You can make Cheese Crisps with any type of cheese, but I prefer Parmesan - love the saltiness and the texture of shredded Parm. After baking, Parmesan Cheese Crisps are perfect to dip in marinara sauce or top with a slice of salami or prosciutto or just to snack on by themselves. Before I tell you just how easy they are to make, I have a couple of things to show you - so humor me:
After putting almost* every bit of Christmas away, these four little fellows showed up in the mail! I forgot I had purchased them from e-bay a while back. Vintage Santa's that will go onto a new wreath I'm making. I got the idea from Freda's Hive, she made herself a fabulous-kitschy-vintage wreath for Christmas, she's always on top of things! I'll be making one for NEXT Christmas - and by the time it rolls around again I will have forgotten about my vintage wreath so when I open the box I'll have a nice surprise! I love when that happens!
My dear friend Bev in MinneSNOWta sent me this wonderful pillow for Christmas - I'm certain she made it - she is SO clever!
The pillow didn't get put away - instead I put it in the Imaginary Baby's room on her bed - she loves it, plus, *I think it's a good thing to keep a little bit of Christmas out year round, to remind one to keep the Christmas Spirit in their hearts, God bless us everyone!
Here's the skinny: Grab about 2 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese and place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Smooth into a circle, about 3 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or so, just until the outside of the crisp is bubbly and the cheese has melted almost all the way in the center. Remove from oven and using a spatula, immediately remove to paper toweling to cool (and so some of the grease can be absorbed.) They will "set" and be ready to nibble in less than a minute!
And then you can serve them with your antipasti plate...along with salami and cream cheese stuffed peppers, roasted tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms and grilled mushrooms, prosciutto, gorgonzola cheese, fontina cheese, toasted baguette slices, calamata olives and see those bright green olives? They're called Castelvetrano Olives and they are sweet, salty and buttery - and our new favorite snack! We first had them while in Southern Italy, (they're grown and imported from Sicily) bright green in color because they are harvested while still young (for an olive) and put into a lightly salted brine which helps them keep their color. Whole Foods sells them (mostly sells OUT of them) and in Seattle you can find them at DeLaurentiis at Pike Place Market. (This was our New Year's Day-take-down-Christmas snack - it helped ease the pain of putting it all away!)
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The Traveling Stash will be on it's maiden voyage as soon as the Post Office opens! The winner of my Stash Manicure Giveaway is ARIANE of Ontario, Canada!
Thanks for playing along Ariane - and to everyone who entered, this would be a great time for YOU to start your own Traveling Stash!