Tillamook, one of the country’s greatest producers of Cheddar cheese, has declared today “Squeaky Cheese Day.” For those who haven’t had the pleasure, squeaky cheese refers to cheese curds, small Cheddar nuggets so fresh that they squeak when you eat them.

Because of the short shelf life of cheese curds, they are normally sold only at the cheese factory. But in honor of Tillamook’s 104th birthday, you can buy their Squeaky Cheese Curds online today only, with some of the proceeds going to the Oregon Food Bank to support hunger relief. Two bags are $15.00, plus shipping.

Cheese curds are one of our favorite fun foods. In Wisconsin, where the many cheese factories produce a steady supply of cheese curds, they’re the bar food of choice and on the menu of almost every eatery, plain or flavored. The reason is: They only squeak when they’re fresh.

Some producers vacuum-pack them for wider distribution, so check at your cheese store or consider ordering them online from Tillamook, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese or other online source.

A perfect snack: cheese curds beer. Photo courtesy Rogue Creamery.

WHAT ARE CHEESE CURDS

Cheese curds are the fresh curds created in the production of Cheddar cheese. As milk is converted to cheese, it produces the solid curds and and the liquid whey.

To make Cheddar, the whey is drained off and the curds are pressed together in molds to form the cheese. But if you remove the curds and sell them, you provide a special treat.

Typically, you need to go to a Cheddar cheese factory to get curds, since they should be enjoyed the day they are made. But we’ve ordered them online and found them to be just as yummy a few days later. As the curds age they loose their squeak, but not their deliciousness.

Cheese curds form in random shapes: large nuggets the size of unshelled peanuts, with a texture something like mozzarella.

The flavor is mild, like mozzarella, but saltier; and while the majority of curds are sold plain, the flavored varieties are delicious. We’ve tasted everything from dill to jalapeño, and you can mix in your favorite flavor.

Cheese curds in dill and jalapeño flavors.
Photo courtesy Rogue Creamery.

WHAT MAKES CHEESE CURDS SQUEAK

The squeak you hear when you munch on cheese curds comes from the protein composition of fresh curds.

When the protein in the cheese rubs against the enamel of one’s teeth, it makes a squeaky sound.

As the curds age, moisture evaporates and the protein in the cheese consolidates. That’s why regular Cheddar cheese, and curds older than a few days, don’t squeak.

HOW FRESH TO THEY HAVE TO BE?

curds are ideally eaten the day they are made. After 24 hours they lose their squeak. And that’s why curds are not well known outside of areas where cheese is made. (The vacuum packaging, in which we received our mail-order curds, preserved them just fine.)

HOW TO ENJOY CHEESE CURDS

You can flavor plain cheese curds as you like. Pesto is an easy and delicious flavor agent.

 
In Quebec, perhaps the other North American cheese curd capital, the curds mixed with French fries and gravy to create the beloved French-Canadian snack, poutine. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Choose your snacks from 25 sweet or savory
mixes. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

Sure, it’s easy to give a box of candy or cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.

But for anyone who can benefit from better snacking, how about something more healthful—and fun?

There are fruit gifts, of course, and delicious artisan nuts. There are portion-sized snacks like Peeled Snacks and GoBites.

GoBites is in the healthful snacking business, delivering portion-controlled snacks that are easily portable and plentiful in variety.

The nutrient-rich ingredients are 100% natural and USDA Certified Organic: the right ingredients and the right amount of them to please both snacker and nutritionist.

Note that not all so-called “healthy snacks” are that healthy. Read the labels to see if they are chock full of added sugar and artificial ingredients.

GoBites, on the other hand, are pure goodness: wholesome nuts, seeds, grains and fruits in creative blends.

A DIFFERENT SNACK EVERY TIME

There are some 27 choices. You can make your choices, or fill out a profile and have them selected for you (do you prefer sweet, savory, both, nuts, no nuts, etc.). A sample of the snacks:

 
You can make a single purchase or sign up for a no commitment subscription program that delivers each week’s worth: 14 packages.

Check out all the options at GoBites.com.

The snack packages are easily portable. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Mini corn dogs are a comfort food treat.
Photo and recipe courtesy
PamperedChef.com.

We know otherwise sophisticated gastronomes who go out of their way to visit hot dog joints that sell corn dogs. A corn dog is a hot dog coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter, deep fried and served on a stick.

While it’s not fried food on a stick, we were attracted to this mini corn dog recipe from PamperedChef.com. It’s good Super Bowl finger food.

All you need is a box of corn muffin mix, hot dogs and a mini muffin pan.

MINI CORN DOGS RECIPE

Ingredients

1. PREPARE the corn muffin batter according to package/recipe directions.

2. PREHEST the oven to 375°F.

3. SPRAY mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

4. SLICE hot dogs into 1–inch pieces. Place one piece in each muffin cup.

5. BAKE 10–12 minutes or until wooden pick in centers comes out clean. When cool enough to touch, remove corn dogs to serving plate. Serve with mustard or dip (we mix Dijon mustard with Greek yogurt).
 
You can buy the pan at PamperedChef.com.

CORN DOG HISTORY

Like the hot dog (sausage) in a bun, the corn dog is an American invention, enjoyed plain or with hog dog condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and relish.

Food historians note that corn dogs on sticks were around in the 1920s; patents were filed for cooking apparatuses to make them.

Various people claim to have invented the corn dog way after then, as popularity grew in the 1930s and 1940s and corn dogs became street fare and county fair fare. But in those regionalized, pre-Internet days, research wasn’t easy, so local entrepreneurs can be forgiven for not knowing that others had been selling corn dogs for years.

The best corn dogs are fried just before serving to get that crispy crust. Heat-and-eat frozen versions are available in supermarkets—and we’d opine that Disneyland uses frozen corn dogs (they were bland and uninteresting). Some corn dog purveyors sell these premade frozen corn dogs which have been thawed and then fried again or browned in an oven. If you care, ask before you buy from a vendor (and hope for an honest answer).

We love this nut-tricious snack idea: An open-face peanut butter sandwich topped with trail mix. Use whole wheat toast: whole wheat for extra nutrition and toast for extra crunchiness. Cut into squares for easier snacking. Our beverage of choice: a glass of nonfat milk.

Open face sandwich on whole wheat toast, a layer of smooth peanut butter and a layer of trail mix.

The recipe concept comes from Lee Zalben, proprietor of the restaurant Peanut Butter & Co. in New York City. He’s developed a different PB sandwich recipe for every day of the year—and for more than one year. You can see all of his creative of ideas online at the Nutropolitan Museum Of Art.

MAKE YOUR OWN TRAIL MIX

You don’t need ready-made trail mix: Make your own using the nuts, seeds, raisins and other dried fruits you already have”

Top a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and trail mix.Photo by Andrea Hernandez | Peanut Butter & Co.

 
One of our favorite combinations: dates, dried cherries, figs, pistachio nuts.

After you’ve made trail mix, use it on everything from cereal toppers to ice cream, pudding and yogurt garnishes to baked goods ingredients (mix into brownie, cake and cookie batter).

Do you have a signature trail mix ingredient or favorite combination? Pleas share!

Popcorn as a soup garnish. Photo courtesy
Vilseskogen | Flickr.

Today is National Popcorn Day. We asked chef Johnny Gnall to come up some alternative ways to enjoy it. He fired back with: POPCORN: IT’S NOT JUST FOR MOVIE NIGHT ANYMORE. Enjoy his recipe ideas, below. If you have questions or suggestions for tips, email Chef Johnny.

In honor of National Popcorn Day on January 19th, I spent some time popping a heck of a lot of popcorn and finding stuff to do with it—besides eating my weight in popcorn while watching a John Hughes marathon.

Popcorn is pretty cheap, so feel free to stock up and then try as many of these as you want.

Each of the ideas below can be used with plain popcorn if you want to keep it neutral. But feel free to spice things up, so to speak: You can flavor your popcorn with anything from Tabasco to ginger to garlic to nori powder.

 
SOUP: MAKE YOUR SOUPS “POP”

From a steaming bowl of chowder to cool, clean gazpacho; from creamy puréed cauliflower soup to tart cherry soup: Popcorn is the garnish that adds a pleasant, fluffy bite to any spoonful. It’s also a dazzling garnish when placed delicately upon the surface of a beautiful soup.

FRIED CHICKEN OR FISH: BATTER UP

Pop some popcorn, then crush it by placing plain or flavored popcorn in an unsealed plastic bag; gently roll over it a few times with a rolling pin or a wine bottle. Put it aside and prepare your mise en place for fried chicken or fish: egg wash, flour, oil, etc. After you dredge the chicken, roll it in the crushed popcorn as your last step before frying. You can press the crushed kernels gently into the chicken/fish to help them stick. Don’t try to entirely cover the protein in popcorn, or it may burn before the chicken cooks.

PICNIC SALADS: POPPING UP

Popcorn is a terrific addition to comforting food salads like chicken salad, potato salad, even pasta salad. As mentioned above, hold off on adding popcorn to the dish until just before serving, to keep the kernels from getting too soggy. You can use the popcorn as a foil to the richness of a salad by seasoning it with bright, clean flavors: Lemon zest and a little cayenne works like gangbusters.

THE UN-CROUTON

Croutons add a swell crunch to salads; but for those who can’t stomach gluten, croutons are obviously a no-go unless you make them from gluten-free bread. To get that crunch and add another layer of flavor to any salad with less effort, pop some popcorn (corn is gluten free) and toss it with olive oil, spices, salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle it over a bowl of salad. You may end up swearing off croutons altogether, opting for this healthier, whole grain, air-popped alternative.

GOAT CHEESE: LAYER YOUR LOG

You may be surprised at what a delight can come from a store-bought log of chèvre (goat cheese), some popcorn and a little imagination. Pop, season and gently crush the popcorn as described above, then set aside. Remove the log of chèvre from its packaging and bring it to room temperature; then drizzle it with a little olive oil and roll it in the plain or flavored popcorn to coat evenly. You can also mix the crushed popcorn with some chopped nuts or dried fruit to add a variety of flavors and textures. We love pistachios with dried cherries, or sliced almonds and orange zest.

Get the recipe for this popcorn and chickpea salad from EpicureInLight.com.

MOULES FRITES: HOLD THE FRITES

When you’re having a big, steaming bowl of mussels or clams, one of the best parts is sopping up the hearty, sumptuous broth at the bottom. Crusty bread is perfect, and crispy shoestring fries are a close second. But for those who seek a healthier alternative, popcorn may be just the ticket.

Yes, we have been avoiding getting our popcorn soggy up to this point, but when the stuff doing the sogging is rich, warming, white wine and shallot and butter perfection, we don’t mind a mouthful of popcorn soaked in it. You may even want to keep a bowl of the popcorn at your side to re-up throughout the meal.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Most people love popcorn, and most people love desserts. So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that popcorn on or in dessert is a home run. You can look to the obvious, caramel corn, and all of its scrumptuous forms and variations: popcorn balls, Fiddle Faddle, Moose Munch from Harry & David…the tried-and-true team up of popcorn, caramel and virtually anything else is likely to end up delicious.

But a combination I find even more enticing (thought admittedly more naughty) is the pairing of lightly salted popcorn with cake frosting. I go crazy for a chocolate-frosted layer cake sprinkled with gently crushed, salted popcorn; a single, flavored (or even chocolate dipped) kernel of popcorn at the peak of cupcake is an easy, tasty garnish; and for kids, a fluffy popcorn rain that covers the whole cupcake can be even more fun, both to assemble and to eat!

MOVE OVER, MICROWAVE

Enjoy these simple, creative ways to get the most out of what most people know only as a snack food; and never be afraid to think outside the kernel (pun inevitably intended). Get popping (no pun intended), and remember that microwave popcorn should never be an option!

Stove-top popping takes literally five minutes and is easy as can be. You’ll also avoid diacetyl, a chemical used in the production of microwave popcorn that has caused “popcorn lung”—a disease that’s not at all tasty.

HOW TO POP CORN ON THE STOVE TOP

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the oil in the pot and bring to temperature over a medium-high heat.

2. ADD three “test kernels.” When one or more of them pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels. Stir to coat with oil and cover with the lid.

4. SHAKE the pot gently to prevent the kernels from burning. Continue to shake until you can no longer hear kernels moving on the bottom of the pan. Err on the side of caution; popcorn burns easily.

6. TURN OFF the heat and continue to shake the pot. When you hear no movement, cautiously open the lid: You can get hit by flying kernels.

7. ADD optional seasonings immediately: Warm popcorn better absorbs butter, grated cheese, chile oil, spices, etc.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE POPCORN SNACKS AND POPCORN RECIPES.

Baguette slices dipped in chocolate. These
are topped with a sprinkle of sea salt. Photo
by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

We were waiting for our latte at Le Pain Quotidien when we noticed, among the baked goodies, a clamshell box of chocolate-covered something.

Homing in on the label, the quirky-looking product turned out to be chocolate-covered baguette slices, made from baguettes left over at the day’s end.

Traditional tips for leftover baguette include bread crumbs, bread pudding, bread salad, bruschetta, croutons, crostini, fondue dippers and garlic toast. But we like the sweet treatment of chocolate-covered bread.

It’s easy to make for home snacking (delicious with coffee and tea), to bring to work or as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED BREAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. SLICE leftover baguette into 1/4″ wide pieces and toast lightly. You can use a toaster oven or conventional oven. Let the toasted slices cool to room temperature.

2. MELT chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip one side of the baguette slices and coat thoroughly. Let dry, coated side up, on wax paper. Then dip second side.

3. SPRINKLE before the chocolate dries with your choice of one or more garnishes: coarse sea salt, chopped nuts, dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, raisins or other favorite) or seeds (sesame or pumpkin seeds).

4. ENJOY within a day or two; keep in an airtight storage container.

Find more of our favorite chocolate treats.

Asiago cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano (products made outside the official P.D.O. area in Italy are called Parmesan) are versatile and delicious cheeses that can pop use it pop up everywhere—including on gourmet popcorn.

Regular old cheese popcorn is seasoned with Cheddar or Parmesan cheese powder, made by removing the moisture from the cheese.

But you can use Adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis for the Asiago P.D.O. Cheese Consortium.

RECIPE: PARMESAN POPCORN WITH HERBES DE PROVENCE

Ingredients

Use popcorn as a soup or salad garnish. Recipe and photo courtesy BettyCrocker.com.

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the butter, garlic and herbes de Provence in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand while making the popcorn.

2. COMBINE the oil and popcorn in a heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until almost all the kernels pop. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.

3. REMOVE the garlic cloves from the butter and discard, if desired.

4. ADD the salt, cheese and butter mixture to the popcorn. Toss until the popcorn is coated. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Popcorn Chex Mix. Recipe and
photo courtesy BettyCrocker.com.

MORE WAYS TO USE PARMESAN POPCORN (OR ANY POPCORN)

Find more of our favorite popcorn recipes and brand reviews.

Last year, we entered Kettle Brand Chips’ the People’s Choice Create-a-Chip Challenge. Our inspiration was a fully loaded baked potato: sour cream, chives, shredded Cheddar cheese and bacon.

Fifty-four other people had the same idea, and Fully Loaded Baked Potato was the winner.

The final recipe—the 15th in the current main line of chips (see all the flavors)—used green onion instead of chives and a smoky flavor substituted for the bacon. A year ago we received our reward: a bag of the chips (we really could have used an iPad…).

KETTLE BRAND BAKES, BAKED POTATO CHIPS

Now a year later, Kettle Brand has relaunched its Kettle Brand Bakes line with updated packaging and two new flavors: Sour Cream & Onion and Cheddar & Roasted Tomato. We received a bag of each, along with a bag of Sea Salt, and they are delicious (the Bakes line also includes Sea Salt & Vinegar and Hickory Honey Barbeque).

Kettle Brand’s Baked line is a favorite. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

The flavors are excellent and the texture seems to be a tiny bit thicker than we remember: a much crunchier chip. Here’s the secret: Kettle Brand Bakes are the only baked chip made from whole slices of potatoes. Other baked chips and “crisps” (the British term for potato chips) on the market use dehydrated potato pulp and flakes. Really!

Oven toasting, rather than frying, also adds to the hearty crunch.

These crunchy, golden baked chips are one of our very lines. Kettle Brand uses all-natural ingredients and non-GMO potatoes. Kettle Brand is certified kosher by KOF-K.

NO ADDED SUGAR

We also like the seasonings in the Bakes line. The three flavors we tasted had no added sugar. While we respect the complex flavor mixes that Kettle Brand uses, we don’t enjoy even a hint of added sweetness on our potato chips (except in flavors where it naturally belongs, such as Barbeque and Honey Dijon and the Bakes line Hickory Honey Barbeque). So much sugar is, alas, added to “savory” foods in the U.S. that the line between savory and sweet has become blurred.

If you like the sweetness, why is this a problem? We don’t need extra sugar in our diets—neither the empty carbs nor the calories. In addition, the unnecessary sweetness trains the palate to want everything sweeter and sweeter. Here’s an article from WebMD.com on sugar’s effects on health.

Here’s more information about Kettle Brand. The Bakes line is available in 4 ounce bags for a suggested retail price of $3.39 at select retailers nationwide, and online at BuyKettleChips.com.

Find more of our favorite snack foods.

One of eight delicious flavors of Krave
gourmet jerky. Photo courtesy Krave.

Jerky was created in prehistoric times, as people endeavored to preserve their fresh-killed meat without benefit of coolers. They dried the meat in the sun.

Today’s jerky makers use ovens; and if you’re Krave Jerky, you double-marinate the meat and slow bake it into melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

Then there’s the flavor, or rather, eight of them, divided among beef, pork and turkey jerky: Basil Citrus, Chili Lime, Curry, Garlic Chili, Honey Chipotle, Lemon Garlic, Pineapple Orange and Smoked Teriyaki.

In other brands these flavors might not be so appealing; in Krave Jerky, they’re masterful. They’re the very definition of gourmet jerky.

Check out the full review and try a sampler. You’ll likely return for stocking stuffers and other holiday gifts.

Discover how wonderful fine jerky is with a beer, glass of wine, Bloody Mary or Martini. And take a look at recipes on the company website that use jerky as an ingredient: from blue cheese dip and bruschetta to chicken and artichokes.

If you’re inspired, watch this video to see how easy it is to make jerky at home. Although without the secret recipe, we can’t vouch for it tasting as good as Krave Jerky.

Find more of our favorite jerky products and other savory snacks.

Sales of jerky and beef sticks more than quadrupled between 1995 and 2006. We don’t have statistics on homemade jerky, but given how easy it is to make, we’re surprised that more people don’t make their own—especially when there‘s a good sale on beef.

Making jerky is a great way to preserve meat when you have more than you can immediately eat. That’s why our ancestors learned to make jerky thousands of years ago! Today we’re blessed with freezers; but instead of freezing that extra meat, make jerky.

All you need are the meat, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, liquid smoke and honey. The equipment: just two resealable plastic bags, a cooking rack, tin foil and an oven or food dehydrator.

After you’ve made the basic recipe in this video, you can get creative with flavoring. And remember: The more tender the cut of meat you use, the more tender the jerky will be.

If you love your jerky, your friends and family will love it too. It might become your signature gift.

Find more of our favorite beef recipes.