It appears I have a whole box of saltine crackers left in my pantry from over the holidays.  They are still all sealed so they’re fresh, but I sure don’t foresee sitting down and snacking on that many crackers any time soon. I definitely need a little help with this one.

There are some casserole dishes I’ve eaten that have used saltines as the “base”.  These recipes may have been family favorites because I have not come across any printed recipes that include saltines as part of a casserole.  Have you ever designed a casserole dish that uses saltine crackers? 

What are your thoughts about creating a “mock pie crust” for a chicken pot pie, perhaps by mixing in some egg?  I know there must be some inventive ways to use up extra saltine crackers, but I sure need some help here!  I’ll be anxious to hear from you.

Pretzels are one of those snacks that are always welcome in my house.  They are low in fat and taste really great!  So, what’s not to love?  I like the twisted shaped ones, the thin straight ones, and the fat ones.  They’re all welcome any time!

I’ve wondered what I could do with a whole bag of pretzels that would turn them into a really special treat for the whole family.  Yes, I’m happy to sit down with just an open bag of plain pretzels on my lap, but wouldn’t it be fun to have a big bowl of special pretzels for special days?  Think of game day or movie night…

I do like to make chocolate dipped pretzels on occasion.  They are simple to make – just follow the instructions on a bag of chocolate chips or melting chocolate coating to melt the chocolate, dip the pretzels in and lay on a piece of parchment paper to cool.  Put them in the refrigerator if you can’t wait.  The salty and sweet flavor is incredible.

Do you have any ideas for improving on the classic pretzel?

I don’t know if I really need to make something with white wine because it’s just so nice to sip!  It’s more of a curiosity than anything. I really do wonder if there are any dishes that use a lot of white wine in the ingredients.  It does sound yummy… a hearty, creamy cheese soup, perhaps?  Or a dessert, maybe?

Alcohol cooks out of any wine or beer you use in cooking, so the flavor changes in the end result.  If you simmer wine to reduce it, can you incorporate it into a creamy sauce?  What about adding chocolate?  This is all speculation, but I would love to hear what you think. 

When wine, either white or red, cooks for awhile in a rich, red sauce for spaghetti, it just gives a nice extra layer of flavor that sits very nicely on the tongue.  It’s such a nice addition to the sauce, I can’t imagine there is not a way to use wine as a main ingredient.  What do you think?

If you’ve got kids, you’ve got apple juice in the house.  Have you ever tried to use it in your cooking?  Because it’s so handy, I thought it would be a good “pantry” item to create dishes around.

I have seen quite a few recipes that use apple juice as a marinade for chicken and seafood, normally in Asian-inspired dishes.  Combining apple juice with ginger and soy is a pretty basic blend that packs quite a bit of flavor. 

How about using apple juice in stir fry dishes?  Again, with soy included, I would imagine that a stir fry would really benefit from the impact of apple juice; perhaps replacing all or some of the chicken broth when creating a cornstarch thickened sauce.

Apple juice could also be used as the sweet part of any sweet and sour dish.  Even Szechwan Beef or Chicken wouldn’t hide or minimize the distinctive flavor and sweetness of apple juice.

You see I’m a little stuck on the Asian inspired dishes that would benefit from a splash of apple juice.  Are there any other uses for apple juice?  How about baking?  Have you ever used apple juice to replace other liquids in bread or muffin recipes?  I’d love to hear from you!

I don’t normally stock up on cashews since they are rather expensive, but my husband loves them so we have a couple cans sitting in the cupboard.  I’d really like to surprise him with a fabulous dish highlighting the cashews, but can’t think of anything new.

One of my favorite ways to use cashews is in a chicken salad that I like to make.  I’ll give you a rough idea of how to make it, but I normally make this without any recipe.  So, here’s my best attempt at describing my “Sweet and Tangy Chicken Salad”.

Sweet and Tangy Chicken Salad

Mix together in a big bowl:
chopped up cooked chicken meat (white or dark is fine)
chopped green onion
chopped red bell pepper
chopped celery
sweet green or purple grapes, cut in half lengthwise
cashews

Make a dressing by whisking together:
some balsamic vinaigrette
a little yellow mustard
a little drizzle of honey
drizzle of olive oil until desired texture
salt and pepper to taste

Pour dressing over chicken mixture until it’s nice and flavorful and moist.  Then scoop little piles on top of whole romaine lettuce leaves.  Great combination of sweet and tangy flavors, and the crunch of the cashews is splendid!

Yes, I could probably be very happy to just keep making that salad, but I sure would like to try something a bit different.  Have you used cashews in any unexpected ways in some of your recipes?

Guess who lost track of a big bag of onions in her pantry?  You’ve got it… yours truly.  They have just the first signs of sprouting so it’s not a total loss, but now I’ve got to use them immediately.  So, what do you suppose I should do?

The easiest thing that comes to mind is make some French Onion Soup.  I’ve only made this a couple times in my married life as my husband doesn’t seem to rally around meatless meals. 

The quick and easy method I use for French Onion Soup is this:

Peel onions and cut into circles.  Throw in a big pot with some oil and a little butter and saute until transparent.  Then add some canned beef broth until it looks like you’d expect French Onion Soup to look like.  Pretty simple.  Then to serve, lay a toasted piece of hearty bread with mozzarela or parmesan cheese on top. 

You see why I’m looking for help.  Not very imaginative.  It’s okay, but how would you make onion soup or any other onion dish that’s really spectacular instead of just edible?

Almost a month after the Holidays, and I’m still staring at a pantry full of food. The strangest item I have stockpiled is Triscuit crackers.  I must have really had a hankerin’ for ‘em!  I’m finding it difficult to coax my family into snacking on even one more plate of cheese and crackers .

Triscuits are a bit different than other crackers.  They sort of remind me of Shredded Wheat cereal, only really, really salty and crunchy.  Yes, they are tasty, but what can I do with three boxes?

I had a couple thoughts that I’d like to throw out there.  Has anyone ever used Triscuits for a coating for pan fried fish?   How about coating chicken pieces and putting them on a baking sheet in the oven?  Do you think the Triscuits would be tasty?  How would you get them to stay on?  An egg dip?  Or how about a crunchy top for a casserole, perhaps a tuna casserole. 

I sure would appreciate any recipe ideas you’ve either tried or can imagine trying.  My Triscuits aren’t going anywhere until I hear from you!

Whenever I think of cooking with beer, my recipes always lean toward bratwurst and sausage.  I just naturally equate beer with bratwurst and sausage, and that’s where I get stuck.  I know beer adds a really nice tangy flavor to recipes and a nice extra little background flavor, but what sorts of dishes other than sausage dishes can you use beer as an ingredient?

Of course, if I never found another recipe that uses beer, I could probably live quite happily for the rest of my life with my “Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Skillet” recipe.  Give this a try the next time you have some really hearty appetites to satisfy!

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Skillet

1 ring of Kielbasa
8 medium potatoes (I like Yukon Gold) peeled and cut one lengthwise
1 jar “Barrel” Sauerkraut (Gundelsheim) You can use any brand, but this is tender and sweeter than most
1 12 oz bottle/can of your favorite beer
salt and pepper potatoes to taste
optional: sprinkle or two of caraway seeds

Get out your big, heavy cast iron skillet, put just a bit of oil in, slice Kielbasa into chunks at angles and lightly brown over medium high heat.  When Kielbasa is brown, move to the edges and arrange potatoes in the center and season with a little salt and pepper.  Cover with entire jar of sauerkraut, sprinkle on some caraway seeds if you wish (good for the digestion), and pour the beer carefully over the whole thing.  Cover skillet with tin foil top, poking two or three slots in the top for steam.  Bring up to a boil, and turn down to simmer nice and slow.  You’ll want to let this cook for about 1 hour so all the flavors combine.  Dinner’s on!

That’s a pretty basic beer recipe, but it’s sure yummy!  But if you’ve used beer in other imaginative cooking I’d love to hear about it.