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!