Date Night Dinners - Snack Attack

6/27/2014 tringel 0 Comments

I LOVE fruit, I could eat it for every meal. Every fruit is so delicious, each with its juicy hint of sweetness that doesn't overwhelm but satisfies all my taste bud needs. It was a no brainer that Brenden and I would be making something with fruit for the night. But what would we make was the question. We have done parfaits, and, simple fruit salads, while delicious, are overdone and can get expensive.

Lately I have been overdosing on berries by adding them to my yogurt every morning. Unfortunately, once raspberries, blackberries, etc. begin to go bad, they go bad quickly. So, we figured we would make something using one of the berries were are piling up in the fridge. Before they spoiled. We looked through a few recipes, but when we found this extremely simple, extremely cute looking recipe that involved all of two ingredients we had our winner. Raspberries and chocolate, how can you go wrong?! The chocolate chip added an extra hint of sweetness that made these treats taste as lovely as they looked. If you didn't notice, I loved the burst of color and simplicity that this snack brought. I could have eaten an entire container of these things. And because they took all of two minutes to make, I amy just have to next time. And you better believe this will be the treat I bring to my next potluck.


While the raspberries where great, they were more of a ending the meal treat so we wanted to make something else that had a bit more substance. Along with fruit, I have a slight addiction to popcorn. There is usually a bag in the same room as me at all times. My popcorn buddy at work and I even compare and taste test different brands and flavors so we are sure we have our favorites in supply.


I fould a popcorn mixture recipe on pinterest at least a year ago and I have been dying to try it since but I was always out of one ingredient or another and too lazy to pick it up, because popcorn is supposed to be simple and easy which means no running to the store on a whim. We finally had all the important (according to me [sorry Brenden I didn't realize you liked wasabi peas]) ingredients on hand, and with our notion to do a snack night, I knew I would finally get the wondering out of the way and be able to try this amazing sounding popcorn.


We whipped out the old air popper, measured some seasonings, toasted some nuts, and mixed everything together. I was eager to try the mixture and hoped would live up to my expectations. Unfortunately, it was not my favorite popcorn. It was good, but Brenden and I bot agreed we would alter the seasoning next time, less paprika and more garlic! My craving was definitely satisfied, but I look forward to trying this one again with personal customization on the seasoning blend.


Chocolate Filled Raspberries
Recipe adapted from pinterest.com, Raspberries Stuffed with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

• 20 raspberries
• 20 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Place chocolate chips in the 'holes' of the raspberries.
2. Enjoy, simple as that!

Popcorn Trail Mix
Recipe adapted from womansday.com, Gridiron Snack Mix


Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted mixed nuts (we used cashews, almonds, pecans, and pistachios)
• Nonstick spray
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels (or 1 microwavable bag)
• 2 cups pretzel sticks, broken in half

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread nuts on baking sheet and coat them with nonstick spray.
3. In a small bowl combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
4. Sprinkle 1 tsp over the nuts and toss to make sure all are evenly coated.
5. Place the tray with nuts in the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes or until nuts are toasted (not burnt) and fragrant.
6. While nuts are baking, pop the kernels in an air popper or microwave your bag of popcorn as directed. If you are air popping, spray nonstick spray to lightly coat plain popcorn as it pops.
7. Coat the popcorn with the remaining seasoning mixture.
8. When the nuts are finished roasting, add them to the popcorn.
9. Mix in pretzels or any other complimentary snack of your desire.
10. Pour yourself a bowl and enjoy with friends and a movie.