This was the story of my favorite cheese crackers: They simply vanished for no good reason. I even went to the bakery’s Facebook page and tried to cajole them into bringing them back (to no avail).

Then, in pursuit of some g-free graham crackers for Magic Bars, I stumbled across Marilyn’s Gluten Free Gourmet products in the natural foods section of an out-of-the-way Publix outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

I grabbed the graham crackers and a pack of their cheese straws as well, ever hopeful that I might find a replacement for my late, lamented cheese crackers.

After thanking the manager for stocking such a good variety of gluten-free products, I made haste to the car and opened the package of cheese straws. Out wafted a pungent Cheddar-y aroma that was the first hint of the Total Cheese Satisfaction that lay in store.

Can I say that they are even better than a wedge of Cheddar cheese? Because these cheese straws combine the sharp, sophisticated flavor of a fine Cheddar cheese with the crunch and texture of a delicious gluten-free cracker.

Now, this is not a diet product. Marilyn’s is based in Georgia, so it is a rich and celebratory treat in the Southern tradition. The great part is that they are so satisfying, you don’t have to eat a whole package in one sitting—although some may choose to do so (ahem).

But one to two straws can hold you down very well between meals. They would also make a great party snack, though one that would quickly disappear, so plan accordingly.

As a bonus, Marilyn’s cheese straws come in several varieties: Traditional Cheddar, Jalapeño Cheddar, and a White Cheddar & Chive. Of these varieties I have to confess that the Jalapeño is my favorite; the spice of the pepper enlivens and cuts the richness of the cracker.

Marilyn’s Graham Crackers. Photo courtesy Agrafrutti.

All products are safe for those with gluten intolerance and Celiac disease and contain no trans fats, preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial colors. Some products do contain dairy, so please read the label; and they are produced in a facility that also uses tree and ground nuts.

Marilyn’s products are available at Agrafrutti.com and in some Whole Foods Markets.

 
The brand also offers Artisan Flatbread Crackers and Cheese Buttons, not yet tried by us (but we look forward to them).
 
— Georgi Page

ABOUT MARILYN’S GLUTEN FREE GOURMET

After many years of passionate baking at home, Marilyn Santulli was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. To continue enjoying gourmet baked goods and share them with other GF consumers, she decided to open a gluten-free bakery.

Her American Gra-Frutti Bakehouse & Shop in Roswell, Georgia is open weekdays from 9 to 5 (fresh breads need to be ordered in advance). In addition to breads, muffins and cakes, the shop carries all varieties of the Marilyn’s Gluten Free Gourmet packaged line.

While fresh is fashionable, we can’t ignore the importance of frozen foods today, National Frozen Food Day. While March 6th is one day to celebrate, the entire month of March is National Frozen Food Month.

Frozen food revolutionized the way Americans consume food. First came the joy of off-season fruits and vegetables (which are tastier and a fraction of the price when purchased frozen at their peak than shipped fresh from South America or elsewhere). Then the ability to buy larger quantities when on sale. Then the convenience for busy moms.

In 1984, President Ronald Regan declared March 6th to be National Frozen Food Day, stating: “…I call upon the American people to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Our ceremony consists of frozen foods for breakfast and dinner, at least. We already had a delicious Cedarlane omelet, and cooking SeaPak frozen butterfly shrimp for lunch (thanks, SeaPak, for the samples).

(For dinner, it’s the last day of New York Restaurant Week and we’re heading out.)

Most supermarkets today have 2-3 aisles of frozen foods, and many Americans rely upon the convenience of frozen food for their weekly dinners and other meals.

> Check out the best foods to buy frozen instead of fresh.

Since ancient times, foods were frozen in climates that were cold enough to freeze them (here’s more about early freezing and refrigeration). But the invention of the home refrigerator-freezer after World War II brought modern-age frozen food into every home.

Many people think that Clarence Birdseye invented frozen food; but in fact, others preceded him.

However, Birdseye invented good-tasting frozen food. Before Birdseye, foods were frozen at a fairly slow rate. This caused large ice crystals to form, which ruptured the cell membranes of the food. When the food was defrosted, the ice crystals melted and water would leak from the food, taking with it flavor and texture.

What Birdseye did invent, in 1924 was the quick freezing method, which produces the type of quality frozen foods that we know today.

Another revolution in frozen food came in 1948 when Sea Island Packing Company (SeaPak) in Georgia developed the Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) to flash freeze shrimp. This process locks in flavor at its original state of freshness. The new process forever changed the way the shrimp industry (and others) would freeze products. [Source]
 
 
The First Home Freezer

The first home refrigerator with a small freezing compartment that held two ice cube trays was launched in 1923 (it was a Frigidaire—Source.)

Large “deep freezers” for retail use only became common during the 1940s. That’s why people in period novels and films went to the neighborhood drugstore to get ice cream! Big freezers did not go into mass production for home use until after World War II. Along with new refrigerator-freezer units, they enabled American homes to stock ice cream and other frozen foods.

Prior to World War II, Americans primarily ate locally and regionally grown foods. The technology didn’t exist to pack and transport fresh foods over greater distances. Consequently, only those who lived near coastal waterways had access to shrimp, clams, oysters, and other seafood.

Since shrimp is America’s #1 consumed seafood—a lot of that, for both home and foodservice use, is frozen—and SeaPak Shrimp & Seafood Company is the #1-selling retail brand of frozen shrimp entrees, we make them our choice for lunch. Check out all the varieties at SeaPak.com.
  

The one thing we agreed upon was kale chips as an alternative to potato chips or fries. Unlike baked kale chips, they can be ready in five minutes, in time to join a cold beer or soft drink.

We made this recipe in advance of St. Patrick’s Day, to test how much we’d need for a party.

You can make chips (of any kind) in minutes with the Microwave Chip Maker, a handy device from Mastrad. Two trays are $20. We bought a second set, since they can be stacked to turn out a greater volume of chips.

You can use a microwave-safe plate also; or cook the kale directly on the glass turntable.

Using herb-infused oil adds another layer of flavor to the chips.

Kale chips made with conventional curly kale. Photo courtesy Mastrad.

Ingredients

1. REMOVE the stems from the dry kale. Tear the leaves into 2″ pieces. Toss with the oil to coat and place the pieces in one layer on the tray. Don’t overlap the pieces; doing so can cause arcing* in the microwave. Season with salt and pepper.

2a. WITH MICROWAVE CHIP MAKER TRAY: Microwave on HIGH for 1½ minutes. Continue microwaving in 30-second intervals until the desired crispness is reached. Allow to cool before removing to a bowl.

2b. WITH A REGULAR MICROWAVE-SAFE PLATE: Microwave for 3 minutes, continuing in 30-second intervals until the desired crispness is reached. Transfer to serving bowl.

3. REPEAT with additional batches. For the best flavor and texture, serve immediately; but you can store the chips in an airtight container for up to a week.
 
WHICH KALE SHOULD YOU USE?

There are more than 50 varieties of kale, of which four are most often found in the U.S. Curly kale is the variety typically found in grocery stores.

You may have to hit farmers markets or specialty produce stores for the others: lacinato kale (also called black kale, dinosaur kale, and Tuscan kale, among other names), redbor kale (ornamental kale, which is equally edible) and red Russian kale.

For kale chips, we personally preferred using lacinto kale or red Russian kale. The leaves are longer, flatter and better to tear into chip-size pieces. But you may prefer curly kale, which was used in the photo above.

Here’s more about kale.
 
*Arcing, or sparking, is rare and the USDA can’t explain what causes it. Theories include the mineral or moisture content of certain vegetables; and foods with sharp rather than round edges arranged too closely in the microwave.

[1] Poppy pockets are a spin on traditional hamentaschen (photo and recipe © Go Bold With Butter.

[2] Most people think of poppy seeds as black, but they are also available in white at Silk Road Spices. Black poppy seeds are nutty and sweet, and have a stronger flavor than white poppy seeds (photo © Silk Road Spices).

[3] Cream cheese adds richness (photo © Philadelphia Cream Cheese).

[4] Lemon zest adds a nuance of tartness (photo © Sunkist).

[5] You can buy poppy seed filling in the can, in supermarkets or online (photo © Solo Foods).

Last night at sunset, the Jewish holiday of Purim began. As recounted in the Old Testament’s Book Of Esther, it commemorates the saving of the Jewish people in 5th century B.C.E. Persia from a plot by Hamen, advisor to the king, to annihilate them in a single day. (Here’s the whole story.)

Traditional foods are part of the celebration, the most famous of which is hamentaschen.

The name means “Hamen’s pockets” (the singular is hamentasch).

A three-cornered filled cookie, named after the tricorner hat worn by Haman. It is created by folding in the sides of a circular piece of dough, with filling placed in the center.

Traditional fillings are poppy seed, prune, date, apricot, and fruit preserves. Of course, modern bakers have increased the appeal by using chocolate, dulce de leche and sweetened cheese.

You don’t have to celebrate Purim to bake a batch. You can make a traditional hamentashen recipe, or try the modern version below, including homemade poppy seed filling.

Also below are more things to do with poppy seed filling.

 
 
RECIPE #1: POPPY SEED POCKETS

These cookies are round instead of triangular, and cream cheese is added to the traditional poppy seed filling.

Ingredients For 3 Dozen Cookies

_______________

*You can find it online if your local supermarket doesn’t have it.
 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until well combined. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and vanilla; mix to combine.

2. SLOWLY ADD the flour and mix just until thoroughly incorporated. Remove the dough and divide it into four equal parts. Flatten each into a round disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. On a well-floured surface, roll out one packet of dough at a time, to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2-inch, round cookie cutter, cut circles from the dough and transfer half of the circles to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Reserve the remaining circles to use as tops for each cookie. Re-roll and cut any remaining dough scraps.

4. PLACE 1 teaspoon of poppy seed filling in the center of each dough circle. Dip the tip of your finger or a small pastry brush in water and lightly brush water around the edge of each filled circle. Quickly cover each with a reserved dough circle top and use the tines of a fork to gently crimp the edges of the two circles together. Cut an “X” into the top of each cookie with tip of a sharp knife.

5. BAKE 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just start to turn golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and dust generously with confectioners’ sugar. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 3 to 4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
 

RECIPE #2: HUNGARIAN POPPY SEED FILLING

Reader Cheryl Olenczak writes that it’s easy to make homemade poppy seed filling and avoid the additives in commercial brands.

She uses a recipe submitted by Hepzibah to AllRecipes.com, substituting butter for the margarine.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes, cool before using.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. GRIND the poppy seeds in a mill or coffee grinder.

2. COMBINE the milk, butter/margarine and sugar in a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Gradually pour about half of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly.

3. RETURN the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a metal spoon. (Run your finger down the coated spoon: it should draw a clear line.) Add the poppy seeds and stir well to blend.

4. REMOVE from the heat; cool before using. Store unused filling in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Solo Foods, producers of the most prominent brand in the U.S., has recipes for:

 
Check them out at SoloFoods.com. Our personal favorite: poppy seed yeast cake (coffee cake).

Here are recommendations from Chef Charlie Baggs, of Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations in Chicago, to which we’ve added some of our own suggestions.

The original article was written for Flavor & The Menu, a magazine and website for chefs that made these suggestions for their menu during the six weeks of Lent when seafood sales soar.

Chef Baggs offers different techniques for cooking seafood in both traditional and more modern preparations. You can try a different one every day!

Make a hearty bouillabaisse. Photo courtesy MackenzieLtd.com.

 
We’re sure we’ve left out other favorites. Don’t hesitate to let us know.
 
Read the full article about Lenten dishes on Flavor & The Menu.