London Swall'wing: Part IV -- The Flap About Flapjacks

This is an RJ Foods White Chocolate Flapjack.

At first glance, I'm stumped. This is not a flapjack. A flapjack is a pancake. Oh, sorry. I'm thinking with my US-American-raised food brain. The internet tells me a British flapjack is a traditional, dense, oat-based bar cookie.

Secondly, raisins?! I'm sorry -- sultanas?! In my white chocolate pancake bar? Oookay... but I'm really not that into raisins...

Tasting it reminds me of something (I'm typing as I eat it), but I don't know what. It's sort of a raisin-y power bar. Takes a fair amount of chewing. It has a very "Fig Newtony" flavor, if the outside and inside of the Fig Newton were blended together.

Yeah! A thick, raisin-y Fig Newton thing.  I liked the bites without raisins best.

And that was a snack review typed in real time. Pow!

• London Swall'wing: Part III
• London Swall'wing: Part II
• London Swall'wing: Part I

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A delicious knock-off could be a victimless crime...

Anybody else remember those "Designer Imposter" fragrances on sale all over the place in the 80s?

It's a tenuous connection, but I couldn't help but think of them after eating what's pictured above. This is a snack of which I'd like to create an imposter.

I also couldn't help but think of David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Don't they sort of look like severed ears?



I really do think I (or anyone) could make these at home. They're chocolate covered dried banana chips with a layer of peanut butter inside. The best ones are thick enough to be crunchy, but thin enough to sort of melt away as you chew them. I'll let you know if I try to DIY these guys.  "If you like Confectious, You'll Love Our Chocolate Severed Ears!" (slogan needs work).

Or, you know, I may just stay lazy and buy some more at Whole Foods.

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DIY Snack Mix

I've been falling prey to the mid-morning sleepies at work lately, so today I took a small bag of homemade snack mix with me. It's just walnuts, almonds, and dried cranberries (if I'd had dark chocolate, I would have thrown that in there, too).  I think it helped!

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Recipe En Route?

Hand me a delicious cookie, and I'll call you a friend (especially, but not only, if you made it). Offer me the recipe, and I'll love you that much more.

This cookie had a charming oatmeal scent, and nutty flavor. My coworker Jane made it with brown sugar and currants and almond extract. If she does end up sharing the recipe and her tweaks to it, I will pass the information on to you.

The eternal question.

How many flights of stairs does it take me to get to the center of a date?


Date generously supplied by my coworker Ian.

I had Apple Cake for breakfast.

Thanks, Martha!

Poetry Tuesday: Dried Pears and the Newness of Everything.

pears appear rare
and, rarer, their table,
their chair, and this bowl
of aforementioned pears
how pronounced, seen whole.

[Paul's gift of a dried pear slice from Terrafina in Brooklyn was a revelation. Soft and thick, with a granular, chewy center, they contain real notes of pear on a backdrop of natural sweetness and vanilla. Thinking about how beautiful an experience eating one was, I was reminded of the above, imperfect poem from 1999. I still know what I was trying to get at, but it remains in revision (unlike the dried pears).]

Giant Movie Night -- Accidentally Awesome

 

 GMN Week six Film: Boogie Nights, starring Luis Guzmán, as far as I'm concerned. With Thomas "Mr. Patricia Arquette" Jane of Hung, interestingly enough. 

Snack: Spotted Dick (a gift from Rusty), ice cream. 

Guests: Dan. 

Outcome: It was another quiet Giant Movie Night. I appreciated the film on this re-viewing. Like Casino, it's the sort of stylish epic (with just enough humor) that I don't get tired of.

 

Canned Spotted Dick was a frightening and exciting treat. I may have mentioned I'm not too big on raisins, and this is basically a stiff sponge cake with raisins (if only it had been currants, as described on the Wikipedia page). However, once steamed in the microwave it wasn't half bad. It was a little like slightly dry pumpkin bread (with raisins). I didn't even need to cover it with ice cream to make it palatable. Perhaps the non-canned version is grosser? I thought it would be grosser. In short: this snack was not terrible at all. Thanks, Rusty! It was only due to your thoughtfulness that I had the chance and encouragement to try it. Still, the cake does manage to look unappealing. You could work on that, Brits. But don't let me tell you your business.

You can lead a horse to raisins...

but you can't convince that horse she likes raisins. Even if she's eating really good raisin bread.

The cinnamon raisin nut (walnut?) bread Nicole brought to share at work smelled heavenly, especially after a slice or two got toasted. Folks gathered 'round.

"I don't even like raisins," I said again and again, eating a piece with butter, "but this is good."

I have heard that Orwasher's, the bakery from which this bread originated, is "hit or miss." This item's a hit. I should know. I don't like raisins.

Take Two.

I've described the failure I had when I went down the healthy-rice-krispies-treat route. I got tricked by a recipe and ended up with frozen beauties which did not travel well (even a few steps from the freezer).

On a hunch, however, I bought some full-fat Greek yogurt on my way to work one morning, dropped two of the marshmallow-free cripsies inside, and ate it all up for breakfast.

The Greek yogurt, crispy brown rice cereal, sesame seeds, honey, and dried fruit blended together in a charming way. I'm so glad these healthy "cupcakes" are not going to go to waste.

A Snack for the Seedy.

I needed breakfast that I could take on the train. I wanted a plain, old granola bar, but I found myself in some sort of "fancy" grocery store that was putting on airs. No plain, old granola bars to be found. Just weirdo, expensive "energy bars" and "health bars" and such.

The least offensive (taking into account packaging and ingredients) looked like the Bumble Bar "organic energy" bar. I am always suspicious of things that are both gluten free and vegan, and it wasn't cheap, but I bought two and hoped for the best.

The first was the original flavor "with mixed nuts." It was heavy on the seeds. In fact, it looked like pressed bird food. Not so nutty. Not so much flavor. But it didn't taste too bad. There were layers of seeds held together by a slightly sweet, slightly sticky food glue (honey?).

The second type was called "Awesome Apricot." What do you know?! More nutty bird seed. Though it had dried fruit and a more interesting texture (due to the fruit and to larger nut pieces), it didn't taste much like apricot. It, too, was a little sticky. Much water was needed to wash the thing down.

Clearly, more expensive energy bars are not the answer. Come back, good ol' granola! We miss you!

Reunited.

It's high time I returned to the snack sampler sent by the lovely Tia. Its remaining contents have been too long uneaten.

These Crispy Apple Chips (Caramel) by Seneca are not from the Pacific Northwest like many of the other snacks Tia chose for me. But they will be no less beloved; apple chips are a favorite in my apartment.

Their crispiness makes these something special, setting them apart from soft, dehydrated apple slices. They seem to be dusted with a small amount of sugar. Underneath is an apple slice that retains its peel (nice tough) along with a distinct apple flavor and scent. The caramel is gentle but present. This is an assertive snack for unsure times, but in a reassuring way rather than a forceful one. Now, if only Seneca could do all that without the corn syrup.

FYI: other flavors available are original, cinnamon, granny smith, golden delicious, and sour.