Cracker Appetizer for Parties
Have you seen “City Of Angles”? It’s so old that I can’t really remember how old I was when I watched it. Surprisingly, it’s one of very few movies that I can still easily recall the first scene – Dr. Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan) rode her bike to the hospital to operate a heart surgery on an ill-fated man. The moment she walked into the operation room, as if on wings, she turned on the speaker to let the classical music melody flow into the entire room. Next moment, she started the operation…

What impressed me the most, in the very first scene of the movie, was that Maggie was operating the surgery vigorously with the music on. “Doesn’t a serious heart surgery require a surgeon’s full attention and absolute concentration? How could Maggie do it without being distracted by music?” I immediately had these questions and also immediately realized that I was watching a movie! Silly girl!

However, it is true that music can help some people be more productive for work. The type of music matters. For example, I can’t write with lyrical music on. I certainly enjoy listening to Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5 etc while cooking though.

Couple weeks ago, I found this music site [email protected]. It’s not like Grooveshark where you can search for songs and create playlists. Instead, [email protected] is a unique music service which plays perfect productivity music to help you stay focused. It works pretty damn well for me whenever I write. In fact, I am listening to it right now as I am writing this post. By the way, my favorite section is Alpha Chill. Hope you find it helpful.

Oh, yeah, right, about these crackers! They are for an outdoor party that we have been thinking of throwing. We want to pick a nice day to have some good stuff to eat, good music to listen to, and of course good friends to company with. These crackers are one of my party appetizer candidates, as they made a great impression on us when they came out from my kitchen.:)

Also, they are super easy to make. All you need to do is to toss tuna, diced bell peppers, and cooked mushroom dice with olive oil, herbs and some seasonings. Then throw them on top of the crackers with cracker cut cheese in between. This recipe makes 20 crackers due to party preparation. Thinking of having a party too? Perfecto! If not, simply reduce the topping amount and enjoy with your family.

P.S. I was listening to “Home” by Michael Bublé while making these tasty babies…

Cracker Appetizer For Parties
- Yield: 20 Crackers 1x
- Category: Appetizers
Ingredients
- 5 oz King Oyster Mushrooms (about 2 regular size ones), finely diced
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1.5 oz tuna from a can, drained and flaked
- cracker cut cheese of choice (I used Jalapeño Jack Cheese)
- 20 water crackers
- cilantro leaves for garnishing (optional)
For the seasonings:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon herb mix (or mixing two or three different types of dried herbs works totally fine, e.g., mixing oregano and basil)
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add some water to a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Place finely diced King Oyster Mushrooms into the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes. (Chop the bell peppers while cooking the mushrooms.)
- Remove the cooked mushroom from heat and drain. Set aside to allow cool down.
- Open a can of tuna and drain. Scoop out a big spoon of tuna (1.5 oz) into a bowl and flake it. (I used the rest of the tuna to make a simple tuna salad.)
- Add the cooled mushrooms, bell peppers and minced garlic into the same bowl. Toss all the ingredients together with the seasonings. Let it sit for 15 minutes to allow all the flavor to soak in. (Now cut the cheese if necessary.)
- Place a cracker cut cheese on a cracker and gently add a small spoonful marinated ingredients on top. Garnish with a cilantro leaf. Do the same for the rest of the crackers. Should we just get the party started?! 😛
This recipe is by far a winning appetizer I’ve made for the entire family. I love music too!
★★★★★
Gosh darn that looks appetizing. I want to be invited to your parties 🙂 I’ve watched City of Angels too but don’t remember that part at all, just of Nicolas Cage looking like he was in pain all the time!
Hahaha…Nicolas certainly did look like that way in the movie! If you were in San Francisco, I wouldn’t have a party without you because you are going to make my parties double awesome with your excellent cooking skills! By the way, where exactly are you? What part of FL?
I’m over by Clearwater, nearby Tampa. Love it here in Sunshine state; it’s almost like being in Asia. Never been to SF yet but I’ll give you a holler if I ever do!
Nice! I was in Orlando for about a week two years ago. The weather there was so warm and it’s sunny every day. If you were referring to south east part of Asia, then yes, weather is pretty nice there too. Please do let me know whenever you come to SF! Would love to meet up and you are going to love the food here! I am likely going back to FL again. Hope I can manage to pay you a visit when I am there.