Snack

Maple Vanilla Macadamia Nut Butter

January 24, 2014 by Erica

Maple Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia Nut Butter

Welcome to this week’s edition of Erica’s Food Addictions. And the food I can’t stop eating this week is… drum roll please…

Maple Vanilla Macadamia Nut Butter.

Succinct? No. Unbelievably cram-it-in-your-face, spoon-it-from-the-food-processor, lick-the-spoon, decadently deliciously amazing? Yes.

Maple Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia Nut Butter

(Oh and P.S. it also has cashews. Hence the picture of cashews. But Maple Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia Nut Butter was a little too long of a title, even for me. And “Cashew” was the only part of it I could bear to part with? I don’t know.)

This nut butter is the inevitable result of last week’s carrot butter. While I had my carrots simmering on the stove, I was blending up the macadamia nuts, maple syrup, and vanilla, and sneaking a taste (of course) from the food processor, I thought, Holy crap, this is good. Maybe I should stop right here? But I really wanted to make carrot butter for you, so I forged on, and I wasn’t disappointed with the result. I knew, though, that the macadamia nut butter was something I’d have to revisit. And by revisit, I mean have another excuse to spoon it out of my food processor straight into my mouth.

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Coconut Quinoa Granola Bars (For Becky!)

November 13, 2013 by Erica

A year ago, I was a new blogger, trying to figure out how this whole blogging thing worked. Well, I am still trying to figure a lot of that out. The difference now is that there are a lot more people to witness it! Last year at this time, my family members were pretty much the only ones reading my blog or leaving comments on it. I loved them for it (still do!), but I can text them pictures of what I’m cooking anytime I want. And I do. No blog necessary.

Becky was one of the first people I didn’t know to start leaving comments on my blog. I was thrilled to find out she was another new blogger, and also kind of shocked. She seemed to really have it together! Almost a year later, we still follow each other’s blogs (and she still really has it together). And I’m excited to be throwing a surprise party today for her blog’s first birthday!

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Spicy Honey-Roasted Squash Seeds

October 16, 2013 by Erica

Spicy Honey-Roasted Squash Seeds

Stop! You with the stringy, goopy squash gook halfway to the trash can. Don’t throw it out!

Save that stuff. Save it in a bowl in your fridge all fall so you can procrastinate making this recipe until a lazy Saturday afternoon when you finally work up the courage to submerge your hands in a cold bowl of squash gook.

On second thought, maybe just clean the seeds right up front and save a bowl of clean squash seeds in your fridge for when you want a snack on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Do as I say, not as I do.

Spicy Honey-Roasted Squash Seeds

But let’s back up for a second. Many people are familiar with roasting pumpkin seeds, especially after carving a pumpkin this time of year. But did you know you can do the same thing with the seeds of any other squash? If you’re like me, you cook with other types of squash much more often than pumpkin. And I love the seeds. Other than cleaning them, they are possibly the best part!

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Roasted Vegetable Poutine

April 5, 2013 by Erica

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

Can I convince you to turn on your oven just a few more times before it gets too warm?

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

If you’ve ever had poutine, I don’t think I’ll have to try too hard to convince you. If all you have are the visuals, on the other hand, I probably have my work cut out for me. (Do you remember the Modern Family clip where Mitch and Cam serve poutine and Jay says “Well it looks like vomit, and I’m not poutine it in my mouth.”? So grumpy… so funny.)

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

Yes, poutine has a reputation for looking rather unappetizing. But didn’t your mama ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover? Potatoes, cheese curds, and gravy: Let’s think about those three ingredients, and how unbelievably hard it would be to go wrong with them. They make the ideal comfort food.

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Gingerbread Spiced Popcorn

December 14, 2012 by Erica

You’re going to think I’m a crazy person in about 2 seconds.

I’m about to tell you to put popcorn kernels in a paper bag and stick it in your microwave. Crazy, right? I know. I think so too.

In case you’re wondering, yes, this was a Pinterest find. Like so many things I enthusiastically pin, I didn’t try this out for months. But then the other night I wanted some popcorn, and I’m still kind of scared of making it in a pot with oil… it just doesn’t sound foolproof enough for this girl, who is prone to burning things to the bottom of her pots. Plus washing a large, oily and possibly scorched pot is like the last thing I want to do.

So I tried this, expecting it to be a waste of popcorn kernels and the 100 brown paper bags that I had to buy because apparently they are not sold in smaller quantities. But then I started hearing the first magical popping sounds. Mr. Orville Redenbacher (or whoever first made microwave popcorn into a business) was a con man, because you can literally make it in a brown paper bag.

Basically, you do just that – pour 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels into a brown paper bag, fold the bag over, and microwave it. Even without any oil, it pops just like microwave popcorn does. And then, because it has no oil, obviously you can smother it in butter, brown sugar and spices and eat a whole bowl full of it.

This recipe makes less than your standard bag of microwave popcorn, because lunch bags don’t expand with those nice rounded sides the way microwave popcorn bags do. Let’s just say I tried a larger amount, and ended up with popcorn kernels flying loose around my microwave!

I added some gingerbread spices to this popcorn for a holiday twist. I will definitely be making some different versions of it in the future!

Gingerbread Spiced Popcorn

Method from Squawkfox

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unpopped kernels
1 Tbsp butter or Earth Balance, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
pinch ground cloves

Instructions:

Pour popcorn kernels into a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top over several times and place in microwave. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, but stay close by to listen to the popping. Remove from microwave as soon as popping slows to 1-2 seconds in between pops, which is usually between 2:30-2:40 for me. Leaving it in the whole 3 minutes will probably burn it, depending on your microwave.

While popcorn is popping, mix together the salt, sugar and spices in a small bowl. You may have to break up the brown sugar with the back of the spoon to incorporate it into the spices.

Pour popped popcorn into a large bowl. Drizzle melted butter over and toss with hands. Sprinkle spice mixture over the top, tossing several times to coat. You can use as little or as much of the spice mixture as you like – I like to use it all.

Enjoy!

Makes 6 cups popped

Time: 5-10 minutes

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