Guests will love this snack mix and never know that you made it as though you were pulling a rabbit out of a hat!
It’s official! And it feels a little magical. Hang Time Press, a new venture Jack and I have started together has been launched to the world–or at least to a few thousand friends, family and media who received the press release today. And our website is now live as well.
We are so excited about this. We’ve been hard at work since last spring, and have already lined up cooks and authors we love to create books for us, including Wes Martin.
Wes and I go way back–to when I was the most terrible hostess in the world at the now-defunct Rubicon (the two are not related) and Wes was a budding food stylist. Through our friend, the uber-talented Frankie Frankeny, Wes styled my second cookbook, wraps. Since then he’s moved to New York and found his place behind the camera as well as in front of it on such cooking programs as the Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart shows.
We reconnected over Wes’s clever facebook challenges: he asks friends to list three ingredients in their kitchen and then he offers totally delicious suggestions for meals. I loved his cleverness and asked him to write a book for us.
Going full-speed, he quickly created “There’s a Party in My Pantry!”. It is the ultimate survival guide for impromptu entertaining–perfect for the holiday season. It includes recipes for apps, main courses and desserts. picked this recipe because it has a few ingredients from the first book we worked on together and it’s super delish.
For more information about Wes’s book and how to purchase it click here.
And by the way, I’d pair these salty snacks with beer or a zesty white wine, like sauvignon blanc.
“Empty the Pantry” Sesame Snack Mix
Do you have a few random packs of ramen noodle soup that you keep chucking from one shelf to the other in your pantry? Here’s a great way to use them up, along with nuts, leftover bagels, and those half-full containers of snacks like wasabi peas that no one will finish. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd, and the crunchy noodles give it an unusual appearance – everyone will know it isn’t store-bought mix in a big plastic tub!
1 (3-ounce) pack ramen noodle soup, any flavor
1 sesame (or other flavor) bagel
1 cup roasted unsalted shelled peanuts
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea, plus more as needed
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch garlic powder
1/2 cup crunchy wasabi peas, optional
1/2 cup dried edamame, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Position 2 racks in the center of the oven.
2. Fill a small saucepan with 2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the ramen noodles and cook for 3 minutes (reserve the flavor packet for another use). Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water until cooled; shake the colander to remove excess water. Spread the noodles out on a clean towel to dry briefly.
3. With a serrated knife, slice the bagel in half horizontally. Lay each half, cut side down, on a cutting board and slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-moons. (I’ve also cut up the heels of wheat bread that no one will eat and thrown it in the mix.) Transfer to a large mixing bowl along with the peanuts.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the olive and sesame oils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne, and garlic powder until combined. Put the noodles in a small bowl and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil mixture over them. Use your fingers to toss the noodles until evenly coated and spread them out in a very thin single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with salt.
5. Pour half of the remaining oil mixture over the bagel pieces and peanuts and toss gently with a rubber spatula; drizzle the rest of the oil over the bagel and peanuts and toss well to coat. Spread in a single layer onto a second baking sheet and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it. Lightly sprinkle salt over the bagels, peanuts.
6. Transfer both pans to the oven and bake the bagel/peanut mixture until just light golden, 12-15 minutes; continue baking the noodles until golden brown, about 30 minutes total.
7. Cool everything on the pans; transfer the bagels and nuts to a serving bowl; break the toasted noodles into small pieces and add them, along with the wasabi peas and edamame and mix well. Enjoy with a cold beer.
Makes about 6 cups
“Big Ranch Farms: Fresh Starters from the Farm Stand”! In it are 10 recipes using seasonal produce that will knock your socks off. Try the Caramelized Onion Dip for a crowd or the Baked Feta with Arugula Pesto for a smaller group. The layered Panzanella on the cover can be served on small crostini for finger food or doubled as a first course. You’ll recognize some of the recipes in the book from this blog, but you’ll also find a few new ones. It’s available on Amazon now and should be on iTunes and Barnes and Noble with a few days.
