You’ve heard me talk about my friend Amber and her kindness. She is also partly responsible for my jargarita obsession and fascination with strawberry shortcake crumb topping. Today I am participating in a virtual baby shower for her and her Brit (aka James) as they prepare to welcome their Lil Brit to the world.
Amber, I don’t know what pregnancy or child birth is like. I didn’t have people want to touch my belly…really people what is up with that? And I didn’t have people pushing their random advice, old wives tales, or well meaning but completely whackadoo ideas on me for 9 months.
So my gift to you and The Brit is to refrain from becoming That Person. I will not:
a) wax poetically about the ball of wonder that will be your son;
b) comically try to prepare you for the winds of change that will blow through your world with hurricane force once your bundle of newborn joy arrives;
c) remind you that it is good and wise to take care of yourself (the flight attendants tell you to put your oxygen mask on first and then assist your child for a reason, ok);
d) state for the record that I am never more than a text message, email, or phone call away;
e) tell you to trust your instincts, even as a brand new parent (you will know your son better than anyone else does);
f) recommend that you take what suits your style out of the books you read and come up with your own unique flavor of parenting (please refer to item e above);
g) zealously proclaim the magic that is the swaddle;
h) go all zen and say that you to take each day as it comes and just surrender to the easy, the hard, and the crazy.
Nope, not doing any of that. I’m too busy waving sparkly jazz hands in joy for you, James, and Lil Brit. This is huge and I am excited beyond words for all that awaits your newly expanded family.
Much Love,
Wendi
PS, I’m also not going to suggest that as Lil Brit gets bigger you have a stash of finger foods to pull out in emergencies to distract, calm, or otherwise avoid nuclear meltdown. But if you decided to go that route, allow me to give you a grown up spin on one. There’s no reason Lil Brit should have all the snacking fun!
Cheddar Ranch Crackers
BAH Note: Now that there is a wee one running around our place, our pantry has new items taking up shelf space. Like formula, baby food, and goldfish crackers. Some of these are temporary visitors to our lives. But others are most likely here to stay a while. I know there is no avoiding it so I’m just giving in to the reality and making the best of the situation. Miss Libby can have her goldfish plain while Miss Momma has them Cheddar Ranch style.
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 ounce Ranch salad dressing mix (dry)
- 16 ounces oyster crackers
- 12 ounces plain cheddar fish crackers
Heat your oven to 170 degrees and line a sheet plan with aluminum foil. Combine the vegetable oil and ranch dressing mix in a large bowl and stir until completely combined. Add the crackers and mix until completely coated. Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
I’m not the only one at this party. Check out what these fine folks have posted in honor of Amber’s virtual baby shower.
Sugarcrafter | Breakfast Tostadas / My Kitchen Addiction | Baby Texan Cookies / My Baking Addiction | Texas Sheet Cake / Simple Bites | Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Charred Corn Salsa / Stetted | Queso Mac / Food for My Family | Texas Pepper Barbecue Sauce Dessert For Two | Frito Chocolate Chip Cookies / Confessions of a Cookbook Queen | Coconut Tres Leches Layer Cake / TidyMom | Pizza Bread Sticks / Miss in the Kitchen | Blackberry Milkshakes / Art of Gluten Free Baking | Peach-Pecan Pie, Gluten-Free / Food Babbles | Southern Pecan Pie / Jelly Toast | Peach Iced Tea / Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle | Decorated Elephant Cookies / i am baker | Texas Brownie Cake / The Kitchen Trials | Coca-Cola Cake / Cookies & Cups | Sticky Toffee Pudding Cookies / A Farmgirl’s Dabbles | Peanut Butter Bonbons the Size of Texas / Steph Chows | Fiesta Dip
Bon Appetit Hon 
LOL!! You are adorable! And this recipe is being stored and saved until I can make it to the store… my kids will LOVE it!
Amanda, my Libby hasn’t really embraced the goldfish crackers yet. Which only means that I can use them all for this grown up snack. Is it wrong not to want to share with your toddler????
I adore this recipe! So simple, but perfect!
It is ridiculously easy. And maybe responsible for a bit of the jiggle in my middle!
Haha jazz hands! Wendi, these little crackers are the perfect snack. Thanks so much for making them and bringing them to Amber’s virtual shower!
This is one party that I couldn’t miss. Thanks for letting me be part of it.
Lol, this whole thing makes me smile! From your writing to your recipe – perfect 🙂
Thanks. I know I didn’t exactly hit the Texas theme to the shower but I figured Amber is gracious enough to let me slide. Especially when I brought these cracktastic snacks ; )
YUM YUM YUM! I think I need some of these crackers to get ME through the day today. They couldn’t be more perfect for a baby shower. 🙂
And, loved your post… Good thing you didn’t say any of those things! LOL. Thanks so much for participating!
Jen, whatever it takes is whatever it takes ; ) I’ve had days like that. And I’m sure I will have more of them in the future.
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Wendi, I just love you so much. This post made me laugh, and cry a little, and also just very very grateful for your friendship. The last year has been such a marked change for both of us, and I’m so glad we’re doing it together. Also, it makes me so happy that these are ranch flavored crackers – you just *get* my Texan heart.
Isn’t there a line in Steel Magnolias about laughter through tears? Because the two really do go hand in hand. I am just so crazy excited for you and James to finally meet this boy who is already so beloved.
These crackers would be great for a toddler… and coincidentally, for me as well!
Please tell that to my toddler. She doesn’t get the idea that table food goes and stays in the mouth. I, on the other hand, have no problem with that concept!
Love this recipe! So easy and perfect for moms and toddlers alike. I’ll definitely be making this soon. My girls are going to devour it. And I loved your post and all your non-advice for Amber 🙂
I’m full of non-advice! And this is a recipe that I can see being a great introduction to the world of cooking when my little helper gets a few more years on her.
How adorable!! I think I’d be packing a snack pack for myself as well as little Clara if I had these on hand. 😉
Aimee, if there is a silver lining to Miss Libby not really being into food yet, it’s that I can choose to finish off her share of the snack. When it was these ranch crackers, I definitely chose to.
These little crackers sound so addicting! So excited for Amber and so tickled to be part of her baby shower!
They are pretty addictive. You “may” find yourself licking the ranch coating off your fingers, out of the container, etc.
Ok, this is a silly question but is this baking time celsius or fahrenheit? These look amazing and I can’t wait to move back to a place with an oven to try!
Not a silly question at all. The temp is Fahrenheit. You want to set your oven as low as it will go because what you’re really doing is just evaporating the moisture from the oil to prevent the crackers from getting soggy.
hehe! So sweet! I can’t imagine putting my face mask on a crashing air plane before my kids’. I’m glad I’m not alone 🙂
Sometimes we all just need a gentle reminder….and some snacks.
I just made homemade crackers with the same flavors!! I got the idea from doing this with oyster crackers, I’ve never thought too add goldfish!! love it!
Ohhhh, I can totally see adding the ranch mix to homemade cracker dough.
Hilarious post…and a recipe I will try very soon. My littles STILL eat copious amounts of goldfish. Time to change it up a little!
I’m trying to figure out how to get mine to keep the food in her mouth. Hope yours enjoy a ranchy twist on the goldfish.
Wendi: Ahahaha–I love this! And I love how you call him Lil Brit. Perfect. I’m so glad that this potluck was organized–I am thrilled to be celebrating Amber and James and Evan-to-be, and I’m so pleased to be able to reconnect with pals like you! I really hope to meet Miss Libby before she goes to college. 🙂
Jeanne, can you believe how our BSP family keeps growing? It’s a baby explosion!
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