Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts

THE SNACKIST: THE DURANT



CincyWhimsy is starting a new weekend segment: The Snackist.
Inspired by my friend who has a knack for whipping up simple, delicious snacks using random ingredients available in any household: Mike Moroski will be penning the articles as a guest contributor, and on occassion, I may share a favorite recipe too. Another bonus: following the recipe, Moroski will be chronicling his thoughts in a chapter series entitled: Foodie & Loathing, a nod to Hunter S. Thompson's book about experiencing the American Dream. Or in this case, the American Dream of snacking.

If you try our recipes, be sure to share your photo on the CincyWhimsy Facebook page and tag #TheSnackist on Twitter and Instagram. 
 
Do you have ideas for The Snackist? Leave a comment below!
 
 

The Durant

Named in honor of a former student at Purcell Marian High School, The Durant was created by a young lady who used to only eat the aforementioned snack for lunch (sometimes she just ate Frank’s Red Hot – even when she had other food.  She loved Frank’s).  It was only a matter of time before I, too, began eating my Doritos in a similar fashion.  I have perfected The Durant and am proud to share it with you – and to spread my student’s legacy to Snackists around the world.


 
Ingredients:
  • About an inch of crumblies left in the bottom of a bag of Doritos (for best results, the bag should be of the “Family Size” variety)
  • Frank’s Red Hot. It has to be Frank’s. Not that knock off junk, Tobasco, and definitely not sriracha

Tools:
  • 1 pair of scissors
  • 2 working hands with opposable thumbs (this becomes important later)
  • 1 spoon

Directions:
  1. Cut off all of the excess packaging from your Doritos bag. Leave about 3 inches on the bag per 1 inch portion of crumblies.
  2. With truncated Doritos bag in one hand, pick up bottle of Frank’s Red Hot in other hand. Pour a liberal (not politically) amount of Frank’s into the truncated bag of Doritos. Thoroughly cover the crumblies until you can no longer see them. Return Frank's Red Hot to the 'fridge.
  3. Pinch the bag closed, curl your palms below the bag, and begin to massage the Frank’s into the crumblies so the sauce is thoroughly mixed with the chips.
  4. Open bag to make sure the Frank’s Red Hot has been equally distributed. Pick up your spoon in your dominant hand.  Use the spoon to eat your Durant.  Eat until finished.

WARNING: This recipe will tempt you to throw out 75% of your Doritos when you buy a new bag simply so you can create The Durant.  Do NOT waste your Doritos. There are starving children in Africa, yes, but also in Cincinnati (50% of our kids are poor).





Foodie & Loathing, Ch. 1:

I am not a “Foodie.” I have never been a “Foodie,” nor do I plan on ever becoming one. In my honest opinion, I feel that a Frisch’s Big Boy combo meal, salad bar, and sweet tea is the best meal in America. Therefore, I have asked others to refer to me as a “Snackist,” a term with which I am far more comfortable than “foodie.”

Foodie & Loathing is an homage, perhaps, to my favorite journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, or maybe my reaction to the Dark Side of the Foodie Movement – those Foodies who define self-worth by being able to afford to eat out all the time and write about it.  I’m not sure; it’s one of the two.  

Unlike most Foodie blogs, my Snackist column will be written in the vein of the serial novel, a la Charles Dickens.  (Fun fact – Pip was a Snackist.  It is but one of the reasons that Estella teased him.)

Until next time, snack well, snack often, and snack creatively.

GRAZE: HEALTHY SNACKS DELIVERED

I love to snack. Most of the time, that snacking happens while I'm working, tethered to my desk. What's a better distraction from a creative lull than finding something to nibble on? Unfortunately, vending machine choices aren't very nutritious. That's when my friend Zach introduced me to Graze.com.

Box #1:
Jaffa Cake, Apple & Cinnamon Flapjack, Billionaires' Shortbread, Nacho Libre

Like Green Bean Delivery, which delivers a weekly bin of fresh produce to your door, Graze offers a customized box of good-for-you snacks that arrives via USPS. With over 90 options to choose from, the website lets customers rate food they want to try, like, love, or trash. Users can also view categories that are friendly to allergies or dietary restrictions.

Graze fits right into your mailbox.

Graze will send you four portions of snacks each week for only $5.00. I first started out on the every-other week plan, then changed to the weekly option to increase frequency. Each portion is one serving size and averages around 100 calories.


Each snack portion is the size of a deck of cards.
Pictured Snack: Nacho Libre
Each box comes with nutrition facts about your order.


Not only are these nibbles nourishing, but they taste fantastic. Graze's chef, Eleanor, creates all the snacks by mixing flavors of nuts, dried fruit, chocolate morsels, crackers, and of course, natural seasonings. One thing that's great about Graze is that I get to try a variety of new foods that I otherwise wouldn't select for myself at the grocery. Most of the time, I'm pleasantly surprised by the taste!


Box #2:
British Barbecue, Honeycomb Flapjack, Smoky Gazpacho Dip, Scrumptious Blueberry Swirl

Box #5:
Yaki Soba, Pear Tatin, Dark Rocky Road, Eleanor's Apple Crumble


Nacho Libre
salsa almonds, cheesy sombreros and jumbo chilli corn
Billionaires' Shortbread
fudge pieces, blanched almonds, milk chocolate drops and cranberries
Jaffa Cake
roasted hazels, orange infused raisins and dark chocolate buttons
Cookies & Cream
mini chocolate cookies, roasted hazels, white chocolate buttons and sunflower seeds

Chocolate Orange Granola
granola seeds, blanched almonds, dark chocolate drops and orange infused raisins


Currently, Graze.com is offering a special: if you sign up for 5 boxes, your first and fifth box is free! Since Graze is new, they are only allowing people to sign up with an offer code. If you're interested, send me an email - I have a few codes left that I'm willing to share!

In case you were wondering, so far, my favorites have been:
 - Korean Chili Rice Crackers
 - Yaki Soba
 - Billionaires' Shortbread
 - Eleanor's Apple Crumble
 - Pear Tatin
 - Hot Cross Yum
 - Tutti Fruiti
 - Jaffa Cake
 - Cookies & Cream

Sometimes Graze sends little surprises, like this punch-out bunny included with my Spring box.

Graze is one of my new favorite things, especially since it is good for you, guilt free snacking, plus it can be delivered to home or work! If you decide to give it a try, let me know which tastes are your favorites.


Nom, nom, nom.