing. I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone with summer dishes too, so today I’m giving classic cantaloupe a MAJOR upgrade with a super easy (read 20 minutes or less to prepare), super fresh summer mix.
This mozzarella prosciutto melon salad achieves that perfect balance of sweet, savory and summer. Of course, there’s the creamy, consistency of fresh mozzarella, but then bring in the thin slices of dry-cured prosciutto, a little heat with serrano peppers, topped with fresh basil and mint from my garden…now that’s the perfect summer bite. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
P.S. Here’s my two cents about olive oil: I really believe you should always have at least two different olive oils in your arsenal. One being your standard organic EVOO for everyday sauteing and cooking. The second: a more splurge-worthy ,higher quality or infused olive oil to be used when you really want to “taste” the oil’s flavor, like in this salad’s dressing. I’m a big fan of THIS one as well as the garlic, basil, and rosemary infused oils from Round Pond. Perfect, simple flavor in each and every bite.
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Summer Melon & Mozzarella Salad with Fresh Prosciutto, Basil and Mint
