There’s a restaurant here in Birmingham that serves what is, in my opinion, the best chicken salad on the planet. I’m not the only person who recognizes this restaurant’s chicken salad supremacy; in fact, the last time I was there with a couple of my out-of-town friends, they said really enthusiastic things like, “OH MY WORD THIS CHICKEN SALAD IS DELICIOUS” and “YOU WERE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THIS CHICKEN SALAD.”
It is awfully tasty.
But about a year ago, I went to Chicken Salad Heaven (alas, that is not the restaurant’s real name, but it would be an appropriate name nonetheless) with my friend Leigh, and I realized that I wasn’t in the mood for chicken salad. Not being in the mood for chicken salad has only happened to me maybe three other times in my life, so it took me a moment to process this strange and confusing development. However, after I looked at the menu for about 30 seconds, I knew exactly what I wanted to order instead of my regular chicken salad plate: The Cheese Plate.
And that cheese plate?
Well, it may have changed my life.
When the cheese plate (or, I should say, The Cheese Plate) arrived at our table, the first thing I noticed that it was gorgeous. There were four or five varieties of cheeses – some sharp, some mild, some soft, some creamy – along with a beautifully arranged assortment of crackers. I had so much fun trying this cheese with that cracker, figuring out what combinations worked best – it was like the happiest little food experiment ever.
And yep, I really did write that last paragraph. And you know what else? I MEANT IT.
SO, ever since that fateful day at Chicken Salad Heaven, I’ve had a renewed appreciation for cheese and crackers. I’ve been a little cuckoo for cheese and crackers, to be perfectly honest. The only problem is that my husband and my child do not share my affinity for the cheese and crackers combo, and unfortunately they do not consider cheese and crackers to be the most delicious supper in the history of all suppers. It would make meal planning so much easier if they did. As you might imagine, I am praying that we will be able to work through our cheese and crackers differences and trusting the Lord to fill our gaps.
Even still, there have been a few times recently when my cheese and crackers cup has overflowed, so to speak. Weekend before last some friends and I had a little girls’ night in, and would you look – JUST LOOK – at the bounty we enjoyed?
(I apologize for the seasonal cheese spreaders. I was experiencing an unexpected spreader shortage.)
(Yes. I know that is spinach dip. And I know that spinach dip isn’t really in the cheese family. But I felt that we needed a vegetable in the midst of all that dairy.)
Y’all. It was all so delicious. There were about four crackers and six little bites of cheese left at the end of the night, but other than that, we SHUT ‘ER DOWN. I could clap my hands just thinking about it.
And because I am a total nerd when it comes to crackers, I took a picture of some of my favorites. I keep these on hand pretty much all the time. I would hate to be unprepared in the event of a crackers emergency.
My favorite variety of the Lavasch crackers is Everything – oh my goodness they are a treat. I accidentally picked up sesame the last time I bought them, and the sesame will do in a pinch. But the Everything – well, as Rachel Zoe might say, it is everything.
I also love the herb Mary’s Gone Crackers (they might be my all-time favorite), but they’re not in the picture because, well, I finished the box that we had and now I need to buy some more.
As far as cheese goes, here’s what I like: all of it.
What about y’all? Are any of you fans of cheese and crackers? And even better: do you have any cheese and/or crackers suggestions?
(Just thinking about comments devoted solely to cheese and crackers makes me so happy.)
(Is that weird?)
(Please don’t tell me if it’s weird.)
(But I’m pretty sure that it’s weird.)
When I moved back to America after living in Paris, I was SHOCKED to discover that my friends didn’t find baguettes and cheese or baguettes and Nutella to be a proper dinner. SHOCKED. Thankfully, I’ve pretty much converted all of them by now. Crackers are an acceptable baguette substitution in my book :)
I know where you were eating!!!!! O’Carr’s! Tell me I’m right!
With the exception of cheeses with visible mold in them and/or a super stinky smell, I am with you on the all-inclusive love of cheese. When my firstborn declared that he didn’t like cheese, I truly had to question whether he had been switched at birth. (He is, however, coming around. Rumor has it he tried a grilled cheese sandwich while spending the night with a friend last weekend, and actually LIKED IT!)
Last summer, a friend brought to a get-together some chevre, into which she had mixed some pesto and sun-dried tomatoes…..oh.my.word. Heaven on a cracker!!
Perfect dinner in my opinion! Cheez its and cream cheese is a favorite snack at our house.
We are cracker soul-mates. Fo sho.
My favorite cheese & cracker snack is one I first discovered on a sample tray at Whole Foods Market, in their cheese department. They had a cracked pepper goat cheese spread on a cracker that looks like the Lavasche in your picture, then topped with drizzled honey. I thought, “Honey? No way is that going to be good together!” I was wrong. So very wrong. It is DELICIOUS. I promptly bought two packages of the goat cheese, a box of the crackers and headed home (I had honey, already). I was sad to see it be all gone, since I live in Hicksville, USA, where one can’t find a good goat cheese; and Whole Foods Market is a couple hours away. Sigh, such is life.
I totally agree!! I could have cheese and crackers for any meal!! We love it when mom brings us some Edam or vallegret cheese from State and I have a box of cracked black pepper Triscuits- #1! We also love a good herbed goat cheese as well.
Mmmmmmm…. cheese & crackers… so agree on the honey with a really nice cheese and cracker or baguette :)
OK. I’m drooling. MY favorite cracker snack right now is a Flipside cracker with Palmetto Cheese with jalepenos piled on it. Palmetto Cheese is coined “Pimento Cheese with Soul” and is made in Pawley’s Island, SC. Great stuff. Addictive. Believe me, I know.
This isn’t fancy AT ALL, but it is so delicious. Make up a plate of these and microwave them for about 20 seconds:
1 Roasted Garlic Triscuit
1 slice of Cheddar (I love Extra Sharp)
1 slice pepperoni
You will think you have gone to heaven…until you realize you can actually SEE the bad breath that it gives you!!
I LOVE cheese and crackers. My husband and I call it the British term, Ploughman’s lunch, to make it feel more fancy!
Love and yum. My go to is always pepperjack with a cracker, sometimes a cracked black pepper triscuit, but sometimes that gets a little spicy. :-) I am also a fan of plain ole pimento cheese with a Ritz cracker.
My newest cracker addiction is Trader Joe’s Everything Cracker and it is sooooo good. Sadly (or maybe thankfully) TJ’s is about 30 minutes from us so I can’t have them on hand too often or that would be a bad thing. : )
Not to change the subject on cheese and crackers. But Costco has the best chicken salad. If you haven’t tried it, you need.. I love cheese and crackers also… Can make a meal on it. But not the Hubs? Ha! Have a great day…
I love brie… and we almost always have cream cheese covered with chipotle raspberry sauce as an appetizer with company. YUM.
Brie and Chablis parties from The 60s were great. Love Brie with figs and proscietto on the thinest non-cracker cracker you can find. Yum.
Firstly, you are a DELIGHT. I rarely comment, but that’s a reflection on me, not you.
Secondly, any cheese, any cracker, any time. YUM. O. My dad started me at a young age with the combination of regular old saltines slathered with cream cheese. Try it!
Cream cheese on saltines were my dad’s favorite snack too! Followed by pretzels dipped in whipped cream cheese.
My Daddy, too! He’d sit at the table long after the rest of us had finished carefully spreading cream cheese on his saltines!
Ahhhh…. You made me miss B’ham again! I fondly remember “Chicken Salad Heaven” and their delicious food! The close second to the chicken salad was their cheesecake. Do they still make it?
I could eat cheese and crackers every day. Every single day.
I’m with you on the cheese love! Some of my favorite additions to a cheese plate are grapes, walnuts, a little bit of honey, apple slices, and some kind of fruit preserves (apricot and strawberry are my current favorites!). What kinds of cheeses are your favorites? I’m all about Gouda, Manchego, and St. Andres Triple Cream. Oh. My. Goodness. The Triple Cream (like the name suggests) is heavenly.
I LOVE Boar’s Head Butterkase with Carr’s Table Water Crackers – any variety! ! !
If you made a plate of chicken salad AND cheese AND crackers with maybe some little fruit pieces for fun, well that is my idea of heaven on a plate.
Luckily in Wisconsin the cheese and crackers phenomenon is here to stay (often topped with a bit of venison summer sausage). I swear, my husband can eat a block of cheese in one sitting.
This post made me so happy because I could eat cheese and crackers three meals a day!
I should tell you that one enterprising soul did everything she could to mimic O’Carr’s chicken salad, and the recipe has been all over Pinterest lately. She thinks she’s got it about 98% right. I haven’t tried making it, as I’d rather just go to O’Carr’s myself and let them make it. ;)
my all-time party cheese is Havarti Dill. SO YUMMY!
Okay, I may or may not have eaten an entire tub of white chocolate Philly Cream Cheese last night. And I may or may not have started out eating it on Ritz crackers and with that being too much work, just ate the rest with a spoon!! My word, my world has been changed!!
I am blessed with a family who enjoys cheese and crackers, I pray that someday your people will get there. Our Valentine’s Day tradition is we go to Trader Joe’s and Costco and everyone picks out one or two varieties of “fancy” cheese or a cheese that they’d like to try and then we pick out an assortment of crackers, a small Italian meat tray, and a bottle or 2 of sparkling cider and then WE LIVE IT UP. Then we eat our gourmet meats, cheeses (this year we had 7!), and crackers while sipping our sparkling cider from our champagne goblets by candlelight while we critique and discuss each cheese. It’s hilarious since we are anything but fancy and there are always some interesting comments since the kids are 12, 10, and 8. It’s very romantic and sweet…with just the 5 of us. :) It’s one of those traditions we’ll always have and it’s centered around CHEESE, is there anything better?!?
What an awesome family tradition. I love it. I may have to steal it from you.
Go for it, we’ll share! It really is fun and sure beats trying to find a sitter and navigating the going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. We figure we’ll have plenty of just us V Days when the kids are older but right now they might as well be part of it! Enjoy!
Prairie Princess, that sounds like the best Valentine’s Day ever! I love cheese in most varieties. I have to agree that Saint Andre is heaven on a plate. I gave up sweets for Lent (which is a HUGE deal for me) so I went to TJ’s and treated myself to a new cheese: Port Salut. It was next to the St. Andre and looked soft and yummy so I thought why not? And it is amazing!
Another cheese revelation to me: steam some cauliflower (healthy! crazy!) and top it with shaved parmesan (not from a can, use a peeler and a block of parm), and a sprinkle of chopped pecans. Sounds weird but does indeed taste delicious.
Soooo…a few years ago I moved to Wisconsin. !!!! Food shopping is pretty much heaven, because even the grocery stores have multiple cases of cheese. As in, there is a cheese aisle. Just cheese. It makes me so incredibly happy. Cheese spreads, cheese blocks, cheese curds…the cheesy goodness knows no bounds. And as if that weren’t enough, the place is covered with local cheese shops. You can watch cheese making.
I really haven’t found a cheese I haven’t liked, although anything with nuts is not my favorite. Otherwise, the sharper the better. Also, I eat buffalo wings for the bleu cheese dressing.
Everything about this post and the comments makes me giggle. Love it. Though I am weird and don’t really like my cheese and crackers to go together. I love them both, just not at the same time for some reason.
So, how weird are we all that we love this post about cheese and crackers….I should say this is a true testament to the fact that indeed, it is, the little things in life we should celebrate!!! And I say we celebrate with a platter of cheese and crackers! :) Loved the post….but you do have to tell the name…is it O’Carr’s? Being in the area I need to find out and try this chicken salad out….I am a lover of chicken salad as well. But I have always loved how our Mimi described her father’s passion for cheese…”he was a rat after cheese”. No truer love spoken.
I have often thought about opening a franchise of O’Carrs in Nashville. It is one of the restaurants that I miss most from B’ham. That fruit and cheese plate will be served in Heaven. I’m pretty sure that Martha and Mary are noshing on a plate right now.
I love love love cheese & crackers! I actually cut up the remainder of a block of really nice cheddar last week into little slices, and thought (with giddy joy!) “I’ll have cheese & crackers for lunch this week!”
Yum.
I loved this post even though I have never been a big fan of cheese and crackers. Your post may have changed this forever. Gee whiz, I am missing out of some mighty tasty sounding cheese and cracker combinations. I must broaden my horizons which I fear might broaden other things as well but that is the price of branching out.
When we were living in the Middle East we were spoiled by European cheeses in the grocery stores for very cheap. Now if we want to relive those days we have to go to the specialty cheese shop and shell out $20-30 per pound.
Thankfully, we’re not really that picky and a good colby-jack is all we need on a daily basis. :)
We often put together a cheese plate for lunch or dinner (and usually include sliced apples because I love to use them instead of crackers.) Our kids (5 year-old twins) won’t eat a sandwich, but they love cheese, crackers, and lunch meat.
I was going to ask you where your favorite place was…but when I saw the shout out to the cheese plate, I knew…O’Carrs. I love their chicken salad, too! Looks like I’ll need to give the cheese plate a try the next time I go though!
This isn’t weird at all. LOVE the cheese & crackers. Sadly, since finding I have celiac, there are many fewer cracker choices, but I’ve recently found one i LOVE LOVE LOVE, but like a reader above, live far far away from the delight that is Whole Foods. Cheese- as long as it is cheese, I pretty much love it, but I like to eat pepper jack cheese with my crackers. But, although I’ve never tried the cheese that smells like stinky boy socks, I don’ t think I’d like it. Sorry, I’m having a mid-life moment and can’t remember the name, but oh that smell – that I remember!
I like the Triscuit cracker pepper and rosemary varieties. Yum.
Blue Diamond Nut Thins–go for the pecan. These crackers are GF as well, which means you’re not likely to find them in the regular cracker aisle.
I’m a fan of the Triscuit thins–before I couldn’t eat one of their crackers without going into a bona-fide choking fit. Well, if there was enough cheese ball on the cracker I’d be fine. So there’s that.
You must try “wise crackers” from Costco. OMGoodness, my favorite crackers eva’
Daddy worked for Kraft Cheese for 42 years. I swear they gave us cheese in our bottles, somehow. Cheese and crackers (usually the Cracker Barrell variety) were always on the menu in my house (and still are!). Love that there are so many kindred spirits out there!
My husband’s gotten on a Sargento pepper jack cheese kick lately and prefers it crakerless. Also, thank you for validation in claiming spinach dip as a vegetable.
As I Birmingham gal, I’m gonna bet you are talking about O’carr’s. Their milkshakes are also amazing!!! I always got the chicken salad, but my mom got me hooked on the cheese plate. It really is the best!!!
I LOVE CHEESE AND CRACKERS. And dips. And guac. I could live on the aforementioned items. My favorite crackers are Reduced Fat Wheat Thins and I’m a huge fan of Laughing Cow cheese during dieting and Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp White Cheddar ALL OF THE TIME (Please note that the latter brand is NOT related to the restaurant). Since become married and more sophisticated (e.g., my husband grew up with some amazing foods), I have come to adore goat cheese in breakfast items and also fancy-schmancy goat cheeses from Farmer’s Markets. <—- DELISH.
You must add a mocha milkshake to your cheese plate next time you eat there – it is a divine combination.
Well, after reading your first sentence, I know believe your dear mother must not read your blog regularly; otherwise, I imagine she’s crying on her kitchen floor right now wondering what she did wrong. ;) But, alas, there are no rules when it comes to chicken salad. I admire your love of cheese and your commitment to it. I will gladly sprinkle your ashes at the MAFES building one day if you ask me to.
Thankfully I have a hubby that thinks cheese, crackers and a bottle of wine is the best dinner ever especially on the back porch of our home. I love a good havarti with caraway seeds and a good boursin cheese that has been melted in the oven. Yummy! I am a triscuit girl-just the tried and true original but totally can’t go wrong with a toasty baguette.
I am laughing right now because I just sat down with my 4yo daughter for lunch consisting of….wait for it…..wait for it…..CHEESE AND CRACKERS. :) unfortunately, ours is rather hum drum compared to your lavish spread: Ritz and Tillamook mild cheddar. But still, nothing to sneeze at. ;). In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with Tillamook!!
Have you tried Nabisco’s Sea Salt and Olive Oil Flatbread Crispers? Oh my word!!! It takes the whole crackers thing to a new level.
Oops. Townhouse makes them.
Love cheese! My favorite cheddar was from a Amish stand in New York. To.die.for. I’m also a big fan of feta, there is a recipe for tomato soup I have pinned that we use feta in. I wouldn’t have put the two together, but it works!
love most cheeses too, except goat cheese anything. my favorite snack lately is salt and pepper popcorn with a nice slice of cheddar or pepper jack on the side. makes a great lunch/dinner too!
OH GOSH! i have made a mental note to myself ” never read your blog again on an empty stomach” I am craving from the chicken salad, to the cheese and those crackers!!!
everything looks exquisit!! I cannot wait to try it!!
I love cheese, and I especially adore Gorgonzola!
This brought me such joy! To know there are other souls that appreciate The cheese and cracker! My husband and I have decided that when the children are grown and have moved on we are going to eat cheese and crackers every night for supper! Did you know that Cracker Barrell has a cheese and cracker plate with thick slices of Colby served up with cracker and bread and butter pickles! Delightful!
Oh my, yes. I could live on cheese and crackers (well…and a little chocolate to round things out). Lucky me, though…my husband and boys also love the cracker and cheese combination. In fact, nothing makes my 13-year-old happier than when I swing through the “gourmet cheese” section of the grocery store and bring home a few selections that we’ve never tried before. On New Year’s eve, we had a delightful Havarti that he has not yet stopped talking about. We also like doing the whole “slather a brie round with jelly and sliced almonds, wrap it in puff pastry and bake it” thing. Because if anything’s better than cheese and crackers, it’s warm, melty, buttery brie with crackers. And I will end my comment now, becuase I could really go on and on. :)
All time favorite lunch, which I call Spa Food. Goat cheese drizzled with balsamic. Grape tomatoes cut in half with ribbons of basil and more balsamic. And pita chips, which technically isn’t a cracker but they are a delight. Now picture this: Take a pita chip, spread on some goat cheese goodness, and then add a tomato or two. HEAVEN.
The Sesmark Rice Crackers are my favorite. I bought them in bulk until my Public quit carrying them about nine months ago.
Needless to say, you set me back emotionally by posting a picture of them here!
BRIE! My absolute favorite cheese for today. I love to eat it with whole wheat, very thin, crackley crackers that I cannot come up with the name for right now to save my life… anyhoo.. you buy them at Sams. I like them with a bunch of grapes and even a glass of wine if it’s a blue moon. <— Happiness.
BTW, I can't help thinking of Wallace and Grommit all of a sudden. Andrew LOVES that show as much as Wallace is "crackers for cheeeeeeese". :D Alex would probably like it too, if he hasn't seen it.
If you ever find yourself in Austin, you MUST go to Antonelli’s. I was so excited to find out we have an actual cheese monger here! You can try anything and everything in their case (and I have, on multiple occasions). It’s pretty spendy, but we buy a few things in addition to our regular grocery store selections.
I’ll have to branch out in the cracker department… great suggestions in the comments!
My favorite crackers are made by Blue Diamond. They are peacan rice crackers. So thin and with just the right amount of salt. So good with thin cheddar cheese. I also eat with instead of chips. Try them!!
O’Carr’s or Zoe’s? Those are my favorite chicken salad locations. If you are talking about a different awesome chicken salad location, then you have succeeded in making my entire week. DO TELL.
Hey Boo Mama,
I will be heading to Birmingham toward the end of March from the beautiful panhandle of Florida. My daughter and I are big connoisseur of chicken salad. We are so bad, that we will ask for a sample to taste before we order chicken salad. Can you expose the name of the place that has this incredible chicken salad and cheese? We are always eating at the Cheesecake Factory when we are up in the area. Birmingham has the closet Cheesecake Factory to the panhandle. Would love to try out a new place to eat.
love cheese and crackers but my favorite will always be MSU Edam though the MSU cheddar is also delightful. Nothing beats that round cannonball of cheese in my opinion
the only thing wrong with the picture… “crackers.” As a REAL gluten allergic person (30+ years) I yearn for the days of cheese and crackers. However, was encouraged by the pic of the ‘gluten free’ sesame/rice snacky things. Will rush out and purchase them. Most gluten free crackers have a distinct flavor of motor oil (as I think it would taste, since I don’t routinely drink motor oil). Hope the sesame snack does not fall into that category. Note to stretchmarkmama… was not a fan of the “Nut thin” GF product. I refer you back to motor oil.
We are kindred spirits separated by a state line. Cheese & crackers are hand clapping worthy! Next time I come your way you’re taking me to that place, and I’m going to bring you some “Georgia Bob’s” Chicken Salad for the taste test. You are a dee-light to my soul. :)
Cheese + Crackers = The Awesome. My daughter (a foodie) and I have discovered Wensleydale, which you can get with either cranberries or blueberries mixed in. It sounds weird but it is FABULOUS -a very sharpie cheese with sweet bits of fruit mixed in.
The only bad cheese is pimento, which in my opinion does not deserve the last name of Cheese.
You would love France! I love France. Their cheese is the best. Failing being there, which sadly I do these days, I love artisanal local cheeses. Here in OR we have some very good ones. Sadly, not only do I fail being in France, I fail being able to afford artisanal cheeses.
I personally prefer cheese spread on a thinly sliced baguette, but I don’t mind crackers. Fav cheeses. Hmm. Bresse de Bleu. (You can’t get it here. Waah!) Cotswold. Compte. Tomme de Savoie. Smoked Gouda. Chevre. And a whole bunch of others.
You know what’s fun? Get a decent brie. Spread with fig jam. Add a light cracker, like Carr’s water crackers. It’s totally awesome and will bless you.
I wish you lived here which is Bowling Green, Ky.. or maybe you could order it. ..but Kenny’s Cheese is AMAZING! It’s a home grown business & the farmers markets and special stores (wine and liquor venues, nutrition stores) sell it. There’s seriously 30 or more types frm tons of cheddar, asiago, havarti (my fave!), swiss, onion, pizza, etc, etc, to gouda to tomatoe basil to 5 types of blue, horseradish combos…this man knows how to make cheese! :) The Queen of England requests it every year when she comes to the KY Derby. Maybe you could order some?!. A perfect Spring Saturday consists of the Farmers Mkt. and tasting almost all types on the lil toothpicks he provides before buying some for the week! . haha Look it up and get ya some if possible; you won’t be let down!
I too am a big cheese and cracker fan. Gouda is my current favorite. I have had cheese and crackers for lunch at work many a time. My husband thinks cheese and crackers a fine snack, but would never go for it for the whole meal.
My favorite cheese and cracker memory is saltines, and Kraft American singles. Every New Years Eve, my parents, sister and I would bring in cheese and crackers to the living room and sit around the blonde wood (it was the 70s!) coffee table and eat them while we watched TV. Eating in the living room was NOT something we did as a general rule. We also got to take our insulated pastel colored tumblers full of Pepsi into the living room! Woo! Good times.
I happened on to your blog, and you won’t believe this–I was in the process of snacking on cheese and crackers! My taste is pretty bland, I was eating cheap Town House crackers and mozzarella. I had to laugh at the coincidence, though!
We live in Fort Rucker, I would love to know which restaurant in Birmingham has the best chicken salad. I love chicken salad!!!
Next you happen on the Plains…there is a stop you must make called Chicken Salad Chick. Small deli-type place w/ about 15 kinds of chicken salad. Nothing too odd but surely worth a visit. Pimento cheese is avail too because what decent spoon of chicken salad should not be followed by a spoonful of pimento cheese?
Sophie, after a trip to Memphis last year I have become a very big fan of the cheese and sausage plate. It was on the menu at every restaurant, and we ordered it at every meal. Now, I’m a big fan of cheese by itself, but when you add in some smoked sausage and a few banana peppers, you take it to a whole new level. It will become your go-to tailgating platter. Dare I say, even better than a dip. (Gasp!) There, I said it.