Recipes don’t have to be complicated to be delicious.
We live by this sentiment here at Local Flavor because it’s not about the time or effort it takes to make a dish. It’s all about the taste.
Take Patricia Edwards’ Party Pretzels, for example. These are super simple to make, but they taste so good that you won’t be able stop at just a handful. That’s why they earned her a $50 gift card to Riccardo’s Market, 1219 Wheeler Ave., Dunmore.
The Dickson City resident has made the salty, savory snack for almost 30 years after picking up the recipe from a friend. She’s tweaked and changed it over the years, perfecting it to the point where every time she’s invited to a party, she’s asked to bring a tray of them.
“The minute I tasted them, I fell in love with them. I knew I wanted the recipe to make them myself,” she said on a recent day inside the Midvalley home she shares with her husband of 53 years, Charlie. “They’ve been a favorite ever since, and I’ll make them for birthdays, graduation parties, showers — they kind of fit at any (event).”
The recipe is very simple, Edwards said, and they’re quick to put together. Edwards typically makes big batches ahead of time to take to parties or whips up a batch of them fast if she gets invited somewhere.
While it’s an easy recipe, cooks shouldn’t deviate too much from it, she said. For example, the recipe calls for butter, and cooks should stick to that and refrain from using margarine. Also, the pretzels need to be hearty; use any big, hard pretzels to yield the best results.
“Other than that, honestly, it’s hard to mess them up,” Edwards said, laughing.
Other recipes Edwards is known for include Bruschetta, Potatoes Au Gratin, Lemon Chicken, Chicken Strips and her newest favorite dish, which consists of cauliflower roasted and drizzled with oil and baked with parmesan cheese.
While she’s had more time to experiment with cooking thanks to the pandemic, she hasn’t had many get-togethers to attend over the past year, so Edwards hasn’t been making her signatures. When she’s not at home or work (she’s worked for Dr. Vincent Bakey, an optometrist, for more than 40 years), Edwards has filled her days with time with her grandchildren, Frank, 20; Connor, 17; and Emma, 6.
“My grandchildren are the lights of my life,” she said.
As life slowly begins to get back to normal, Edwards knows she’ll have the chance to whip up her favorite party dishes again soon — including the crowd-pleasing pretzels.
“People are always asking for them,” she said. “It’s such a simple recipe, but I think those are the best kinds. They’re not complicated; they’re just good.”
Patricia Edwards’ Party Pretzels
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 package Lipton dry onion soup mix
- 15.5-ounce bag hard pretzels
Microwave butter until melted. Mix in onion soup mix.
Break up pretzels into bite-sized pieces and drop into mixture. Mix until pretzels all are completely covered.
Spread pretzels on cookie sheet and bake at 200 F for 1 hour. Let cool 1 hour.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
