I Heart... Seriously Sharp Cheddar

Now, I know this is total blasphemy after raving about the fabulous cheeses of Switzerland. But I must say, after the major cheese hankering induced by said country, this cheese is one we buy, week after week, and never grow tired of. Every once in a while we alternate with a gouda or a nice havarti, but our local grocery store's fine cheeses are very pricey and not that exceptional. The gruyere I have bought, for example, in no way compares to that of Gruyere. So when I can't get my delicious fine, European cheese fix (which is often) I turn to dear old Vermont.

What I love about Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar (other than its fashionable lumberjack wrapping) is that it's got this wonderful ripe, rich flavor. Its texture is not always consistent--sometimes it can be kind of crumbly--but it is always delicious. And it's sharp. Seriously sharp. Most other cheddars taste pretty bland in comparison. Whenever switching back from other cheeses, I am amazed at the amount of flavor that this cheese packs in every bite. I'm not saying I don't like, love, respect, drool over other cheeses. I just mean that this is my tried-and-true affordable, always-on-my-shopping-list, American favorite. 

This plus rice crackers are my snack of choice. Great, now I want some.

I Heart... Honest Tea

I am a big tea drinker. Someday I will post an photo of my cabinet which entirely filled with tea. So needless to say, I'm a bit of a tea snob as well. Not as bad as some, but it means I don't touch Nestea or Lipton bottled tea with a ten-foot pole. Okay, maybe with a ten-foot pole, but only to knock it off the shelf and push it behind something where no one will find it and make the mistake of drinking it. The fact that it claims to be tea is... well, blasphemy. Most bottled "iced teas" are just not up to par.

However, Honest Tea is amazing. I love it for several reasons:

1) The company was founded and is located in my hometown. If I still lived there I would run to their offices and beg for a job just so I could get free cases of the stuff. And because I love them.

2) The name. Even though it took me 5 years longer than it should have for me to realize that Honest Tea = Honesty. Oh, you genius.

3) Totally organic, all natural ingredients, and very very little sweetener (in the form of cane sugar). And they are big into community, the environment, and fair business/trade practices.

The one thing that saddens me is that they no longer make my favorite flavor, Decaf Ceylon. However, I am now in love with their Sublime Mate (more puns! Sublimate? Sub-lime Mate? Oh Honest Tea...) and their Pomegranate Red Tea. Mmm. Not all of their flavors are my favorite, but they still rock my world.

They also now have Honest Ade and I seem to recall seeing something about them having loose leaf tea as well.

(The only comparable bottled tea is Harney & Sons new bottled iced tea and fruit beverages. They're a little sweeter than I would like and contain... *shudder*... citric acid. However, they'll work in a fix.)

I Heart... Rice Crackers

There are few foods that I could eat, non-stop, for the rest of my life. This is one of them. These were always a treat during my childhood because I could easily have consumed (still would!) the entire package in one sitting. One of my favorite late night snacks was (is!) rice crackers, cheese, and left over roasted chicken. Mmmmm. Nothing like it after a long theater rehearsal or evening class.

This particular brand of rice crackers is, by far, my favorite. They are light, with a crisp crunch, a hint of salt, and the sweet nuttiness of sesame. Other brands, I've found, tend to go heavy on the seasoned salt, and the plain KAME crackers, are, well, a little plain. The sesame variety has a nice balance that. I. can't. get. enough. of.

The other great thing about these crackers is that, as far as crackers go, they're fairly good for your (or at least not bad). Gluten free, low salt, almost no fat or calories, I don't feel guilty eating, say, a quarter of the package at a time. Though maybe the fact that I eat it with slivers of sharp cheddar cheese, negates the health benefits somewhat!