Don't Look Now: Cucumber Snack Crunch

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

I just love it when kids get good ideas in the kitchen. Recently we were putting some groceries away when a light bulb moment struck daughter. I had just been to our nearest discount grocery store - and it's always a fun surprise to see the sorts of interesting bents and dents that can be had for a quarter or two (Especially those organic and all-natural items, like 8-grain crackers, muesli, or even some Paul Newman salad dressing).

Busily unpacking, there turned up a box of Triscuits - perfect for movie night munchies. Daughter ended up reading the box panels and liked some of the ideas on how they layered veggies and cheeses on the crackers for hors d' oeuvres. Of course, we didn't have all of the ingredients for any one of the recipes (go figure!), but that didn't stop her:

"Do we have a cucumber?"
Affirmative.

"Do we have red pepper?"

Affirmative.

"What about feta cheese?"

"Nope - we're out. But we do have shredded cheddar and a little bit of that creamy cheese sauce (it's kinda like Cheez Whiz). How about slicing these and heating the cheese and seeing what you can make?"

And that's all it took.

She even peeled that waxed cucumber with our new handy-dandy vegetable peeler (oh what a joy: kitchen tools that really work), and sliced the rounds almost paper thin. I cut some slivers of red pepper - the only job I was allowed to do, meanwhile being commanded repeatedly, "Don't look, don't look!"

So, after answering questions about how long to heat the cheese sauce, whether or not we had toothpicks and why Triscuits were so salty on one side, I was presented with the treat of all treats.

There, on a 4-inch plate was a divine trio of snacking hors d'oeuvres that would have held their own at any dinner party. And they even came with their own menu (yes, our budding author/illustrator was hard at work), detailing what they were: printed in a carefully chosen font and with a cut-scalloped edge, it declared:

Cucumber Crunch

A tasty, delicious snack perfect for anytime.

Ingredients:
Triscuit cracker
Cucumber
Crystal Farms Cheddar Cheese Sauce, heated
Red pepper
Dash of salt and pepper

Try making it today!

And my, how delicious it was - after I slid the toothpick out, it was a taste sensation. The combination of crunchy salty cracker with the slightly warm cheese sauce, topped with a cool, round slice of cucumber, dab of cheese and red pepper sliver was truly exceptional.

For someone who all too often relies upon plain cheese and crackers, it reminded me that adding a vegetable or two really ups the ante (And you can't beat boosting that 5-a-day minimum). I've never been much for filling a snack desire with carrots and/or celery - but add a cracker and cheese, and it's a got a chance.

So, if you have any kids that show some interest in putting together some new flavor combos, I encourage you to encourage them. They just might come up with the next great snackin' treat to thrill your taste buds. And oh yeah - they might even use a couple veggies (remember to keep the crisper drawer stocked) too.