Sometimes I whip up something so tasty, I think I could sell it. And then I remember – I’m a horrible salesperson! Don’t believe me? Just ask Husband. He loves to share the story.
Several years ago, I was into making handmade greeting cards. And some of them were {if I may say so} beautiful. Following encouragement from family and friends – and needing to justify my expensive hobby, I decided to try and sell them to some local upscale gift and stationery boutiques. So I figured out my costs, calculated what I thought customers would pay, and set a wholesale price for stores. I invested in packaging and made up a set of my best samples. I made a list of stores that I thought would carry cards like these. Then I panicked…
WAIT! If a store was actually going to carry my cards… someone would have to make an appointment and actually go meet with them. GULP. What if they hated my stuff? What if I had priced them too high? Or too low? What if … ? I mentally went into the fetal position.
Eventually I got up the courage to try and make a few appointments {secretly hoping they wouldn’t answer the phone so I could just leave a message}. And one of my favorite stores actually asked me to stop by. After applying a few extra layers of deodorant, I packed up my wares and off I went. My first “sales pitch” went something like this:
Me: Um, hi. Thanks for seeing me. I know you’re really busy and stuff.
Her: Sure. Let’s see what you have!
Me: Well, um, ok, these are just some samples. You don’t want to, maybe, buy any of them do you? I mean, you don’t have to…
Maybe it was pity, or maybe she really liked them, but somehow I walked out with a small order. I felt like I’d just completed my first sky-diving attempt. I’d survived, but I knew I wasn’t EVER going to like it, and I certainly didn’t want to do it on a regular basis.
Thankfully, my current day-job doesn’t involve sales {in fact, most of the time I’m in a quiet studio, and I don’t even see the people I’m talking to!}.
So back to the part where I sometimes stumble on something so tasty that I think I could sell it. These Multi-Seed Crackers fall into that category.
Just like the “everything” bagel, I love “everything” crackers – crispy, crunchy bites full of all kinds of seeds and flavors. Especially when they come together in about 15 minutes.
To get a really crisp cracker, you need to roll out the dough super thin – and even. I got close a few times, but it was a lot of work. I’ve seen some recipes suggest running the cracker dough through a pasta maker to get a perfect platform for the toppings. I’ll try that at some point, but at the moment my salt-craving was running rampant and I wanted a shortcut. The inspiration came from a package of whole-wheat tortillas in my fridge.
Besides being easy, these Multi-Seed Crackers have three big advantages over store-bought crackers: They’re WAY cheaper than packaged gourmet brands, they aren’t full of preservatives, and the flavor combinations are endless.
I love this recipe with a nice gouda cheese or hummus. And maybe a little Sauvignon Blanc.
These are crackers I would buy – if someone else was doing the selling.
- 4 large whole-wheat tortillas {such as Reser's}
- 1 egg white
- 4 tsp caraway seeds
- 3 Tbs poppy seeds
- 3 Tbs minced dried onion
- 4 Tbs sesame seeds
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425º.
- In medium bowl, mix together caraway seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion and sesame seeds.
- Place tortillas on two cookie sheets. Brush tortillas with egg white, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle each tortilla with ¼ of the seed mixture. Sprinkle each tortilla with salt and pepper to taste. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges.
- Bake 8-12 minutes, rotating pans once, until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Hi Morgan —
Your sales attempt is a hoot!
These crackers sound yummy. I’ll let you know how it works for me and what I use as toppers.
I’m going to make the sausage too!
Thanks,
Sue
Hi Sue! Yes, let me know what tweaks you make… I’m thinking a “sweet” version might be fun too!
Thanks for a great meal Saturday night. We kicked it off with
your homemade hummus and these crackers – along with some
Sauvignon Blanc! Perfect :)
Mom
Your visit was too short, but there was no shortage of food or laughs!! :)
Going to give these a try!
I’ll definitely need a picture Cameron! Hope you’re well :)
I LOVED those cards–and I did buy them years ago!!! They were always a hit with the recipient! You’re incredibly mulit-talented, Morgan–and I’m living vicariously through YOUR cooking adventures. :) ALWAYS enjoy your posts…and maybe some day I’ll have the courage to try making these crackers…. ;)
We made the crackers with sesame seeds and poppy seeds. We used spray olive oil as the cement. They are delicious!