Pretzels, pretzels everywhere

I am happy to report that this, a Tuesday, is actually my Friday. I have the rest of the holiday week off and I plan to relax as much as I can in between visits and feasting.

One thing I do not want to do is have to throw elbows with all the last-minute shoppers at the grocery store tomorrow. And I definitely don't want to spend tons of time in the kitchen fretting over what to take to the family potluck.

Luckily, I have a go-to food that makes for quick and easy deliciousness.

Yep. Pretzels.

Full disclosure: I'm not much of a plain pretzel fan. They taste kind of burnt and I don't like salty foods. I do, however, like salty foods that are also sweet. That just knocks my socks off. And there are a million things you can do with a simple bag of pretzels, like that $1 beauty pictured above.

So, if you are stumped on what to take to the potluck Thursday ... or a week from Saturday ... or on Christmas Eve ... or New Year's Day ... I'm here on the eve of Thanksgiving Eve to offer three easy (so, so very easy) snacks - dare I say desserts - that will take you and your co-diners to salty/sweet heaven.

And did I mention how easy they are?

Oh, and inexpensive ... did I tell you that?

And great gifts, too? Yes, they are.

Let's take a look.

Idea 1: Dipped pretzel rods.

This is the easiest.

White choc with milk choc drizzle.

White choc with sprinkles.

White choc with crushed M&Ms sprinkled.

Just buy a $1 store brand bag of pretzel rods (it's okay if they are broken) and melt some cheap (store brand works great) white (almond or vanilla) or chocolate bark according to package directions. Grab your pretzel by one end and dip it in the melted chocolate and then place on wax paper. Let them "set" at room temp and store in an airtight container. Total time: maybe 20 minutes. If even that long.

They taste great plain, but if you want to get festive, just add sprinkles (before the chocolate sets), or drizzles. A fun way to display them is upright in a little bucket of M&Ms (red and green for Christmas, perhaps) or Robin's Eggs candies at Easter, like below.

This is an easy grab-and-go treat that kids and adults love. Stretch your portions even further by breaking them in half and dipping the broken end.

Idea 2: Cinnamon pretzels

That's cinnamon and sugar sticking to that pretzel-y goodness, baby.

Oh, these are yum. And they make great gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, me.

Super easy and it makes a huge batch. I got the recipe from Midwest Living years ago and I am going to send you there for it. You might notice there's one review for the recipe. Yep - that's me; I wrote it. Just spreading the word.

Perfect snack for curling up in front of the TV on movie night.

Idea 3: Salted caramel chocolate pretzel bark

Oh my.

I cannot even explain how good this is. Shannan Martin of Flower Patch Farmgirl turned me on to this and I will love her with undying devotion forever.

And ever.

Here's her recipe. Do this. Don't be afraid. It's crazy easy and utterly addictive in the worst of all the best ways.

And read her blog. I love her for more than just her crack bark recipe ... though we've never met, which makes me creepy, I know.

Pretty sure she'd love me too. If she knew me.

Anyway ...

I hope you enjoy these salty sweet deals, and please let me know of any super easy pretzel recipes of yours.

After all, good food is even better when shared with friends.