The Thompson Kitchen

Approachable, everyday recipes

Snack

Weekday Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

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I call these “weekday” chocolate peanut butter crispy bars because they’re a little better for you than normal ones. Perfect for when you want to make a quick dessert or snack, but don’t want to make a whole batch of cookies or brownies. I know – do those times really exist??

I love to keep them in the fridge when I know I’m going to have a busy week because they’re great for those times when you need something quick and filling to eat. But you could just as easily take them to a friends house for dessert because who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter? Truly a perfect treat!

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Seasoned Pretzels

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About a month ago I was watching The Today show and they had a food segment where they were talking about a company that makes seasoned pretzels. They sounded amazing! So amazing that I got online to buy them only to find they were $16 for less than a pound and you still had to pay for shipping. No thank you!

Since then I’ve been obsessed with seasoned pretzels and I’m glad I am because I came up with an amazing recipe. These would make the perfect addition to a cocktail party, cookout, snack come football season, really they’re perfect anytime!

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Homemade Snack Mix

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This is one of my brother, Nick’s all time favorite foods! We’ve been making it forever, sometimes a random time in the year, but always at Christmas. Honestly, I think my adult brother would find a way to lock me out of my parents house if I didn’t show up with this on Christmas Eve. Now that’s love for a snack mix!

I also make it for Nick’s birthday every May. Salty and addicting, I defiantly understand Nick’s deep love for this!

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Tomato goat cheese puff pastry tart

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My sister-in-law, Casey makes a version of this tart and I always love it! It’s what inspired me to make this. Plus, it’s the perfect appetizer because everyone loves it, it looks super impressive, but it’s secretly super simple to make.

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Beer Cheese

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With the big game this weekend, I thought it would be fun to share a favorite game time snack. This beer cheese is one of Rich’s and my favorites. It’s more flavorful than normal beer cheese thanks to two types of cheese, sautéed shallot, and a good beer. Plus, you can either eat it right away or keep it warm in a mini crock pot all day. The perfect appetizer or game time snack!

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Easy no bake granola bars

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A few years ago I was at Market 65 in downtown Columbus and grabbed one of their homemade granola bars on a whim. It was SO delicious – full of oatmeal, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. I went back the next day to buy one for an afternoon snack and stopped when I realized they were $4 a bar. $4 a bar!! I decided then and there that I would try to recreate them at home to avoid spending more on granola bars every week than coffee.

This recipe is a result of A LOT of trial and error – especially on the amount of nut butter and honey used to bind them. Outside the proportions, they’re extremely adaptable. Use whatever nuts/seed/dried fruits you like. Even add in some chocolate chips! Plus you can use whatever nut butter or combination of nut butters you like. I hope you like them as much as we do!

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Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel

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My love for cranberry orange muffins started young. We used to have a great grocery/general store in Columbus called The Andersons. The Andersons was one of those stores where you could buy a bottle of Dom Perignon, local zucchini, and paint. They also had a great bakery that started my love for cranberry orange muffins. Sometimes my mom and I would split one as a treat, and that was it. Love at first taste.

Unfortunately The Andersons closed a few years ago, taking my muffins with them. This means I now have to make my own. After trying multiple recipes, this one is my favorite. It’s a play on my Perfect Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping and I have to say, these are pretty perfect too. While these muffins are good all year, they would make the perfect Thanksgiving morning breakfast or really anytime this holiday season!

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Caramel popcorn with sea salt

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This isn’t the one note, overly sweet caramel popcorn you’re used to getting bagged in stores or part of a popcorn tin at Christmas time.  This is a rich popcorn with layered flavors of butter, sugar, and salt that will make you look at caramel popcorn in a whole new light.

What makes this caramel popcorn unique?  The use of dark brown sugar rather than light which produces a deep, dark caramel.  You can use light, but I highly recommend using dark – you’ll be amazed by the difference it makes!  Plus the use sea salt in the caramel and then sprinkling flaky salt on top makes it even more addicting the normal caramel popcorn.  These few tweaks take the caramel popcorn to a whole new level.

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Snack Ideas

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Who doesn’t love a good snack? I’m not talking about a snack bag of chips or goldfish (although I love both), I’m talking about a real snack. While working from home I have realized how easy it is to reach for all the stuff I shouldn’t be eating through out the day, so in a conscious effort to not, I’ve been eating a more substantial snack in the afternoon. By that I mean something that will fill me up until dinner so I don’t eat a whole bag of gummy bears at 5:00 p.m. (guilty).

I was thinking, this is something that’s on everyone’s minds now. Adults working from home, parents trying to homeschool their kids, everyone. So I thought I would share some of my favorite snack ideas so no one is hangry by the time dinner rolls around.

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