Category: Snacks

Banana Nut Bread

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Banana Nut Bread
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Breads, Baking
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
A moist, nutty loaf perfect for a rainy Saturday morning or a grab n’ go breakfast!
Ingredients
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (you could also substitute applesauce here!)
  • 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt (you could also use plain)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecan pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (375 for muffins). Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan or muffin tin with cooking spray.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until fluffy. Stir in the oil (or applesauce). Add mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla.
  3. Fold in dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in nuts.
  4. Pour into prepared loaf pan or muffin tin and bake, 45 minutes to 1 hour (for bread) or 15-20 minutes (for muffins), or until a toothpick comes out cleanly and you get that lovely little crack on the top! 🙂

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Claire1 Comment

Superbowl Snackables Part 2: Teriyaki Glazed Wings

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Superbowl Snackables Part 2: Teriyaki Glazed Wings
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Comfort
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Serves: 10
Perfect as a snack for the big game! Sprinkle with a teaspoon or two of sesame seeds, and serve with celery sticks and carrot sticks for a little extra color!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken drummettes or wings, skin on
  • 1/4 cup Soy-Vay Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade (I used the pineapple flavor)
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
  • Celery sticks and carrots (optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients (except chicken) in a large zip-top bag.
  2. Shake to combine, making sure all of the brown sugar has dissolved.
  3. Add chicken to bag and toss until covered.
  4. Marinate at least 1 hour, turning bag over halfway through.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Spread chicken out on a foil-lined and oiled baking sheet or aluminum pan (I used a disposable one, which was a good idea because a lot of the glaze burned on the bottom of the pan!)
  7. Cook chicken for 30 minutes at 400 degrees (these can be cooked at the same time as my “Krispie Chicken Strips” as well!), then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 20 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through and the glaze is browned and slightly crisped.
  8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with carrots and celery sticks!

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Superbowl Snackables Part 1: Krispie Chicken Strips

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Superbowl Must-Haves: Krispie Chicken Strips
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Comfort
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-12
Who doesn’t love a good crispy chicken strip? Perfect as an appetizer or snack for the big game, or even as a main course with a salad on the side for dinner!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups rice cereal (like Rice Krispies!)
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour and mustard together.
  4. In a freezer bag, pour rice cereal and mash with hands or the back of a frying pan until the cereal forms rough crumbs.
  5. Dip chicken first in flour mixture, then in egg. Shake gently to remove excess.
  6. Add chicken, a few strips at a time, to cereal in the bag. Shake, shake, shake, until evenly coated!
  7. Remove from bag and place on a foil-lined baking dish or aluminum foil pan.
  8. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  9. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning chicken halfway through. Chicken will have formed a nice crispy crust!

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Do-It-Yourself Hot Cocoa Kit

Looking to save this holiday season? Feeling crafty? Tired of giving gifts that require you to simply click “Complete my order” or “This item contains a gift”?

I came across the cutest recipe for DIY hot chocolate mix wedding favors at BridalGuide.com and fell in love. They (almost) made me wish I’d waited another 5 months to get married in December just so I could give these little nuggets as favors! Easy as (wedding?) cake, you can make these using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Simply layer the ingredients in a pretty clear canister or antique-looking glass jar, and fasten a recipe tag on with some pretty, festive ribbon. Ta-da! Half your Christmas list is covered. These would be especially great for grandparents or those folks that you never know what to get because they don’t need anything (and would probably enjoy something homemade more than store-bought). You know, that whole “it’s the thought that counts” thing.

The original instructions were designed for pint-sized favors, just enough for two mugs of hot chocolate. I decided to multiply the recipe by two and a half in order to fill the 33 oz jar I had gotten from Sur La Table and figured it would serve about six using the entire jar. Feel free to adjust the recipe based on your own needs! I layered sugar, cocoa powder, powdered milk, and salt (see label below for amounts of each) and topped it all with Christmas-colored chocolate chips and some mini marshmallows.

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I made up a little tag to fasten around the jar with a navy ribbon, listing the ingredients and instructions for serving. Here’s your chance to get creative and personal! The label reads:

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Cozy Cocoa Recipe

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. sugar
1 ½ c. unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ c. powdered milk
1 pinch of salt

Family Movie Night (serves 6):
Mix contents of jar in a large bowl with 8 cups boiling water. Stir well and serve!

Romantic Date Night (serves 2):
Combine ½ cup of each layer (sugar, cocoa, powdered milk) in bowl with 2 2/3
cups boiling water. Top with marshmallows and chocolate chips!

Again, play around with your own wording to make it as personal as you can! For example, I was making this for a friend as a Secret Santa gift, and because she was going home to visit her family and boyfriend for the holidays, I decided to make it a “Baby It’s Cold Outside- Hot Cocoa Date Night” theme. I also gave her some pretty painted floral mugs from Anthropologie, a half-dozen freshly baked thumbprint jam cookies (her favorite), extra mini marshmallows, a peppermint bark Ghirardelli  chocolate bar, and two cute little porcelain bunny spoons for “stirring up some romance” with her beau.

I had so much fun making these- I hope you do too! Happy gifting 🙂

 

Claire1 Comment

Picnicking Pinwheel Sandwiches

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These are great as an appetizer or snack! Simply mix, spread, top, roll, and slice, and you’ve got a bunch of tasty little sandwich morsels. Not to mention, they look fantastic on the plate!

PICKNICKING PINWHEEL SANDWICHES

What you’ll need:

7-10 whole wheat flour tortillas

1 package (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 0.04 oz. packet of Ranch salad dressing mix

Sliced ham

Black olives, sliced

Cheddar cheese slices

Directions:

Mix together cream cheese and salad dressing mix. Spread a thin layer on each tortilla with a knife. Top each tortilla with a few black olives and two slices of ham. Add two slices of cheese. Roll tightly (see picture above) and chill for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, cut each roll-up into thin, bite-sized slices. Garnish with fruit or serve with salsa or Dijon mustard for dipping.

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