One Great . . . twist on oyster crackers

There must be a party going on in Lisa Fain's head. After she moved from her native Texas to New York City, she decided to put her longing for the food she loved online on a blog, a newfangled idea in 2005. It worked, and Fain became one of the first bloggers to score mainstream success when she got a book contract for her first cookbook.

Her tales of fun, food and the South are so popular,  she now has a second cookbook, "The Homesick Texan's Family Table," with even more foods like great nachos, coffee-coated pork chops and bacon-cheddar biscuits. Fain has the kind of food you need when you need food to share.

Case in point? Her variation on the popular ranch oyster crackers. The original recipe is a classic tear-open-an-envelope recipe, using ranch dressing mix and lemon pepper. In Fain's version, you make your own base by starting with buttermilk powder, a really handy thing to keep in your refrigerator, and boosts the flavor with smoky chipotle chile powder.

Leave it to a Texan to really kick things up a notch.

Chipotle Ranch-Spiced Oyster Crackers

From "The Homesick Texan's Family Table," by Lisa Fain (Ten Speed Press, $29.99). Look for buttermilk powder on the baking aisle.

1/4 cup buttermilk powder
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) box oyster crackers
1/4 cup canola oil

PREHEAT oven to 250 degrees. Stir together the buttermilk powder, dried onion flakes, dill weed, parsley, garlic powder, chipotle powder and salt.

TOSS the oyster crackers evenly with the canola oil, then stir in the chipotle-buttermilk powder. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Spread the crackers evenly in a 13-by-9-inch pan.

BAKE 30 minutes, stirring once. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

YIELD: 2 cups. 

PHOTO: New York Times.