New Year's Eve Plans? Snack Time!

Hi Neighbors!

This New Year's Eve we are planning to be at a church in Chicago for Watch Night Services.  Basically we will have singing, preaching, prayer, and of course snacks.  My husband and both my sons will preach.  I love meetings like this!

Anyway, I wanted to share some snack ideas with you from Target.  First off, I received 3 different Melba snacks from Target.  The first was the Old London Melba Toast (Sesame), next was Old London Melba Snacks (Sea Salt) and last was the Old London Melba Snacks Roasted Garlic.  Now we pulled ours out for game night and had them with cheddar cheese on them.  They taste great by the way!  I didn't really have enough time to put together one of theior recipes, but I will include a couple here if you would like to try them.

The Lemon Meringue Tarts would be a favorite in my family!

Lemon Meringue Tarts

Yields about 24 tarts

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Melba Snacks Whole Grain

Lemon Curd

Meringue

For Lemon Curd

Yield: 2 cups

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

1.       Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan.

2.       Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes.

3.       Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.

For Meringue

3 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1.       Beat egg whites with cream of tartar using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks.

2.       Increase speed to high and add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until meringue just holds stiff, glossy peaks. Assemble Tarts.

3.       Preheat over to 350°F.

4.       Spoon cold lemon curd in a large re-sealable plastic bag and remove any air pockets; knead slightly.

5.       Cut one corner tip off the bag which allows you to squeeze the cold curd onto the toast.

6.       Gently squeeze the lemon curd onto the toast, making sure to have a smooth, flat top.

7.       Add a dollop of meringue decoratively over the filling.

8.       Immediately bake until meringue is golden-brown, 8-10 minutes.

The next recipe, Atlantic Salmon Bites,  probably only my husband and older daughter would like, but perhaps some of my neighbors would enjoy it too.

Atlantic Salmon Bites

Yields ~24 bites

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Melba Snacks Roasted Garlic

1 “flat” salmon fillet with skin, about 2 pounds

1 8-ounce 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons low fat sour cream

2 tablespoons dried chives

DIRECTIONS:

For Spread

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and chives in medium bowl until smooth.

For Salmon

1.    Preheat broiler.

2.    Line broiler pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

3.    Pat fish dry and check for bones; remove any bones with pliers.

4.    Cut fillet into about 1 inch odd sizes.

5.    Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, then broil 5 inches from heat 5-10 minutes.

Assemble Bites

1.       Spread each roasted garlic Melba Snack with cream cheese, and top with cooked salmon; garnish with lemon if desired.

Or maybe you would like to try the Crab Cake Planks!

Crab Cake “Planks”

Yields 10 “Planks”

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup minced green onions

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)

1 pound blue crabmeat or Dungeness crabmeat

2 cups Old London Bread Crumbs Classic

1 box Melba Toast Sourdough

Remoulade, tarter sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Lemon slices (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1.       Whisk together mayonnaise, green onions, egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and Old Bay. Gently stir in crabmeat.

2.       Place Melba Toast Sourdough on cookie sheet, and form 2 heaping teaspoons crab mixture onto each Toast. Gently coat moist crab mixture with bread crumbs.

3.       Chill, covered, at least 1 hour.

4.       Preheat oven to 400°F.

5.       Bake crab cakes in batches in middle of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

6.       Transfer with a spatula to a platter and garnish with lemon and serve with your favorite sauce. 

And last, but certainly not the least is the Chocolate Pistachio Crunch.

Chocolate Pistachio Crunch

Yields 40 snacks

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups (2-12-oz. pkg.) of semi sweet chocolate dark chips (not milk chocolate)

1 box Melba Snacks Sea Salt

1 cup of pistachios, chopped and toasted

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Stir chocolate in large bowl set over saucepan of boiling water until melted and smooth making sure that water does not touch bowl and that the chocolate does not get too hot.

2.    Remove from over water.

3.    Dip into melted chocolate to cover half the Melba Snack.

4.    Gently shake off excess chocolate.

5.    Place on baking sheet and quickly sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

6.    Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

Each of these recipes seems easy enough to make, and anyone of them should be a hit at your New Year's Eve get together.  So stop by Target and pick up some Old London Snacks.  Let me know if you try one of them! And if you have another recipe be sure to share.