Going crackers

There is one store-bought food item that often sparks a war in our household.

If not immediately hidden when brought home from the store, someone will swipe it.

What is this delicacy that can turn family members against each other?

Oyster crackers.

Members of my family can eat them plain by the bag full. Myself included.

However, seasoning them in the oven makes the urge to swipe them even more. These crackers are just not for soups anymore. (Which I love to eat them that way!)

Ranch flavored crackers are my son's favorite and easy to make.

Stir together 3/4-cup of extra virgin olive oil, one 1-ounce envelope of your favorite brand ranch dressing mix, 1/2-teaspoon dill weed, 1/4-teaspoon each of lemon pepper and garlic powder until completely combined.

Gently add a 12-16 ounce bag of oyster crackers to the mixture and stir until coated.

Pour onto a cookie sheet, level out and bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes, stir the crackers twice during baking.

Remove and pour in a brown paper bag, add a sprinkle or two of Parmesan cheese and let cool. The bag will absorb excess oil from the crackers.

Now my daughter and husband like a little zing with their crackers.

Change out the ranch dressing for Italian and the lemon pepper for cayenne pepper.

To satisfy those with a sweet tooth -- which includes my son and my father in our family -- I use canola oil, three tablespoons of brown sugar, one tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/4-teaspoon of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. When they come out of the oven, I sprinkle them with sugar and some fresh ground cinnamon.