Steve's Kickin' Crackers

Before I begin, I must first make a disclaimer here: "Steve" does not refer to MY Steve... This Steve is a brother-in-law of the gal I got this recipe from: L. Rothans.  My Big McK wanted to lay claim to this great little treat, but I wouldn't let him!

I   have   a   very  good  resource  for 

awesome recipes... from awesome cooks!  Each Friday morning, Big Mck and I serve at the Snowflake Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We have a circle of friends, some of the nicest people to be found on the planet, to spend this time with.  The women are really some of the best cooks you'll ever find.  They bring in wonderful things to help everyone stave off hunger attacks since many of us don't feel like eating that early in the morning.  The men, especially, can be found hovering close by these delectable offerings, more than willing to taste test them and give their reports.  Sometimes there is a huge array of goodies... baked goods, soups, fruit, dips & chips... oh man, my mouth is watering even as I write this.  OK... moving on now...

I have made these crackers 3 times already since receiving the recipe.  We have to keep them in a cabinet, out of sight, or we just nibble on them all day!

One change I've made to the original recipe is I use EVOO, extra virgin olive oil, instead of canola oil.  I have done a little research into it and believe it is very good for us... not just 'not as bad' as vegetable oil, etc., but actually GOOD for us. 

Also, I believe any kind of cracker would be wonderful in this recipe, taste-wise.  Having only tried saltines, I don't know how other types of crackers like club, wheat thin-type, Ritz-type, etc., would react with the oil mixture.  Next time I plan to add a few of whatever other kinds of crackers I have in the house to see if they'll work, too.  The saltines, I know, hold up beautifully and are crisp, not soggy at all.  The first batch I made was with Bashas' (a grocery store found mostly in Arizona, but some in NM and CA) store brand whole wheat saltines and they were really, really, really good!  The second and third time I used Nabisco's Premium Saltine Crackers with Multi-grain topped with Sea Salt (because that was the brand one of my daughters picked up for me).  These are also very good, but I think I prefer the whole wheat ones.  I am looking at the ingredient list from the Nabisco crackers and the first ingredient is unbleached enriched flour with whole wheat flour listed nearer the bottom.  The w.w. crackers are a little dark in color and I prefer that appearance.  But truthfully, if blindfolded, I don't think I could pick one out from the other... with that much cayenne and red pepper flakes, plus the ranch dressing mix, I really don't think the cracker is anything more than the 'carrier' of the flavor. 

These crackers are awesome with dips, salads, soups or anything... or all by themselves.  I feel they're not a bad-for-you snack either.  I mean, with whole wheat, EVOO and cayenne, we could almost call them a health food, right?! 

I hope you love them as much as we do...  Thanks Sis. Rothans!  I'll post your cheese ball recipe soon.

Steve's Kickin' Crackers

1 1/2 C.   Canola Oil (or EVOO)

1 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1  1-lb box of whole wheat saltines, off/store brands
           are fine & cheaper

1.  Mix the first 4 ingredients together, very well.

2.  Open all 4 sleeves of crackers and carefully place
            them in an unscented kitchen garbage bag.

3.  Stir liquid mixture again and add to bag with
            crackers. 

4.  GENTLY turn and 'massage' bag to coat the
            crackers. 

5.  Place coated crackers on 2-3 large cookie sheets
            and let sit, uncovered, for 30 minutes
            to absorb the mixture. 

6.  Store in an airtight container.  These will keep for
            a very long time.

(Not that they'll really last as long as they will keep!)

Enjoy!