New Recipes: Spiced Chips and Orange Marmalade Rosemary cocktails

This weekend was my weekend to do nothing but laundry since this week is my first normal week in a month.  It is nice when routines go back to normal.

I tried two new recipes out of my Cuisine at Home magazine, chips and dip along with a cocktail from the newspaper.  Since I used a bag of Ruffles and staples I had at home this was an easy recipe that made bagged chips feel more homemade or special.  They are like my Spicy Pretzel method.  I liked adding a homemade touch to a processed food if I am going to eat one.  With the second half of the bag I added the onion and chili powder.  It was a nice snack with drinks.  Original recipe came from my Cuisine at Home, April 2015, pg. 55 magazine.

My herb garden includes thyme so I like when I can use it since I normally forget.  This uses about 5 sprigs to get to the 2 t.  Make a double batch if you use more than 7 oz. of chips because it is just enough.  This simple dip went well with the Spiced Potato Chips but the original recipe called for lemon zest and since the chips had cumin the second time I used lime zest which had a stronger flavor.  Both were good.  I also used Greek yogurt since I always have that on hand and it is better for you.

The drink I tried made me even happier because I was able to use one of the many many jars of jelly or in this case Orange Marmalade, that I made awhile back and the Rosemary Simple Syrup I had on hand from another cocktail recipe.  I don't tend to eat a lot of jam but I like canning so I need more recipes to use it in vs simply on toast.  Two ounces of the simple syrup was a bit rosemary strong so next time I'll try only 1 oz. and try topping it off with soda water to lighten up the sweetness.  This is a very sweet drink so I was one and done.  Can’t wait to try other jam combinations.  Original recipe came from USA Weekend, Dec 12-14, 2014.

SPICED POTATO CHIPS
7 oz. ridged potato chips
1 ½  t. ground cumin
½ t. smoked paprika
⅛ t. coarse black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place a layer of chips on top and bake 5 minutes to warm chips.  Mix spices in a small bowl.  Remove chips from baking sheet and place in a paper sandwich bag.  Sprinkle spices over top and shake to distribute spices over chips.

Variation:  Add ½ t. onion powder and ½ t. chili powder to spice mixture.

LEMON THYME DIP
½ C. Greek yogurt
2 t. lime zest
2 t. fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, grated
⅛ t. coarse black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.  Serve with Spiced Potato Chips.

ORANGE ROSEMARY COCKTAIL
2 oz. gin
1 oz. rosemary syrup
2 T. orange marmalade
1 oz. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.  Fill with ice.  Shake for 20 seconds.  Pour into a collins glass with ice or a stemless wine glass and make two cocktails.

Note:  If your marmalade is too thick, heat it for 10-30 seconds in the microwave to loosen it up, then add it to the shaker.

Variation:  Top it off with some soda water to lighten it up.