These Are a Few of My Favorite Things, Part 2

As the holiday season draws closer – or begins, depending on your perspective – favorite foods start to call me and tempt me. One of the true favorites in my family isn't one that has been handed down from generation to generation. It's a much more recent development. As in, in the last 10 years. And we can now no longer have holidays without it.

Actually, if I'm being honest, this food pops up all year long for special occasions. Like the Fourth of July. Or Easter. Or Saturdays. We're not picky. It's really good food.

Curious yet?

Ranch pretzels.

Plain old pretzels soaked in butter flavored oil mixed with ranch dressing powder and then baked for a while. Oh, yum.

I'm fairly certain I've become addicted to these things. I've been known to make a big batch for a party or church fellowship and then just put the giant bowl of pretzels out on the table without labeling it, so that most people just assume they're regular pretzels and pass them up. That way I get to take more home with me to eat later.

Probably shouldn't have admitted that, huh?

Oops.

Anyway, if you're feeling the need to try these out and see if they're as good as I say, I'm including the recipe here. I've tasted (and attempted) other variations of this…some people like to add some heat to it, so feel free to experiment. I went for a chili-lime version that had some possibilities, but I'm still working on it. If you come up with a great new variation of this, let me know! We're always up for new snack foods!

Ranch Pretzels

2 bags of regular twist pretzels

1 bottle of Orville Redenbacher butter flavored popcorn oil

1 envelope of ranch dressing mix

1 giant ziplock bag (2 gallon size or larger)

Pour the oil and seasonings into the ziplock and mix well. Dump both bags of pretzels into the bag and turn until the pretzels are all coated with the oil mix. If you have the time and patience, let them soak for a while, turning occasionally. (I've left them for an hour or more sometimes when I've forgotten about it, and they've never been soggy, so there's no need to worry about that.) Pour these out onto two cookie/baking sheets. They will be piled up – there's no need to try to get them flat or evened out. The original recipe called for baking it for an hour at 200 degrees. I've since decided that I can raise the temp a little and shorten the baking time, but you can do whatever. Just don't burn them! I also load both trays in at the same time, and just set a timer for halfway through so I can swap the top one to the bottom and bottom to top. Don't know that it matters, but it makes me feel better.

Enjoy! But beware – these are highly addictive!

These are a few of my favorite things (Part I)

I started to call this something along the lines of “Things That Have Changed My Life.” It’s sort of true – although maybe a slight complete overstatement for some of them. The real reason I didn’t go with it, though, was because it sounded so significant that I figured people would be looking for deep, even theological, ideas. Since that wasn’t – at all – where I was headed, I decided to go with something a little less, well, significant.

So, favorite thing #1: (Not because it’s the most favorite, just because it’s the first one I want to write about)

My Kindle!

I’m not trying to sell you on it. And I can’t compare the Kindle to any of the other options out there. I didn’t even know I wanted one before my wonderful husband bought me one for our anniversary last year. Actually, my specific thought at the time was that I didn’t want one.

I like the feel of a book in my hand. Still do. I find myself checking out book racks in stores with longing occasionally, before I remember that I don’t need to spend that money.

I was also convinced that if I had one, I would end up spending way, WAY too much money on books. I had no idea how many free books were out there for the Kindle. Besides the million “classics” you can get for free, there are many more contemporary books you can pick up free, too. I know most of them are there so you get hooked on a series or an author and want to buy some of the others…umm, I’ll confess it’s worked on me a couple of times! Some of them aren’t worth reading, in my opinion, but the beauty of it is that there are so many available that if I don’t like one, I can just dump it and move on to the next. And every few weeks there’s another group of free books available! (I’ve learned to grab what’s out there when it’s there, because in a few days, it may no longer be free.)

Right now on my Kindle, I have probably 50 books ready to read. And if you know me at all, you know what a great thing that is for me! At the beginning, I was completely fascinated by the ability to “buy” a book wherever I was – bought one in the bathroom one time…for some reason I found that really hilarious! Now I tend to do most of my “buying” from my computer, because it’s easier and faster to check out what’s out there and what it is about. Plus I have so many I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, it’s not as big a deal to be able to download a new one at any time. Oh, well, unless I got hooked by one I got for free and feel the need to buy the next in the series!

I also love that it’s small enough to go with me wherever I go, and there is an “unlimited” supply of back-up books in case I finish the one I’m in the middle of.

A friend asked me one time how many books I went through in a week, and if I could go without reading for any length of time. The answer was as many as I had time for, and no, I can’t stand to be without a book. These days I probably get through fewer books in a week (three kids tend to keep me a little busier than I used to be!), but I still can’t stand to be without a book. And I’m so glad my husband decided to surprise me with the Kindle! Thanks, honey!