We couldn’t get enough of them, and the bartender told us the breadstick was actually Pocky Pretz, a Japanese snack.

The first Pocky flavor, launched in 1966, was biscuit sticks coated in chocolate. The name derives from the Japanese word for crunchy (pokkin).

Since then, as many flavors of Pocky have appeared as you can shake a biscuit stick at. Most are frosted in sweet flavors: almond, banana, coconut, milk chocolate, green tea, honey, strawberry and so forth.

Some Pocky varieties are filled, this one with chocolate cream. Photo courtesy Glico.

Hugely popular in Asia, they’re a fun snack and delicious with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. The success has spawned imitators: Lucky, Pepero and Toppo, among and others.

There’s even a “Pocky Day” celebrated in Japan on November 11 (because 11-11 looks like four Pocky sticks).

There’s plenty of Pocky in the U.S. You can find them in the international section of many large supermarkets, Walmart and other retailers, in addition to Asian food stores. And of course, there’s a big selection on Amazon.com.

POCKY IS GREAT GARNISH

You can garnish just about any dessert with Pocky and enjoy the visual appearance as well as the crunch and flavor. Just a few ideas:

You can also send a gift box of six assorted Pocky flavors.

How do you like to use Pocky?
  

Our friend Hannah Kaminsky of BittersweetBlog.com created “Thanksgiving kabobs” from all the classic Thanksgiving (and Christmas) accoutrements. They’re threaded onto portion-controlled, dippable skewers.

 
“These kebabs are limited only by a lack of imagination,” says Hannah.

She loves gravy for dipping on the side; the choice is yours.

[1] Winter vegetable kabobs (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

 
 
RECIPE: WINTER VEGETABLE KABOBS a.k.a. THANKSGIVING KABOBS

Ingredients

Quantities will vary depending on how many people you plan to serve and which vegetables/add-ins you choose.

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE wooden skewers by submerging them in water for at least 20 minutes. This prevents them from burning (or worse, catching fire) while in the oven. If using metal skewers, skip this step.

2. PREHEAT oven to 400°F and lightly grease a shallow baking dish that can accommodate the full length of the skewers. Thread individual vegetables on the skewers in any pattern or proportion you like. Just ensure that all your components are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly. Place the finished skewers in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. If you’re making enough for a big party, consider a second baking dish.

3. WHISK together the ingredients for the marinade and brush it generously over the skewered “meat” and veggies. If you have any leftover marinade, reserve it to baste the skewers halfway through the cook time.

4. BAKE for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables, flipping after 10 and basting if desired. The vegetables should be nicely browned and tender when done. Serve immediately over hot mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes or grains with a small bowl of gravy for dipping.
 
________________

*When selecting cranberries, look for particularly large berries and skewer them precisely in the center, as they have a tendency to wither and/or split while baking.

†Hannah prefers Grade B maple syrup in this recipe.
 
 

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“GREEK” SOUR CREAM

We initially received the news from Breakstone, which launched the first nationally “hybrid” last month: delicious Greek Style Sour Cream. It contains 50% less fat, 40% less cholesterol, and twice the calcium and protein of regular sour cream (each two tablespoon serving has 4% of the daily value for calcium and 2 grams of protein).

They sent us samples. It is smooth, creamy, far superior to nonfat sour cream, and no one will know the difference. Use it instead of full fat sour cream in any recipe. We were so excited, we devoured half the carton with a spoon.

The product is certified kosher by OU.

A guilty pleasure: sour cream with New York Style Bagel Chips. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

“GREEK” CREAM CHEESE

Then, we were trolling the aisles of our supermarket and saw Green Mountain Farms Greek Cream Cheese. Green Mountain Farms is a brand of Franklin Foods.

Similar to the Breakstone Greek Sour Cream, the blending of nonfat Greek yogurt into cream cheese results in two times the protein and half the fat of conventional cream cheese, plus “live and active cultures.”

Our market only carried the plain version, but it also is made in Cucumber Garlic, Garlic & Herb, Roasted Red Pepper and Sundried Tomato. The products are packaged in bricks and tubs. The line is certified kosher by OU.

Strangely, we detected a very slight sweetness to the product, such that we checked the label to see if any sweetener was in it (there isn’t any).

While this might be delicious on a cinnamon raisin bagel, it was distracting on our poppy seed bagel with smoked salmon. The product consistency was less firm than conventional cream cheese (in the way that fat-free cream cheese can be), but not disconcertingly so.

Try it yourself and see if you like it. When we’re in a fat-cutting mode, however, we’ll stick with Philadelphia Fat Free.

Neither the Greek sour cream or Greek cream cheese is Greek in origin. The name simply refers to the Greek-style yogurt used in the blend.

If you’re looking to cut back on fat, “Greek” is the new lower-fat. Opa!