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Some advice before you eat these Pop-Pan Spring Onion Crackers: have mints or gum handy. I don’t mind the taste of spring onion while I’m eating this snack (I hope I do taste them), but long afterwards? Not so much.
These crackers are crispy and strongly flavored; I taste mostly spring onion, then sesame. I think they’d pair well with a piece of soft or hard cheese, or a smear of cream cheese. Two more photos after the jump because I’m a tease.
This puzzle is a gift for Olivia, of the Candy Sniffing Incident, whom I’ll be seeing this weekend. (The first photo is the front of the puzzle, the second is the back.) I don’t know if she’ll pull any candy-sniffing antics again, but if she does, you can bet I’ll be joining her.
I have a confession. Sometimes I eat kimchi straight out of a jar with a fork. I’ve probably offended some of you with this revelation. You may be thinking, “Kimchi? Why are you eating vegetables marinated in Gods-knows-what? Hasn’t it been buried in the ground to ferment or something weird like that? And it smells like dirty socks. No, Cindy. Just no.” Or perhaps you’re wondering why I don’t use chopsticks to eat kimchi instead of a fork. Well, not only do I like using chopsticks to eat in Asian restaurants, I also prefer eating with them at home. So there. Others may be shaking your heads (and turning up your noses, admit it) at store-bought kimchi. You’re thinking something like, “It’s so easy to make. Just grab a head of Napa cabbage, water, coarse salt, garlic, fresh ginger, fish sauce, chili paste or Korean chili powder, green onions, daikon radish, and sugar or honey, and follow this recipe or something similar.” Um yeah, I’ll get right on that. I can think of one more thing that may offend some people more than what I’ve mentioned.
I usually have a head of Napa cabbage in my refrigerator. It’s a convenient vegetable to have around because it’s easy to clean (I may see an occasional dead fly or bug on it, but little dirt) and prepare. I chop it, rinse it thoroughly a few times, and it’s good to go. Napa cabbage doesn’t need much seasoning because of its natural, subtle sweetness. If you’re serving it as a side dish, you could add a bit of oil (vegetable, sesame, or olive) and maybe salt during cooking. It can also be cut into quarter-inch pieces and used in stir-fries with other vegetables, meat, or tofu. It makes a great addition to noodle stir-fries, lending a bit of crunch and color, as well. My absolute favorite way to eat Napa cabbage is in soups or Chinese hot pot. I cut it into one-inch pieces and let it simmer in the pot for a while. It’ll turn soft and tender (to the point that it may break apart when you pick it up with your eating utensil), and absorb the flavors of the broth. Mmm.
The leaves are my favorite part of Napa cabbage. I’ve only eaten this vegetable cooked, but I know that it can also be eaten raw. The Pioneer Woman has a recipe for a colorful Asian Noodle Salad that includes Napa cabbage. Any way you eat it, eat it!
This item had me at “Salt & Vinegar,” two of my favorite seasonings for potato chips. And there’s one more thing that caught my eye on the packaging.
These cracklings are part of the company’s “Beer Match” series—snacks that go with beer. I don’t much care for the accompanies-beer thing, as I’m not a big beer-drinker, but salt and vinegar? Come to Cindy. |
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