snacks

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Lavosh is an Armenian flat cracker.  It is crispy, rolled out on the back of a cookie sheet, cut into pieces with a pizza cutter and baked.  Herbs and spices can be added for different flavors.  

Ingredients:

2  3/4 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

1/2 c butter

1 c buttermilk

1/2 cup dill, other herbs, spices or seeds

Directions:  

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Cut in butter till it looks like gravel.  Add herbs, spices or seeds

and mix well.  Pour in buttermilk and mix till it comes together like pie dough or biscuit.  Knead slightly on floured surface until it forms a ball.  Divide into 5 balls.  Sprinkle flour on back of a 1/2 sheet pan.  Roll each ball  to cover entire surface, adding flour as needed.  Cut into squares with pizza cutter.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove and slide pieces onto paper to cool.  Store in air tight container.

 Loaded potato bites are delicious appetizers or snacks that are essentially bite-sized versions of loaded baked potatoes. They typically consist of small potato rounds topped with classic loaded potato toppings such as cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives. Here's a simple recipe to make loaded potato bites 

Ingredients:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t salt

3 russet potatoes

1/4 t pepper

pinch of cayenne

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1 1/2 cheddar cheese

6 bacon slices

sour cream

1/2 green onions

Directions:

In a large bowl, add potato slices, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, cayenne, and garlic and onion powder. Mix well. Arrange on 1/2 sheet pan in a single layer. Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes till brown, turn half way. Remove and top each piece with cheese and bacon. Broil 2 minutes till bubbly. Garnish with some sour cream and green onions.

 Korean glazed potatoes are a popular side dish in Korean cuisine. They are made with small potatoes that are simmered in a savory and slightly sweet soy sauce-based glaze until tender and coated with a glossy finish.  

Ingredients:

1/4 c soy

1/2 c water

3 T honey

1 T garlic

2 T oil

1 pound small Yukon potatoes, cut in half

1 T sesame oil

1 t sesame seeds

2 stalks green onion, sliced

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix soy, water, honey, and garlic. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet. Add potatoes in a single layer, cut side down. Cook till golden brown on medium high heat. Lower heat and add sauce. Cover and cook till tender, about ten minutes. Uncover, cook on high, till sauce is reduced. Toss in sesame oil and plate. Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions.

 Delicious and nutritious snack  made with simple ingredients.  A treat for all ages, especially children.  Good for school lunches, picnics, parties, hiking and just plain snacking.  Sticky while making but hardens up in the refrigerator.  Eat one and you'll want more, so satisfying.

Ingredients:

1 c wheat germ

1 c peanut butter

3 T butter, melted

1/2 c honey

1/2 c golden raisins

1/2 c walnuts, chopped

2 c wheat cereal (round with holes)

1/2 c chocolate chips

2-3 c sweetened coconut, placed in a shallow dish

Directions:

Put the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut and combine till everything is coated .  Mixture will be sticky.  Using hands, form into balls the size of golf balls.  Gently roll into coconut to coat all over.  Place on tray.  Makes about 2 dozen or more.  

Refrigerate till they harden.  Best if kept refrigerated but will stay out at room temperature until ready to eat.  Keep in a covered container.

The moment you take a bite you'll notice this is a candy loaded with premium chocolate, walnuts, and marshmallows.  Simple recipe, quick to make and so tasty.  You can use other nuts such as:  macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts.

Ingredients:

4 cups good chocolate

3 cups walnuts

1 pound mini marshmallows

Directions:

Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil.  In a large metal bowl, mix together nuts and marshmallows and set aside.  Put chunks of premium chocolate in a glass pyrex bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.  Mix a little and microwave 15 seconds.  Mix again and repeat until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Immediately pour chocolate mixture over the nuts and marshmallows until evenly coated.  Pour into foil lined pan and even out with a rubber spatula.  Work fast as chocolate hardens quickly.  If the top doesn't look glossy, melt more chocolate and spoon over so the top is shiny.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Lift candy by the foil and remove the foil.   Cut into desired pieces.

 Candied walnuts are a delicious and addictive snack or topping that features walnuts coated in a sweet, crunchy caramelized sugar coating. They're perfect for snacking on their own, adding to salads, or using as a topping for desserts.  

Ingredients: 

2 c walnuts

3 1/2 T sugar

1 1/2 T oil

1/2 T sea salt flakes

Directions:

Boil water enough to cover nuts. Boil 4 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain and set aside. Line 1/2 sheet pan with foil. Pour nuts over. Drizzle oil and sugar over nuts. Spread it out so the nuts don't touch each other. Sprinkle sea salt flakes all over. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss well. Bake again for 20 minutes till golden brown. Cool and bottle, it will crisp up.

Chex mix is popular with everyone.  Eat it for snacks, take it to picnics, hiking, parties or bag treats for children.  This recipe has an Asian flair and is very tasty.

 Ingredients:

(5) 14-21 oz boxes of dry cereal (rice squares, corn squares, round cereal, oat circles, etc. May add pretzels, nuts, cheese squares)

1 c butter

1 c sugar

1 c light corn syrup

1 T soy sauce 

1/2 c oil

2 T Worcestershire sauce 

1 t tabasco (optional)

2 c mochi crunch (arare or rice crackers)

1 c furikake

1/4 c li hing mui powder

Directions: 

 Put cereals, nuts, mochi crunch, furikake, and li hing mui powder in a very large bowl or pot so you can mix everything together. Melt butter and sugar and mix well. Remove from heat and add corn syrup, soy sauce, oil, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco and li hing mui powder. Mix well and pour over cereal mixture, tossing to coat everything. Add mochi crunch and furikake and mix well. Pour into 2 large disposable aluminum pans. Heat oven to 250 degrees, place pans in oven and bake for 2 hours. Stir mixture every 15 minutes to dry and crisp ingredients. When done, pour onto open brown paper bags. Spread evenly. Cool about 1 hour. Store in glass jar or any air tight container.    

Popcorn is everyone's favorite especially at sporting events, watching television or a movie. The addition of Oriental seasonings and mochi crunch makes this extra special.

 Ingredients: 

1 bag microwaved popcorn, already popped 

1 bag 5 oz cheese popcorn, already popped

1/2 c butter, melted 

3 oz bag of mochi crunch (arare)(1 cup) 

1 T li hing mui powder

1/4 c furikake 

Directions:

Put popcorn into a large bowl. Add mochi crunch, li hing mui powder, furikake and mix well. Drizzle hot melted butter over, tossing and stirring everything together. Spread on paper to cool. Store in  air tight container or bottle.   

 Parmesan cheese magically turns into a delicious cracker when baked and the only ingredient is cheese. Good with salads as a crouton, appetizer or a quick snack.  

Ingredients: 

Shredded Parmesan cheese 

non stick spray  

Directions:

Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray with non stick spray. Scoop 1/4 c of cheese onto parchment, spacing to fit 12 circles in pan.  Flatten slightly but don't let circles tough each other.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove and cool on racks, paper or an opened brown paper grocery bag.  Store in air tight container.  Makes 12 pieces. 

 This recipe is dedicated to my brother, Sunny, who used to make this when I was a kid. It was a midnight treat and I continue to make it till this day. It is a quick and simple snack to make that will satisfy your hunger pangs and only has 3 ingredients.

 Ingredients: 

1 can vienna sausage 

1/2 t soy sauce 

2 t sugar  

Directions:

Open can and discard 2 T liquid. Heat small frying pan or sauce pan to medium high heat and pour contents in. Add soy sauce and sugar. Set timer for 5 minutes. Swish sausage constantly to distribute sauce. The liquid will evaporate and sausage will be somewhat sticky and brown. Arrange on plate and serve with hot rice or bread.   

 Li Hing Mui Powder is made from ground up dried sweet sour plums from China. This is the latest craze and you can eat it with fruits, candies, vegetables, meats, fish, drinks, icee, shave ice and even ice cream. Just the thought of the powder makes your mouth water and want to try all the variations. Sprinkle li hing mui powder lightly on food you want to eat or shake some in a bag and its ready.   

Ingredients: 

Li hing mui powder 

fresh fruits-pineapple, apple, orange, banana, peach, nectarine, watermelon, papaya, mango starfruit, etc. fresh vegetables-celery, jicama, carrots, etc. snacks-pretzels, popcorn, mochi crunch (arare), potato chips

 beverages- lemonade, margarita,

 ice cream

 candy-salt taffy, chocolate candies, gummy bears, licorice, peach rings, sour patch kids, hard candies 

seafood-dried cuttlefish, poke (Hawaiian style raw fish salad), shrimp,

meats- fried chicken, lemon or orange chicken, and roasts .

Directions:

Sprinkle li hing mui powder lightly on food you want to eat or shake a little powder in a bag.    

 A delightfully sweet snack with a base of soda crackers. Crunchy and tastes like candy. Walnuts are substituted for almonds and the surprise ingredient is marshmallows.  

Ingredients: 

48 soda crackers, salted or unsalted

1/2 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1 c chocolate chips 

1/2 c walnuts, finely chopped

1 c mini marshmallows  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 1/2 sheet pan or cookie sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray. Lay crackers to fit pan. In a small saucepan melt butter and sugar, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and becomes thickened (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, pour and spoon evenly over crackers. Bake 10 minutes. Turn oven off and transfer pan to counter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly over crackers. Sprinkle with nuts and place one or more mini marshmallows on each cracker. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and press marshmallows down so it sticks to the chocolate on the cracker. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Separate crackers and place in covered container in layers separated by wax paper. Keep refrigerated to prevent chocolate from melting in the warm weather.    

 This is a super easy and fast snack that even kids could help to make. People who have restricted calorie diets will love that you can make only one or two turtles and not feel guilty. If you want to make more, use a plate and make several turtles at a time. But the cooking time will be longer. 

 Ingredients: 

1 pkg Rolo candy 

1 pkg small round pretzels

 pecan halves 

Directions:

 Place one pretzel on two small dishes. Top with a rolo and microwave for 15 seconds. Remove and press a pecan half on the soft chocolate. Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes for chocolate to set. Remove and store in container at room temperature. If you don't have pecans or Rolo, substitute other nuts or candies. Play around and be creative and use other toppings like marshmallows, peanut butter cups, candy covered chocolates, coconut, etc.   

 This particular black sesame rice chip is like shrimp chips but not fried in oil. It is microwaved!  It is so fast even children can make this with no mess to clean up. What a surprise. You can do the same with regular shrimp chips but microwave them for 1 minute. This will be the talk of the town.  

Ingredients: 

1- 8.8 oz black sesame rice paper regular shrimp chips  

Directions:

Put one large patty in microwave and cook for one minute. Turn over and microwave for another minute. Cool. Break off pieces to eat. For regular shrimp chips, put several on a plate and microwave for one minute. Cool and eat Store in an airtight container.  

Black Sesame Rice Chip (If you can find in an asian market it's much cheaper): https://amzn.to/3hyIC23  

This is a favorite snack for almost all kids in Hawaii.  Mothers and grandmothers have jars ready for the children to gorge themselves on.

This recipe has a thick, syrupy sauce that is truly finger licking good!  It is a tart, sweet concoction of dried prunes, dried apricots, sweet sour preserved Chinese lemons, ginger and plums.  It is flavored with lemon juice, sugar, whiskey and other Chinese spices.  Grocery stores sell the treat in small packages and in large jars at and exorbitant price.  No cooking is involved and the cost is minimal for the homemade version.

Ingredients:

3  12 oz  packages of prunes

1  12 oz package of apricots

2 c pickled mango, drained and cut into bite sized pieces

2 doz li hing mui (Chinese preserved plums)

1/2 c Chinese preserved lemon peel

1/2 c Chinese preserved ginger

1 T cloves, whole

2 T whiskey, optional

1 c dark brown sugar, packed

1 c guava jelly or jam

2 T rock salt

2 T Chinese 5 spice

1/2 c fresh lemon or lime juice

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.  Put in jar and turn upside down for a few days for all the flavors to reach maximum taste.  It keeps  refrigerated for many months.  If the apricots and prunes  are hard, barely cover with water, bring to a boil and let sit about 10 minutes to soften.  Drain and cool before adding to the rest of the mix.

 This is a light and airy snack full of flavor. Impossible to eat only one, it is truly addictive and satisfying. It puffs up magically.  

Ingredients:

 1 box shrimp chips (8 oz)

 4 cups oil for frying 

 Shrimp Chips: https://amzn.to/30ULgcE 

 Oil Skimmer: https://amzn.to/2XZTTRc  

Directions: 

Heat oil in deep skillet or pot and heat to 350 degrees. To test, stick wooden chopstick in middle of pan. When tiny bubbles form at base of chopstick, oil is ready. Carefully drop a small handful into the hot oil. In seconds, chips will be airy and grow in size. Use skimmer and remove to large bowl line with paper towels. Continue frying. Cools in seconds. Store in glass bottle or covered air tight container. Fry as much as you like.