Recipe of the Week - Deliciously Addictive Snack Crackers

I have yet to meet a person--adult or child--who did not like, no, LOVE these snack crackers. You will too. They are the perfect easy snack for holiday parties…and everyday too! There is no way to describe this snack other than it is delicious and addictive.

Oh, and easy too.

Ingredients:

12-14 oz package of oyster crackers (sometimes called "soup crackers"), large or small

1 oz package of dry ranch dressing mix

1 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 cup veg. oil

Make it!

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, ranch mix, and seasonings. Add crackers and stir well. Stir every 15 minutes for an hour to ensure thorough coating and all the seasoning soaks into the crackers. Store in an air tight container.

ENJOY.

Seriously…Enjoy. I dare you to eat just one.

Recipe of the Week - Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips

This recipe is simple and delicious and one of those 'tweakable' wonders that make you feel like a super chef instead of a tired mama... who most likely has some kind of food item or spit up in her hair. Plus, if you have a picky eater who has developed a fear of all things GREEN, getting a taste of these bad boys just might help give them the boost they need to be lean mean green eating machines! I give you the tasty and crispy, Parmesan Zucchini Chips.

To be honest with you I don't remember where the original recipe came from, but I DO remember tweaking a few things here and there so I snagged a basic one off of Food Network as a base to run off of. Instead of blabbing on and on about each step... which wouldn't take that long considering it's an incredibly easy recipe... I figured it would be more entertaining and MOUTH WATERING if I walked you step by step with photos of how it went down in my kitchen.

Step 1, of course, is to preheat your oven. Crank it up to 450 degrees if you please, and continue on to step 2: gathering your ingredients. (see Food Network link for measurements - but DON'T FORGET this is almost fail-safe when it comes to tweaking things to make it your own so have fun!)

MY ingredients included: parmesan cheese Italian breadcrumbs salt pepper garlic powder paprika 1 egg yolk water zucchini

Slice the zucchini into 1/4" thick rounds. The thinner the slice the crispier the chip. I've never been a very meticulous slicer so you should know that even the thicker pieces turned out great, with a soft center and yummy crunchy crust!

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water as a pre-seasoning bath for your zucc. In a separate bowl, combine your spices, breadcrumbs, and cheese.

Dip each slice of zucchini into the egg wash and then coat with cheese mixture on both sides. Lay slices on a foiled and greased baking sheet, making sure they are laying flat.

As a side note, I ended up sprinkling and pressing some of the larger pieces of Parmesan onto the tops of the zucchini for added flavor and because cheese is kind of the best thing in the world. TOTALLY up to you.

Next BAKE the chips for 25-30 minutes, turning 1/2 way through with a spatula to make sure the bottom sides gets nice and crispy.

FINALLY you can enjoy the crispy, cheesy, deliciousness of these bite-sized veggie chips. WOW your kids with your amazing cooking skills and watch their adorable little faces as they realize they actually LIKE this mysterious green food. Then, pat yourself on the back and add this recipe to your stack of go-to options for any night of the week!

What did I tell you, simple and delicious! I won't ramble on any longer, but instead let you get right into the recipe! So, in the words of Julia Child... Bon Appetit!

Recipe of the Week - Mini Pancake Muffins for Toddlers

My 13 month old daughter has become a bit of a picky eater and has been going through spurts of not wanting to feed herself. What a little weirdo, right? Anyway. She's really active and a little skinny in my opinion (the pediatrician says she's just fine, thankfully) so I've been searching for some new toddler-friendly recipes to use to ensure she's getting enough in that skinny belly. Breakfast is generally the meal she's a pro at, so I decided to find a fun breakfast-esque snack that she could enjoy with just about any meal. I looked on a few 'baby food' websites and blogs and finally, because we all know it's like an online Bible for moms, found a great recipe on PINTEREST! With a name like "mini banana pancake muffins" you really can't go wrong, right?

So, I gave them a shot and my daughter went nuts for them. In fact, she totally poo poo'd her scrambled eggs (a normal favorite) and hopped on the pancake muffin train! She loves these little guys, and so do I! They are super easy to make, super easy to tweak (use your kid's favorite fruit), and super easy to store in large batches.

Here's the recipe from Once A Month Mom.

• 1 cup complete pancake mix (the “just add water” kind)
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup syrup
• 1 whole banana, sliced and quartered

Now, when I first saw the ingredients and quantities, I was a little shocked that there was so much syrup so I did a little tweaking of my own to start in an attempt to make them less sugary. I basically halved the amount of syrup and added more water.

You mix all the ingredients together, fill your greased mini muffin pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until they are golden brown. They turned out great with my small change and after letting them cool slightly I was able to pop them in a large tupperware container and freeze them for an easy go-to snack.

They turned out so great (and were such a hit with the little one) that I immediately made another batch using peaches instead of bananas. Still great!

In my third attempt I tried switching things up a little more and I knocked down the syrup even more - about 1/8 cup. I used the same amount of water and pancake mix, but added some sugar free applesauce to make up for the missing sweetness from the syrup. Then I used assorted fruit including strawberries, raspberries, mango, and pineapple. The batter looked great but once I took them out of the oven and let them cool a bit they sank in the middle slightly. I think if I added more pancake mix and left them in the oven for a few extra minutes they would have turned out perfectly.

Do you have any other great breakfast/snack ideas that are easy to make and modify based on your child's taste? Please share in the comments below, or let us know how these turned out when you made them at home!

Recipe of the Week - White Chocolate Snack Mix

Making this "snack mix" at Christmas time has become a tradition in my extended family. We also call it "Christmas Crack" because it is addictive! I don't even like white chocolate and I could eat a whole recipe of this! After our children were born, my husband decided that we should call it "Christmas Snack" instead of "Christmas Crack." You can decide for yourself what you'd like to call it. Buy red and green M&Ms to make it more Christmas-y. You can also dye the melted white chocolate with food coloring if you like. Work quickly. The white chocolate cools and hardens in a short amount of time. 10 oz mini pretzels 5 cups cheerios 5 cups corn chex 2 cups salted peanuts 14 oz M&Ms 2 11 oz packages of white chocolate chips 3 T vegetable oil

Line three baking sheets with waxed paper. (You can also tape a long piece of waxed paper to the counter or your dining room table. It's easier to work with this way.) In a large bowl combine all ingredients except white chocolate chips and oil. Heat white chocolate chips and oil in the microwave on medium-high for two minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix well. Spread onto prepared sheets. Allow to cool and then break apart and store in airtight containers.

Recipe and photo from allrecipes.com.

If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share with our readers, please submit it here or email us at submissions@themotherhoodcollective.org

Recipe of the Week - Spinach and Feta Falafel

Spinach and Feta Falafelsubmitted by Danielle Hunter Makes approx 30 falafel balls. Recipe was adapted from a British baby led weaning recipe, all non metric measurements are appoximate. For best results use metric measurements.

200g (7oz) baby spinach 400 g can drained chickpeas, saving liquid. 100 g (3.5 oz) feta 1 tsp cumin 100 g (3/4 cup) all purpose flour

Wilt spinach (or thaw if frozen). Drain out as much water as possible. Mix spinach, chickpeas, feta, cumin and flour in food processor. Add drained liquid from chickpeas if too thick. With lightly oiled hands, roll teaspoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes (or until browned), flipping falafel after 20 minutes.

Serve with tzatziki for dipping if you choose!

Here is a link for a great tzatziki sauce! http://?www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/?07/?worlds-best-tzatziki-sauce-?recipe-greek.html

If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share with our readers, please submit it here or email us at submissions@themotherhoodcollective.org.

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