snack – In Good Taste

DIY Snack: Parmesan Almonds

Maris Callahan — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:17:29 +0000

Once upon a time, I was in an airport. I was hungry in said airport (why? because I’m ALWAYS hungry, that’s why). So, I stopped in a charming little Hudson News boutique planning to buy a Luna bar. “Planning to” are the operative words here because when I approached the checkout counter the clerk informed me that the bar was $3.95. Yes, four dollars for a granola bar. Honestly, does anyone like Luna bars that much? Needless to say, I waited until I boarded the plane and let the airline pretzels tide me over but my point here? Snacks are expensive. Good snacks are expensive. If you want to stretch your groceries further, it will pay off to make your own. So, I did. Awhile back, Sahale Snacks sent me a stash of their new seasoned nuts and I was pretty addicted to their Tuscan amonds. They taste like pizza. I’m not kidding. If you think that sound gross, then you’re probably correct. But they’re addicting. Addicting, but not addicting enough to buy them every time I’m at the grocery store. I did what any rational food writer would do and I made my own. They weren’t quite as good as Sahale’s; […]

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Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Maris Callahan — Thu, 20 May 2010 06:00:00 +0000

People like cake. Now, I’m more of a cookie-and-brownie person myself, but even I understand that there’s a reason why we have birthday cake and not birthday brownies or birthday pie. People like cake. There are all kinds of cakes out there – celebration cakes, breakfast cakes – and my personal favorite, ice cream cake – but the best cakes out there are the everyday cakes. Cakes that isn’t too drenched in too-sweet frosting so you can snack on it between meals, cake that you can offer someone for no reason at all. I adapted this from an Ina Garten recipe for blueberry crumb cake, simply because I wanted to make the perfect crumb cake without making a trip to the store for ingredients. I had everything on the list for Ina’s cake except the blueberries, so a blueberry-less cake it would be. Save Print Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Author: Adapted from Ina Garten Recipe type: Breakfast & Brunch, Sweet Treats Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour Serves: 12 Ingredients Streusel ¼ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, […]

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Fresh Corn Muffins (And a few fun facts)

Maris Callahan — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:00:00 +0000

` For some reason, Southern-style country cooking sounds more appealing in the summer. Maybe it’s the fresh produce, the leafy greens and ripe tomatoes, the pert asparagus, the plump yellow onions and the farm fresh corn perfect for fresh corn muffins. Even though I’m no stranger to simple cornbread and cornbread with caramelized onions, I can’t remember the last time I made corn muffins with real corn, fat yellow kernels that promise summer just around the corner. But I can’t pretend that the idea for baking corn muffins came to me naturally. When I was browsing the internet the other day I stumbled upon a link to the National Corn Grower’s Association (doesn’t everyone spend their days Googling food items and ingredients? Well, maybe you should). The NGCA is devoted to create and increase opportunities for corn growers. Who knew? There are a lot of issues surrounding corn growers: a corn surplus, the health associations with high-fructose corn syrup and others. Where my inner science nerd enjoyed reading about soy, corn and wheat prices and the US dollar, I’ll keep the mundane to myself and just tell you about the muffins I was inspired to make after my online travels. […]

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Berry Smash Muffins (Strawberry-Blueberry Muffins)

Maris Callahan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:00:00 +0000

When life hands you strawberries that are a little bit past their prime…make berry muffins! In addition to my oven that doesn’t open, I have a refrigerator that’s just a little too small. It’s a standard, apartment-sized appliance but it’s also deeper than it is wide and just in general, difficult to store things. I often have to pile stuff on top of each other or stick smaller items behind large, unwieldy tupperware containers and the like. As a result, important things like strawberries get caught behind loaves of bread and stacks of yogurts. Recently, I was rummaging through my misshapen fridge and I found a container of strawberries, just past ripe, perfect candidates to mash with a fork and fold into a perfect muffin batter. I had some extra blueberries on hand from the whole-wheat blueberry muffins I baked recently and what could be a better marriage than juicy blueberries and sweet strawberries? Only a muffin bursting with both. Save Print Berry Smash Muffins (Strawberry-Blueberry Muffins) Author: Everybody Likes Sandwiches Recipe type: Sweet Treats, Breakfast and Brunch Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 8 large muffins or 12 small muffins Ingredients 1⅔ cup fresh […]

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Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Maris Callahan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0000

When I started cooking for myself in my college apartment, I didn’t make complicated recipes. I didn’t experiment with fresh herbs or spices. Though I did conquer a pre-Thanksgiving turkey during my senior year, the other 99% of my meals were basic, simple and reflective of the meals I ate growing up: pasta with homemade marinara sauce, turkey chili and baked chicken parmesan. For me, when I first left my parents house, I worked to create a satellite home wherever I was: be it the relatives’ apartment where I lived for my first months in New York City, the apartment I shared with three roommates and finally, my one-bedroom in Hoboken. It isn’t until I moved to Chicago that it really occurred to me that as an adult, I could set up my home however I like. I might not clean or organize my kitchen cabinets the same way that my mother does. I might keep my cleaning agents under the bathroom sink instead of the kitchen sink and use different brands of canned goods than my parents, but if one thing is constant, it’s the occasional urge to cook foods I grew up with. Blueberry muffins are such a […]

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