If you’ve thought about baking bread but have never gotten around to it, how about this incentive:

Delicious and fragrant multigrain cinnamon-raisin bread, perfect for brunch, with a cheese plate or for snacking.

One of our favorite uses for cinnamon-raisin bread:

 
You can bake the bread easily at home, with this bundled from King Arthur Flour.

Maybe you know someone who’d like it as a Father’s Day Gift?
 
 
WHAT’S IN THE BREAD KIT

 
BYO butter, honey, raisins, salt and sugar.

The kit is $139.80, which includes the Emile Henry bread baker, which alone costs $130.00.

This specially-designed covered baker from France’s acclaimed manufacturer was designed to make artisan breads with crisp, golden crusts and chewy, airy interiors. Use it with many other recipes.

[1] What could be better than Sunday brunch with a loaf of warm cinnamon-raisin bread?

[2] Here’s what you get in the bread-baking kit (both photos © King Arthur Flour).

Dishwasher-, freezer-, microwave- and oven-safe, it will be your companion for a lifetime of baking.
 
 
GET YOUR BAKING KIT HERE.

THEN: Ready, Set, Bake!

[1] A special Potato Chip Omelet for brunch, with optional bacon. Recipe and photo © Idaho Potato Commission.

[2] Most home cooks have dried thyme in the cupboard, but fresh thyme adds a brighter, zingy taste (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] You can buy potato chips or make your own. How about these crispy baked sweet potato chips? Here’s the recipe from Clean Eats Fast Feets.

For Father’s Day or other special brunch, how about a Potato Chip Omelet?

This recipe, from the Idaho Potato Commission, finds yet another delicious way to serve Idaho® potatoes.

In addition to the fun of crushed potato chips in the omelet, there’s a chip-and-dip garnish.
 
 
RECIPE: POTATO CHIP OMELET

Note that this recipe makes enough for a crowd. For a smaller portion, per omelet whisk 3 eggs (about ¾ cup) with 1/2 cup crushed potato chips, 1/2 cup cooked onions and 1 tablespoon snipped chives.

You can substitute sweet potato chips (photo #3) as you prefer.

Ingredients

 
For The Sour Cream Sauce

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the sour cream sauce ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. COOK the onions with the butter and thyme in a large skillet over low heat, until softened and light golden brown, about 30 minutes.

3. WHISK 3 eggs per omelet (about ¾ cup or 6 oz.) with 1 ounce (about 1/2 cup crushed) potato chips, 1/2 cup cooked onions and 1 tablespoon chives. Add ham, bacon or sausage as desired.

4. HEAT an omelet pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with melted butter or oil. Cook the eggs, pushing the cooked edges towards the center to make a 5-inch circle, about 1-inch thick. Cook just until the edges are set and the center is still liquid.

5. COVER and continue to cook on low heat, or broil to finish, until the omelet is puffed and lightly brown, about 1 minute. Alternatively, pour the eggs into a 5-inch-diameter x 1-inch-deep egg ring, and cook until done.

6. TURN the omelet out onto serving plate. Top with generous dollop of the sour cream sauce and garnish with snipped chives. Serve with chips on the side.

We have a few favorite crispy snacks to enjoy when we’re having a crunch attack, or when we want something to go with beer, wine and Martinis.

We love them with soup, too, as a side or a garnish. And for general crunching.

This week’s products, in alphabetic order:
 
 
1. GOLD EMBLEM ABOUND: WHITE CHEDDAR POPCORN

Bags of tasty, whole-grain popcorn abound. Popcorn is a better-for-you snack, and whenever we’re hungry on-the-road we look for a bag.

That’s how we happened upon the CVS brand, Gold Emblem Abound, and its delicious White Cheddar Flavored Heavenly Light Popcorn.

The popcorn is all natural: no artificial colors or preservatives. The cheddar is just the right amount. And the light, fluffy texture seemed even better than other brands we’ve tried.

The next time you pass a CVS, treat yourself to a bag.

You can even buy it online.
 
 
2. HARVEST SNAPS: CRUNCHY PEA/LEGUME SNACKS, GLUTEN FREE

Harvest Snaps are a line of gluten-free snacks made largely from legumes: peas or lentils. They have 30%-60% less fat, lower sodium and more fiber than the same amount of potato chips.

Legumes are packed with nutrients: calcium, folate, iron, potassium and vitamin B, along with highs level of protein and dietary fiber.

The line is non-GMO, including the canola/sunflower oils used to fry the chips (most canola oil is made from genetically modified seeds).

Flavors include:

 
They’re light, crispy and perfect for summer. Where should you begin?

THE NIBBLE philosophy has always been: Buy all the flavors and have a tasting party, with beer and wine.

Discover more at HarvestSnaps.com.
 
 
3. MOZAICS: ORGANIC POPPED VEGETABLE & POTATO CHIPS

We became addicted to these very flavorful, very crunchy chips: a combination of legumes and potatoes which have more protein and fiber, and less fat and calories, than either vegetable chips or potato chips.

Made with organic legumes and potatoes—organic black beans, organic green peas, organic potatoes and organic yellow split peas—they are neither fried nor baked, but popped with a brush of organic extra virgin olive oil.

Flavors include:

[1] All-natural light popcorn with just the right amount of cheddar (photo © CVS).

[2] There are 10 flavors of legume-based Harvest Snaps, including BBQ, shown here (photo © Harvest Snaps).

[3] Mozaics chips combine legumes, potatoes, and tons of flavor (photo © Mozaics Chips).

[4] We love chomping on Chomperz, gluten-free seaweed and rice snacks (photo © SeaSnax).

SeaSnax Chomperz are crunchy seaweed chips from the SeaSnax company of Korea. Curls of nori seaweed are wrapped in rice flour ard lightly seasoned with a pinch of sea salt and other flavorings.

Made from organic seaweed, this all-natural alternative to other salty snack is available in:

 
SeaSnax are vegan, verified non-GMO, and free of cholesterol, gluten and sugar. They’re naturally low in fat, and one package of contains just 80 calories per ounce.

You can buy them online at SeaSnax.com.

Note that the ingredients include glutinous rice flour. Despite its name, glutinous rice flour is actually gluten free.
 
 
Snack On, Nibblers!
  

[1] This potato salad with classic Burmese ingredients can be served warm or chilled. The recipe was developed by Tina of Love Is In My Tummy, for the Idaho Potato Commission (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Some of the authentic Burmese ingredients that are blended with the traditional potatoes and mayo (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[3] Green mango is often sliced into wedges and served with a spicy dip. Here’s a recipe from Tastemade (photo © Tastemade).

[4] Another way to enjoy green mango: in a Thai grilled pork salad. Here’s the recipe from Gourmet Traveller | Australia (photo © Gourmet Traveller).

Our mother was a great cook and baker; but when she had perfected a recipe, she didn’t have any interest in trying further variations of it.

 
Her recipes, once finalized, were set in stone (excellent, just set in stone).

But we like to try variations of everything. Since warm weather brings cookout, picnic, and potato salad season, we try at least one new recipe a year (see our past recipes below).

This recipe, developed by Tina of Love Is In My Tummy for the Idaho Potato Commission, pairs crispy, roasted Idaho® potatoes with traditional Burmese flavors, including roasted peanuts and cilantro.

Tina advises that the crisp version is best served warm and immediately. To serve it chilled, omit baking the potatoes and simply use sliced boiled potatoes.

Tina uses a spicy vegan aïoli (garlic mayonnaise) for a vegan recipe. Omnivores can use regular mayo with garlic seasoning, (here’s how to make aïoli with store-bought mayonnaise) or from scratch.

While this recipe may have extended steps, most of the components can be made a week or more in advance (see Preparation Notes, below).

For more about Burmese cooking, read Tina’s full article.
 
 
RECIPE: WARM BURMESE POTATO SALAD
 
Ingredients For The Roast Potatoes

 
Ingredients For Dressing

 
Ingredients For Assembly

 
Preparation

1. ROAST the potatoes: Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut each one first vertically in half, then vertically in half again. Then slice them into bite-size pieces.

2. ADD the chopped potatoes to a deep saucepan; cover them with water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. A fork inserted should go through with almost no resistance. Drain.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F (230°C). Set a baking rack at the lowest position.

4. TOSS the boiled potatoes with the oil in a medium baking tray and spread them out, making sure the larger, flat surface is facing down. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

5. MAKE the aïoli. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, seasoning with salt to taste.

6. ASSEMBLE: In a bowl, combine the roasted potatoes, grated green mango, fried onion, fried garlic, red onion, and aïoli. Toss to combine. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Preparation Notes

You can make a good portion of the recipe ahead, and store the individual components refrigerated in airtight containers. Make the aioli dressing up to 7 days ahead, and the fried ingredients up to a month ahead.

On the day of serving, roast the potatoes, grate the mango, and assemble.

1. LIGHTLY TOAST the roasted Bengal Gram in a skillet until fragrant, but don’t let it brown. Cool, then grind to a fine powder. This can be stored for 1 month in a clean, dry container.

3. THINLY SLICE the garlic and deep-fry it on medium-low heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Store in a clean, dry container for up to 2 months.

4. BUY a green mango that is firm to the touch—almost rock-solid with bright green skin. It has the best flavor and texture for this recipe. You can use a green mango that’s slightly softened or ripened, but it will be more sweet than tangy. See more about green mangoes in the footnote below.

© 2019 Idaho Potato Commission
 
 
MORE POTATO SALAD RECIPES

________________

*ABOUT GREEN MANGOES: You can find green mangoes, also called sour green mangoes (mamuang raad in Thai), at South Asian grocery stores. Unlike green-red mangoes, meant to be enjoyed when they soften, these tart, medium-to-dark green mango varieties are used when they are rock hard and have a tart taste. They also have white flesh, similar to an apple, as opposed to the orange flesh of sweet mangoes.

Squeeze the mango really hard at the store. Like an apple, it shouldn’t yield to pressure. In fact, Granny Smith apples have a similar crisp crunch and tartness. As a green mango ripens, its crisp apple flavor quickly turns to an overripe tropical taste (not desirable!).

Also called sour green mangoes, they are peeled and cut into slim strips—julienne or baton. When not julienned for salads, thicker slices (like wedge fries) are served with a dip, such as nam pla wan or prick glua (photo #3).

Green Mangoes are very rich in fiber content and have almost zero sugar. They also contain a high quantity of essential vitamins, including vitamins C, and many other nutrients. They’re good for you! The season is typically late May through June.
 
 

Want something special for weekend nibbling?

This seven-layer dip with a Tuscan twist (photo #1, recipe below) is perfect with beer, iced tea, sparkling water, wine, or whatever drink you like (gin and tonic, anyone?).

The recipe is from Pompeian, which sent us a bottle of their first single-origin extra virgin olive oil (photo #2).

The origin of the olives is Spain, an appropriate debut since Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Pompeian’s olives are harvested by a community of farmers in Spain, who only select premium-quality olives from the trees.

Pompeian 100% Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, rolling out in stores nationwide this summer (here’s a store locator), is the first in a new line of single origin olive oils from the brand.

The EVOO is fruity and herbal, with bold, bitter and spicy flavor notes. It’s ready for baking, caprese salad, cooking eggs, drizzling (baked potato, fruit salad, grains, pizza, plate or soup), as a dipping sauce or pasta sauce, in a marinade, sauté, vinaigrette—any place you’d like some rich, healthful olive oil flavor.

Use it for everyday food prep and for a special-occasion appetizer, like this seven-layer dip:
 
 
RECIPE: 7 LAYER TUSCAN DIP

This recipe, sent to us by Pompeian, was developed for them by Lemons From Lulu. Thanks to both for this yummy treat.

It was made with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar.

We substituted tangy feta cheese for the cream cheese. You can also use goat cheese, since you need two ounces of it anyway.

Ingredients For 10 Servings

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cream cheese, yogurt, salt and herbs in a bowl; stir until smooth. Spread the mixture on the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.

2. HEAT 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet placed over medium heat. Add the sliced onion. and cook it until soft and golden in color (this should take about 10-12 minutes).

3. ADD the vinegar to the onions, stir and heat until the vinegar evaporates. Remove the onions from the heat and allow them to cool.

4. COMBINE the beans, garlic, salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until combined. With the motor running, stream in the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil until the beans are smooth and creamy. Spread the bean mixture over the cream cheese.

5. CHOP the caramelized onions into bite-size pieces and arrange them over the beans. Top the onions with the olives, crumbled goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle chopped basil over the top.
 
 
ITALIAN HERB SEASONING RECIPE

If you don’t have Italian seasoning blend, here’s how to make your own.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

Blend all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Use the seasoning in the rest of your cooking: on other vegetables or rice, eggs, green salad, meat balls, meat loaf, pasta sauce and other Italian recipes.
 

[1] Seven-layer dip, Tuscan style (recipe and photo Lemons For Lulu via Pompeian).

[2] Pompeian’s new 100% Spanish EV00 (photo courtesy Pompeian).

[3] A classic Tex-Mex seven-layer dip. Here’s the recipe from My Latin Table.

[4] Layered dips can be made in individual portions, like this seven layer Tex-Mex dip. Here’s the recipe from The View From Great Island.

[5] Layered dips can elegant, too, like this one from Stacy’s Pita Chips.

A seven-layer dip is an American party appetizer with origins along the U.S. border with Mexico. It incorporates ingredients from Tex-Mex cuisine:

 
Seven layers was not a hard-and-fast rule: The number of layers can be less or more.

If made with authentic Hispanic ingredients, the ingredients would have only 6 layers: frijoles refritos con jalapeños (refried beans with jalapeños), guacamole, crema sazonada (seasoned sour cream), pico de gallo, queso rallado (grated cheese) and aceitunas negras picadas (pitted black olives).

The dish was Americanized to enable it to be made in areas where it wasn’t easy to find Mexican/Tex-Mex ingredients.

The dip was popular in Texas for some time before the recipe first appeared in national print. We recall it as a trendy party dip in the 1970s in Boston, served with corn chips or tortilla chips.

The first nationally-published recipe, according to Wikipedia, was in Family Circle magazine in 1981. The recipe was called Tex-Mex Dip.