By DAVE KESSLER Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted Next time you visit your market just take a good look down the snack aisle where the potato chips, crackers, pretzels and pig skins are lined up to tempt your taste buds into parting with some of your money. You can’t really call this the “junk” food aisle, because these goodies carry a pretty stiff price and are among some of the most profitable items in the store. Each of these snacks are tasty in their own special way and most work well with the selection of dips, salsas and dressings that are also lined up down the same aisle. Lots of folks find various ways to enhance the taste sensation of these treats by doctoring them up when they bring them home. A lady from up the street brought some doctored-up snacks to me for my opinion on how they would work for a small gathering she was planning. They were based on Townhouse crackers and were still warm when she arrived. After the first taste I quickly ate all she had with her. I suggested I wasn’t quite sure if they would work and would need to have another plateful to be sure. She caught on quickly and knew I was trying to con her out of some more of the party treats. She surmised they would be just fine. Here’s the recipe she gave me so I could make my own, and now you will be able to make them, too. Doctored-up Party Crackers Townhouse Crackers 1 package of bacon Brown sugar Cayenne pepper Lay the crackers end to end on a wire rack and place the rack on a cookie sheet with sides. Slice the bacon slices into thirds and lay one of the sliced pieces of bacon on each cracker. Put a generous sprinkling of the brown sugar over each bacon-covered cracker. You should sprinkle a little bit of the cayenne pepper on top of the brown sugar. Slide the cookie sheet with the rack of doctored-up crackers into your oven set at 350 degrees. When the sugar begins to melt and the bacon gets crisp, remove them from the oven and let cool to a comfortable eating temperature. I’m guessing you could warm up leftovers, but I’ve never had any leftovers. You will be asked to make these every time people visit because they are a taste-tempting treat.
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