from Tracey G.

As you all know, I am always looking for ways to use my self-rising flour up before it loses its “zing”, so when I was on the hunt for an appetizer recipe for this week at the King Arthur Flour website, I was really intrigued when I read the title of “Self-Rising Garlic Sticks”….hmmm, a bread-stick item without yeast? That could be a fast treat make. So, then I read the recipe and was convinced this was the one to try. Self-Rising Garlic Sticks became the plan! (If you’re like me and can’t find King Arthur Self-Rising Flour, they do sell it on their website, here. Or if you’re feeling you’d rather make your own, here’s a link to Homemade Self-Rising Flour)

The ingredients were super simple and basic. Self-rising flour, milk, butter and fresh garlic. That’s it. It’s a biscuit dough that, with the way you shape it, becomes these wonderful thin crispy garlicky sticks. Granted, not exactly figure friendly, but I’ve already got designs on trying it with less of a butter bath, lol.

It directs you to preheat your oven to 450°F, then put the butter on a 9×13″ pan, and pop it into the oven until it melts, then you pull it and sprinkle your minced garlic and stir to distribute, then carry on making your dough. I melted my butter in a glass dish in the microwave, then added my chopped garlic. No real particular reason for this, it just fit into my method better, lol.

Next, you mix up your dough by combining the self-rising flour and the milk. You gather it into a ball and fold it over on itself a 3-4 times. Then place it on a well-floured surface and pat into a rather thin, 10×8-in rectangle. After you’ve done that, you cut the rectangle in half, creating two 8×5″ rectangles that then are cut into 16 sticks each, giving you a grand total of 32. The sticks are about 1/2″ wide, by 5″ long.

Once the sticks are cut, you’re ready to add them to the pan. Your garlic butter should be on your pan, waiting for the dough sticks. As you’re placing them, roll them in the garlic butter and crowd them in the pan. They will be rather tightly together, and seemingly swimming in butter. I was skeptical as to how it would all come together with all that butter, but it does!

Bake your sticks at 450°F for about 15-20 minutes until they’re a light golden brown. When they come out and as soon as you can handle them, pull them apart gently and place on a plate, or in a basket for serving. They most definitely are best served warm, and in my opinion reheat nicely in some foil in a preheated oven. I froze half of them, so we shall see how those come out after being thawed and reheated in the near future!

These little sticks are extremely yummy and extremely addictive! They have a slightly crispy crunch and a yummy buttery garlic flavor. They’d be good with some grated or shredded Parmesan cheese on top as well! I served them with a pasta and marinara sauce dinner, and they were wonderful! I highly recommend these Self-Rising Garlic Sticks when you need a fast bread-stick for dinner or a quick and fun dippable appetizer!

 

from Kris B.

Don’t judge a book by its cover or a zucchini stick by its photo!  I will be the first to say that these Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip did not photograph well.  (Probably due to photographer error or degree of hunger.)  That said, they are absolutely delicious!  Whereas Tracey is looking for recipes to use up her self-rising flour before it is no longer self-rising, I’m looking for ways to eat our abundance of zucchini so that they don’t go to waste.

The Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip is a two-part recipe.  It involves the making of the onion dip and then the zucchini sticks themselves.  The dip has a mayonnaise base to which honey, mustard, cider vinegar and caramelized onions, that all have been pureed in a food processor, are added.  Salt and pepper to taste and the dip is done.  It is best when made ahead and given time to chill and allow the flavors to meld.

The baked zucchini sticks are simple to make.  The one thing you need to know is that the sliced zucchini must be salted and allowed to drain before you can coat and bake them.  Once they are drained, the zucchini sticks are dipped in some form of egg; it can be egg substitute, whole eggs, or egg whites.  They are then dredged in a mixture of panko and parmesan cheese seasoned with King Arthur Flour’s Pizza Seasoning.  The coated zucchini sticks are placed on parchment that has been lightly coated with olive oil and are then baked in a 425 degree oven for a total of 20 minutes, turning them once after twelve minutes.  As with any crispy baked item, these are best served right out of the oven.  We had none left so I can’t speak to how they might be if reheated. 🙂

From the three zucchini called for by the recipe, I got 24 sticks.  The dip recipe made about 1 1/2 cups of the sweet onion dip.  We had lots of dip left over after enjoying the zucchini sticks.  Admittedly, I am not one who likes my food covered in sauce, gravy, dressings, or dips, so I probably used less than was expected for a serving.  My husband ate his fair share and there was still more than half of the recipe left.  When I make this again, I will definitely pare down the recipe.  As I said, we did manage to eat all of the zucchini sticks!  They are a nice alternative to chips or the dreaded french fries alongside a sandwich or burger.

The thing that makes this a King Arthur recipe is the use of the King Arthur Flour Pizza Seasoning, but you can also use any Italian seasoning or herbs that you have.  Don’t let the fact that you don’t have the exact ingredient called for deter you from trying this Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip, especially if you have a garden overflowing with zucchini!