here are some easy snack recipes from snacking across america. they look really good (and if you want you can skip past the conneticut yankee one). they use lots of chips and pretzels to make the crusts and toppings. Potato Chip Chicken (12 servings) 1 20-ounce bag regular salted potato chips, crushed 1 16-ounce container of sour cream 2 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins 1 can cooking spray (butter flavored) 1 tablespoon garlic powder/granulated garlic 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) Salsa (optional) Preheat oven to 450°F. Place sour cream in a medium bowl. Dip chicken tenderloins in sour cream, then coat with potato chips. Place coated chicken on greased cookie sheet. Bake chicken 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F. and bake 10-12 minutes. While chicken is baking, melt butter; add garlic powder. Return oven to 450°F. and brush garlic butter over each piece of chicken and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is golden brown. Serve with salsa if desired. Peter's Grilled Cajun Shrimp with Crunchy Tortilla Crust (Makes 4 servings) 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning mix 2 tablespoons fresh parsley 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left in tact 2 cups tortilla chips, coarsely ground Combine first seven ingredients in bowl and stir to blend. Add shrimp and gently mix to coat. Allow shrimp to marinate for one hour in refrigerator. Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes in water. Preheat grill. Thread shrimp using 2 skewers. (This will prevent shrimp from turning over while on the grill). Thread all shrimp on skewers. Grill until shrimp are pink and opaque, about five minutes. While shrimp is grilling, bring remaining marinade to boil. Remove shrimp from skewers if desired, dip in marinade, and then roll shrimp in tortilla chips to coat. Transfer to plate and serve immediately. Patriotic Potato Chip & Pretzel Pie (12 servings) For Pie Crust: 2 cups flour 2 cups potato chips, crushed 2 tablespoons granulated or brown sugar 1/2 cup shortening 4-6 tablespoons cold water In a medium bowl, mix flour, potato chips and sugar. Mix in 1 tablespoon of shortening at a time with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Stir in water until well-mixed. In a 12x8 inch baking dish, press mixture evenly to coat bottom and sides of dish. (Don't let the mix gather in the corners. More bare spots on the bottom are better than on the side.) Bake at 425°F. for 20 minutes. Check the last few minutes so pie doesn't burn. Remove pie from oven and let cool. For Pie Filling: 1 gallon vanilla ice cream 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced 1 pint fresh blueberries 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1 package pretzel sticks Let ice cream soften in a large bowl out of the package. Blend together with fork until it is smooth but not liquidy. Spread the softened ice cream on top of the cooled pie crust. Refreeze the ice cream and pie crust for at least 30 minutes. While ice cream is refreezing, cut up the strawberries into 5-6 slices each and mix with corn syrup in a pourable container. Remove ice cream from freezer and decorate in the shape of a flag. Use pretzel sticks to outline the strips on the flag. Blueberries are stars and the strawberry mix can be poured into every other stripe. Place red on top and bottom and 13 stripes if you can. Keep in freezer for at least one hour before serving. Just cut and serve from the same dish. Patriotic Chip Peanut Champs (Makes 6 dozen cookies) 2 sticks butter or margarine 1/4 cup cola 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 cups flour 2 cups salted peanuts 11/2 cups crushed potato chips Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first seven ingredients and cream well. Add flour gradually and beat well. Fold in potato chips and peanuts. Spoon a teaspoon size of batter onto cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack to cool. Uncle Sam Pretzel Candies (Makes 2 dozen cookies) 10 - ounces white chocolate baking squares or almond bark coating 24 - thin pretzel sticks 24 - dry roasted peanuts 12 - large marshmallows, each cut in half vertically 24 - mini marshmallows 1 - 10-ounce package candy-coated chocolate candies Cover 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper, set aside. Heat white chocolate or almond bark coating in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high or until melted. Stir until smooth. Select 24 red candies and 48 blue candies. Set aside remaining candies for another use. To assemble the "Uncle Sam" faces, place a teaspoon of the melted white chocolate in an oval shape on the waxed paper. Press a marshmallow half on the top of the melted chocolate oval for a hat. Press a pretzel stick (horizontally) directly below it to make a hat brim. Then place 2 blue chocolate candies for eyes, a peanut for the nose and a red chocolate candy for the mouth. Press a mini marshmallow below the mouth for a goatee. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 24 Uncle Sams. Allow to harden for a few minutes, then remove candies from waxed paper. Mexican Scoop (10 servings) 1 bunch romaine lettuce 2 14-ounce cans black beans 1 bunch green onions 1/4 cup orange juice or lime juice 1 Jalapeño pepper, stem removed and seeded 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 medium jimaca, peeled and diced 1 15.5-ounce package tortilla chips Salt to taste Wash lettuce and pat dry; chop finely. Rinse and drain beans. Chop onions. In a blender, blend orange juice and jalapeño pepper well. Slowly add in oil with blender on high speed. Mix in lettuce, beans, onions and jicama. Slowly add the dressing. Add salt to taste. Garnish out the edge of serving dish with tortilla chips to scoop the dip. Fourth of July Red, White and Blue Pie (6-8 servings) 1 cup crushed pretzels 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted 1/4 cup sugar 2 3.4-ounce packages white chocolate instant pudding 1 3/4 cups milk 2 cups sweetened whipped cream 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced 2 cups fresh blueberries In a medium bowl, combine pretzels, butter and sugar. Mix until thoroughly blended. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate and up the sides. In a separate bowl, mix together pudding and milk. Fold in whipped cream. Put aside 1 cup of filling for piping a garnish around the rim of the pie plate. Spread 1 cup of filling on top of pretzel crust. Layer sliced strawberries on top of filling. Cover with another layer of filling topped with strawberries and blueberries. Pipe leftover filling through a star tip using a pastry bag. Chill until ready to serve. Connecticut Yankee Doodle Noodle Salad (6 servings) 12 ounces ziti rigati macaroni, cooked (about 4 1/4 cups) 2 1-ounce packages turkey jerky, cut into small bite size pieces 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 large bunch red radishes, trimmed and sliced 1 cup fresh corn kernels, blanched (or 1 cup canned kernel corn, drained) 2/3 cup Ranch style dressing 1/2 7-ounce package puffed cheese snacks (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/2 6-ounce package sour cream and onion-flavored potato chips (or BBQ) flavor,slightly crushed 12 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size) Toss together cooked macaroni, turkey jerky, onion, radishes and corn. Mix with 1/2 cup of the ranch dressing. Fold in puffed cheese snacks. Scoop into an attractive salad bowl or into individual salad bowls. Drizzle with remaining ranch dressing. Top with potato chips. Garnish with a ring of cherry tomatoes. Reserve remaining puffed cheese snacks and potato chips. Red White and Blue Firecracker Chili (12 servings) 6 dried Ancho chilies 6 dried red New Mexican chilies 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 pounds coarsely ground beef 1 pound coarsely ground pork 1 large onion, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 cup tomato sauce 5 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 3 cups beef broth 2 tablespoons ground cumin 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 cup sour cream 1 bag blue corn tortilla chips 1 red bell pepper, chopped Cover the chilies with hot water and let them stand 30 minutes to soften. Remove seeds and stems. In a blender, add chilies and water and puree until smooth. Sauté the beef and port until browned. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, beef broth, cumin, oregano and sugar and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add the cannelloni beans. Mix in pureed chili paste and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Add cayenne pepper to increase heat as desired. Garnish with Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips and red pepper. Stars and Stripes Munch Mix (8-10 servings) 1 14-ounce bag potato chips 1 7-ounce bag stick pretzels 1 3.25-ounce can macadamia nuts 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon peanut butter 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon sesame oil Preheat oven at 350°F. In a large pan, mix potato chips, pretzels and macadamia nuts together. Over low heat, melt butter, sesame oil, peanut butter and cinnamon. Stir well. When completely mixed and melted, drizzle over potato chip mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Strawberry Freedom Delight (16-24 servings) 3/4 cup butter or margarine melted 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup crushed pretzels 1 cup crushed tortilla chips 2 cups crushed potato chips 1 6-ounce package strawberry gelatin 2 cups boiling water 2 10-ounce packages frozen strawberries 1 8-ounce package cream cheese 1 cup granulated sugar 2 8-ounce containers frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine butter or margarine, sugar, crushed pretzels, tortilla chips and potato chips. Press into a 13x9-inch glass dessert dish. Bake 8 minutes. Let cool. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add frozen berries. Cool until gelatin begins to set. Beat cream cheese and sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Pour strawberry gelatin mixture over cheese. Spread with whipped topping. Southern Style Sloppy Joe (6 servings) 2 pounds ground pork 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup ketchup 6 tablespoons BBQ sauce (hickory/brown sugar flavor) 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons Dijonaise brand mustard 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 5 drops of Tabasco sauce 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 hamburger buns, split 1 14-ounce package barbecue-flavored potato chips Coat a 12-inch skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook pork and onion about 5 minutes, or until pork is no longer pink. Stir in next seven ingredients. Reduce heat, cover skillet and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon over buns. Serve with barbecue-flavored potato chips. Spicy Santa Fe Trail Mix (Makes 6 cups) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon sugar 4 cups popped popcorn 2 cups Cheddar cheese snack crackers 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds 1/4 cup dried mango or apricot slivers 1/4 cup raisins Combine the first four ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. In a gallon storage bag, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the spice mixture and close the bag. Gently toss the trail mix until well coated. Crunchies on a Stick (Makes 2 dozen cookies) 10 ounces salted mixed nuts 3 ounces potato sticks 2 cups butterscotch chips 1 cup milk chocolate chips 1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 bag colored craft sticks Confectioner's sugar In a large bowl, mix nuts and potato sticks. Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butterscotch morsels, milk chocolate morsels and peanut butter on High, for 30-second intervals. Stir between settings, until melted. Pour over nuts and potato sticks. Mix well. Let cool for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Line baking sheets with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Drop a dollop of mixture onto sheet. Position craft stick and add more mixture onto the sheet. Repeat until all mixture is used. When hardened, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Chocolate Dipped Chips (8 servings) 1 14-ounce package potato chips 3 packages chocolate-flavored almond bark Melt chocolate bark in microwave, then dip tip of chip into warm chocolate. Ridged potato chips work well. Handle carefully so chips don't break. Let set until chocolate hardens. Creamy Dreamy Millennium Torte (10-12 servings) 1 14-ounce package pretzels, crushed 1/2 cup butter, melted 3/4 cup sugar 3 cans cherry pie filling 1/2 cup frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed Crush 4 cups of pretzels, save one cup for topping. Mix butter, sugar and pretzels together and press into a jelly roll pan. Layer cherry pie filling on top with whipped topping and remaining crushed pretzels.
