The holidays are here … and that means “Party Time!”
You should never go to a party empty-handed so for advice on what to bring I called Elizabeth Heiskell – author of the new cookbook “What Can I Bring?” and owner of Elizabeth Heiskell Catering in Oxford, Mississippi.
“We’ve all asked the question ‘What can I bring?’ and this book answers that question. With 9 different chapters, 9 different occasions, with the perfect, perfect solution.”
Elizbeth’s advice on what to bring is practical and makes a lot of sense if you have ever been a host.
“When you are deciding what to bring, always remember that you don’t want to make any more work for your hostess. Don’t bring something she is gonna have to put in the oven or find a different casserole dish that matches her platters to put it out. Bring something that if she wants to go ahead and put it out then, that’s wonderful. But also she could serve it the next day maybe to guests or friends or family that’s in town.”
Her go-to hostess gift is tasty and easy to make.
“Crack Crackers are one of my favorite recipes to take during the Holidays. They keep for weeks and they are simple to make. All you do is start with a little cheddar cheese cracker, you add ranch dressing, a little bit of dried dill, some garlic powder, toss that with olive oil, put it in the oven on 350 degrees just until it gets toasted. Pull them out. Any hostess would love to have this around their kitchen for the Holidays.”
Now that’s a hostess gift I’d love to receive!
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Happy Holidays!
Elizabeth’s Heiskell’s Crack Crackers
This highly addictive snack is my absolute favorite. I’ve been known to eat so much that my tongue goes white and swollen from too much salt. If this happens to you, ask someone to hide the bag from you so you have to stop eating. The accomplice should know there is a pretty good chance they’ll be awoken in the middle of the night by a cracker addict demanding to know where the treasure is hidden.
Serves 24?Hands-On 5 minutes?Total 1 hour, 5 minutes
- 1?3 cup olive oil
- 1 (1-ounce) package Ranch dressing mix
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 (16-ounce) packages bite-size Cheddar cheese crackers (such as Cheez-It)
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Drizzle over crackers in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool on pans 30 minutes. Store in large ziplock plastic bags or in airtight containers.
Excerpted from What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Heiskell. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
