For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been snacking away on Cheddies, Hint and Nature’s Bakery.
 
 
1. CHEDDIES CHEDDAR CRACKERS

Cheddies were a serendipitous food find.

We were at an enormous trade show—think the Disneyland of food, occupying an entire convention center.

After tasting samples, for four hours straight, we could not try another bite. It was time to go home.

On the way out, someone in front of a booth handed us a sample bag of Cheddies. We dropped them into our tote bag and headed home.

The next day, as we sorted through the tote, we found the little bag of Cheddies and ate them. Delicious!

We headed to the website, and then to Amazon, where we used our Amazon Prime subscription to save on a shipment of six family-size bags.

The line was created by two brothers in college, who weren’t thrilled with the snacks they bought from the store.

After surveying their peers, nearly all of them enjoyed snacking on cheese crackers. So the brothers got to work, starting with whole block, all natural cheddar cheese as the main ingredient. You can taste the quality in each cracker.

There are four varieties:

 
The line is certified kosher. We promise you happy crunching.

Get yours at CheddiesCrackers.com.
 
 
2. HINT WATER

Hint has been popular since its launch in 2005 (here’s our original review from 2006).

The company continues to energize the brand with new flavors and two new lines: Hint Sparkling (Hint Peppermint Water is one of our passions) and Hint Kick, which is caffeinated.

Whatever your favorite fruit, you’re likely to find it in zero-calorie Hint.

There are:

 
A tip for a hot day:

Two or three hours before you leave the house, pop a bottle of Hint into the freezer, upside down. The water will begin to freeze, providing some ice in the bottle to keep the water cooler for longer than a bottle from the fridge.

The line is certified kosher by OU. Discover more at DrinkHint.com.
 
 
NATURE’S BAKERY FRUIT & WHOLE GRAIN BARS

Does the world need another snack bar? Yes, insofar as we’ve become a fan of Nature’s Bakery fig bars.

[1] Cheddies are our new favorite cheese cracker (photos #1 and #2 © Cheddies Crackers).

[2] Have some Cheddies with a beer, glass of wine or beverage of choice.

[3] Whatever your favorite fruit, there’s a Hint for you (photo courtesy Hint).

[4] Nature’s Bakery fruit and whole grain bars have become our mid-morning go-to (photo © Nature’s Bakery).

 
The line is certified kosher by OU, Certified Vegan, Dairy Free, low sodium, Non-GMO Project Verified and whole grain.

Get yours at NaturesBakery.com.

July 31st is National Raspberry Cake Day. We’ve got a bunch of raspberry cake recipes below, but the easiest one is an ice cream cake made from four items you pick up at the store.

Here’s how we created the recipe. We used a loaf pound cake instead of the round one pictured, because it’s easier to assemble.

June 27th is National Ice Cream Cake Day.
 
 
RECIPE: SUPER-EASY RASPBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SOFTEN the ice cream and/or sorbet. Slice a layer from the pound cake, as thick as you like. This will be the base for the cake. Place it on a large piece of plastic wrap.

2. ADD a layer of raspberry ice cream or sorbet to the top of the cake, using a spatula. Place a layer of vanilla ice cream on the cut side of the top half.

3. ADD the optional jam or chocolate chips to the top of the raspberry ice cream/sorbet layer. Then place the vanilla ice cream/cake layer on top. If the raspberry layer is too soft, place the cake in the freezer to harden it before you add the vanilla ice cream.

4. SMOOTH out the excess ice cream with a spatula, until you have a neat look. Wrap the cake tightly in the plastic wrap. Freeze. When ready to serve…

5. DECORATE the top of the cake with raspberries. Slice using a knife dipped in hot water, and serve.
 
 
MORE RASPBERRY CAKE RECIPES

[1] Raspberry-vanilla ice cream cake cake (all photos © Driscoll’s Berries).

[2] A half-pint of raspberries (photos © Driscoll’s).

[3] Raspberries growing on the bush (photo © Answers.com).

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[1] Mixed seafood salad with black rice (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Italian black rice (photo © InHarvest).

[3] When cooked, black rice becomes purplish (photo Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE).

[4] Gulf shrimp (photo © I Love Blue Sea).

[5] Cooked lobster meat from Get Maine Lobster (photo © Get Maine Lobster).

One of our favorite “diet” foods is marinated seafood salad: mussels, octopus, scallops, shrimp and squid with celery, olives, onions and pimento in a lemon vinaigrette.

We make a couple of quarts at a time, and don’t stop eating it until it’s gone: for lunch, dinner, snacks on shredded lettuce.

This related recipe is similarly a seafood lover’s dream.

It doesn’t include mussels, but has lobster for some real luxury.

For a touch of the exotic, there’s black rice.
 
 
WHAT IS BLACK RICE?

All cultivated rice originated from a single crop in China, around 10,000 years ago. That first crop mutated or was bred into hundreds of different cultivars, including long grain, short grain, sticky (glutinous) and colored. Different cultivars became preferable in different countries, such as jasmine rice in Thailand.

Brown and white rice are mace from the same cultivar*; but rice evolved into black, pink, red and other hues.

Black rice (photo #2), which becomes purplish black when cooked (photo #3), is a rarity. It can be regular or sticky; there is also black jasmine rice.

The black color is due to a large amount of anthocyanin†, a powerful antioxidant that gives a purple or blue hue to açaí berries, blueberries, Concord grapes and eggplants.

A smaller amount of anthocyanin gives a paler purple color to blood oranges, purple cauliflower and purple corn.

According to a 2015 study, black rice evolved from a type of Japanese rice. A specific gene mutated, triggering the plant to produce large amounts of anthocyanin. Farmers then crossbred black rice mutants to produce more types.

Riso venere (REE-zoe VEH-neh-ray) is a medium-grain hybrid that has a naturally black pericarp (the outermost skin of the grain). In Italian, the name means “Venus rice.”

The Chinese cultivars of black rice could not adapt to cold European winters, but the hybrid does well in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions of Italy. Some Americans call the new hybrid “black vernere rice” or “black Venus rice.”

The variety was created by Dr. Wang Xue Ren, a Chinese hybrid specialist. It is not genetically modified (that is, it is non-GMO) but is a hybrid of forbidden rice, also called emperor’s rice, a species that has grown in China for centuries. Until the 1800s it was cultivated only for the emperor and the nobility (hence, “forbidden” to others).

Why Is Black Rice More Expensive?

Black rice has a very low yield, often just 10% of other rice varieties. For centuries only royalty or other very wealthy people could afford it. It was called forbidden rice or emperor’s rice.

Check out the different types of rice.

Here are more ways to use black rice.
 
 
RECIPE: SEAFOOD SALAD WITH BLACK RICE

Black rice is an easy way to add excitement to a dish. Beyond the stunning color, the whole grain rice has a nutty, sweet taste.

The heat from cooking can turn the anthocyanins in the hull from black to dark purple (photo #3).

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For The Dressing

 
Plus

1. BRING 6 cups of water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squid and cook 3 minutes or until squid is just tender. Remove squid from pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain the water and cut squid into 1-inch pieces, placing them in a large bowl.

2. ADD the shrimp to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain the water and add the shrimp to the bowl with the squid.

3. PLACE a vegetable steamer in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Arrange the scallops in the steamer and cook over simmering water 6 minutes, or until done. Remove the scallops from the pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain and add scallops to the bowl with the squid and shrimp. Cover and refrigerate.

4. REMOVE the steamer from the saucepan. Add the octopus to simmering water, cover and simmer 2 to 2½ hours or until fork-tender (add additional water if necessary to cover the octopus as it cooks). Meanwhile…

5. COMBINE the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, chives, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to incorporate. Set aside or refrigerate.

6. PLACE the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain and add to a medium saucepan along with 2¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Cook the rice with the lid ajar for 25-30 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

7. REMOVE the octopus when done and plunge into ice water. Drain and rub off the skin; cut into 1-inch pieces. Add the octopus, lobster, onion, and rice to squid mixture.
Pour oil dressing onto seafood and rice mixture and toss to combine. Serve on plates with lemon wedges (optional).
 
 
FOR DESSERT

How about Thai Rice Pudding with black rice?

________________
*The difference between brown and white rice is due to removing the outer brown bran layer; it’s the same rice. A cultivar is a deliberately cultivated variety (hybrid). Although some cultivars can occur naturally as mutations, most cultivars are hybrids developed by plant breeders.

†Anthocyanins are flavonoids, a type of antioxidant.

August 1st is National Spritz Day, and we’re going to have an Aperol Spritz. (August 13th is National Prosecco Day, when we’ll have another one.)

While we’d always perused the specialty cocktail menu at restaurants for some interesting combination of ingredients (the type of recipe you’d never thought to put together), our colleague Rowann has always ordered an Aperol Spritz, an apéritif created in northern Italy.

One day we tasted hers, and yum! We’ve now become an Aperol Spritz enthusiast.

So what’s an Aperol Spritz?

It’s an easy-to-make glass of deliciousness. Here’s the recipe.

There are different types of spritz drinks. So:
 
 
> What’s a spritz, and the history of the Aperol Spritz, are below.

> Beyond the Aperol Spritz: A Blood Orange Mimosa x Aperol Spritz Mashup.

> The year’s 49 cocktail holidays.

> The year’s 22+ white wine holidays.

> Trivia: Why is Prosecco capitalized? It’s the name of the village of Prosecco, in the province of Trieste, Italy, where the wine was first made.
 
 
RECIPE: APEROL SPRITZ

Ingredients

 
Preparation

With these instructions, you don’t even have to measure.

1. FILL a wine glass (substitute a rocks glass, but a wine glass is traditional) with ice. Pour the Prosecco a tad more than halfway up the glass.

2. POUR the Aperol halfway to halfway between the Prosecco and the rim of the glass. Pour it in this order so the Aperol won’t settle to the bottom.

3. TOP off with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a slice of orange and serve. While an herb garnish is not traditional, if you have the right kind of herb—delicate without strong aromatics—feel free to add a sprig.

(You can use this recipe to make a spritz with any apéritif you happen to have: Campari, Cynar, Dubonnet, Lillet, vermouth, etc.).

Since Prosecco has an A.B.V. of 12%‡ (24 proof), the combination of the Prosecco and Aperol (11% A.B.V. – 22 proof) yields a low-alcohol drink.

According to Drinks International 2019, in The World’s Best-Selling Classic Cocktails 2019, the Aperol Spritz ranks ninth on the list of the world’s best-selling cocktails.
 
 
WHAT’S A SPRITZ?

A spritz is a wine-based cocktail made with Prosecco, a bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, or Cynar, and sparkling soda water.

It is often called a spritzer in the U.S. (e.g., “I’ll have a wine spritzer”), but spritz is correct.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF APEROL & THE APEROL SPRITZ

Before the Aperol Spritz came the spritz, Here’s more about it.

The apéritif Aperol was launched in 1919 in Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It was created by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri, who had inherited a liqueur company from their father five years earlier.

It is bitter as opposed to dry white wine, such as Lillet. A bitter, or bitters, is an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanicals (herbs, flowers, roots) to create a beverage characterized by a bitter, sour or bittersweet flavor.

Aperol has:

 
In the 1950s, the Aperol Spritz became a popular alternative to the wine spritzer, a mix of white wine and soda popularized in Venice.

It remained known largely to Italians, however, until 2003, when Gruppo Campari bought the Aperol brand from the family business. That engendered a worldwide campaign promoting the Aperol Spritz.

Although it tastes and smells similar to Campari, Aperol is less bitter and has half the alcohol contact. Campari has higher sugar content.

For more information visit Aperol.com.
 

WHAT IS AN APÉRITIF &

THE HISTORY OF APÉRITIFS

Derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open,” an apéritif (ah-PAY-rih-TEEF) is an alcoholic drink consumed prior to a meal (i.e., the “opening act” for lunch or dinner).

It was believed to whet the appetite and “prepare the taste buds” for the meal to come. (An alcoholic drink served after the meal, to aid digestion, is a digestif [dee-jes-TEEF].)

The exact origin of the apéritíf is not known, but we do have a reference from the 5th century from a Christian ascetic, Diadochos of Photiki, who referred to them as “those artificial concoctions which are ‘apéritifs’—presumably because they open a way to the stomach for the vast meal which is to follow.”

(Source).

We know that a few centuries later, in medieval times, a concoction of bitter herbs and fruity wines was served prior to meals to improve digestion.

For centuries in Spain, apéritifs have been a staple at tapas bars.

[1] An Aperol Spritz is typically served in a wine glass, but any glass will do (photo © DeLallo).

[2] This creative Aperol Spritz substitutes a salty olive for the sweet orange garnish (photo © Dante Restaurant | NYC).

[3] A great idea from Waitrose: Make them by the pitcher (photo © WaitroseWaitrose).

[4] How about an Aperol Spritz ice pop? Here’s the recipe from Palm Springs Style).

[5] Send a DIY Aperol Spritzer gift to summer hosts, with this duo from Think Liquor (photo © Think Liquor).

[6] Prosecco is an affordable bubbly and a great mixer for cocktails. Here’s more about it. Also check out the different types of sparkling wine (photo © Mionetto)

Apéritifs became very popular in Europe in the late 19th century. The popularity in Europe crossed the Atlantic and by 1900, they were also commonly served in the U.S.

An “apéritif ritual” born in Venice in the 19th century, served traditional snacks called cicchetti (chih-KET-tee) with the drink. It continues to this day.

Small dishes similar to tapas, cicchetti include tiny sandwiches, plates of olives, and tiny portions of local dishes (source).

Apéritifs became very fashionable across Europe in the late 19th century, and by 1900, were also popular in the U.S.

In the early 1970s in the U.S., the concept of “Happy Hour” emerged to encourage more people to stop by for a drink after work (although the term predates that).

Happy Hour included complimentary appetizers—cheese, crostini, crudités, mini egg rolls, pigs in blankets, Swedish meatballs, and more—served buffet-style with the purchase of a drink. There were often reduced-price drinks such as beer on tap and certain well drinks.

While apéritifs originated as light-bodied alcoholic beverages such as vermouth, these days, an “apéritif” can be anything that people want to drink, from wine to beer, or cocktails.

The particulars vary by country and region: The Spanish and Italian favorite, vermouth, is the most popular apéritif wine in the world.

Try it as a brunch drink, instead of a Bellini or a Mimosa.
 
 
HOW ABOUT AN APEROL SPRITZ ICE POP?

There are frozen drinks which are liquids, and then there are drinks that are frozen solid like these Aperol Spritz ice pops (photo #4).

Here’s the recipe from Palm Springs Style.

________________

*While a standard navel orange slice is typically used, if you can buy a blood orange, go for it. It’s more colorful, and (hopefully) more flavor.

†These are sweet herbs with tiny leaves.

‡Alcohol By Volume.
 
 

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Here’s a fusion of two favorites—a tuna sandwich and a Caprese salad—on our favorite sandwich bread, a baguette (photo #1).

The tuna salad is Italian-style and tangy, seasoned with oil and vinegar instead of mayonnaise.

Add to that creamy mozzarella, winey kalamata olives, and fresh basil and tomatoes, and you’ve got a winner.

Returning from our local farmers market this weekend with juicy heirloom tomatoes. handmade mozzarella and a crusty baguette, we made lunch with this recipe from DeLallo.

With all due respect to America’s top tuna-in-a-can brands, we far prefer Italiana brands like Tonnino (photo #2). The tuna is so fresh-tasting, that it never needs mayonnaise before placing on a sandwich.

Beyond the sandwich, there are more Caprese recipes below, including variations on the famous salad.
 
 
RECIPE: TUNA CAPRESE SANDWICH

Ingredients For 4 Sandwiches

For The Tuna Salad

 
For The Sandwich

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the tuna in a bowl with olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. CUT the baguette in half lengthwise, and then cut it into four even pieces (or, slice the four rolls in half).

3. LAYER each sandwich as follows: tomato slices, tuna salad, mozzarella, drained balsamic tomatoes, and olives.

4. TOP each with a generous sprinkling of chopped basil, add the top half of the baguette and serve.
 
 
MORE CAPRESE RECIPES

[1] A delicious combination of textures and flavors (photo and recipe © DeLallo).

[2] Tonnino, top-quality premium tuna fillets in olive oil, available with different seasonings. Here’s our review (photo © Tonnino).

[3] Quality red wine vinegar makes a difference in a vinaigrette (photo © DeLallo).