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Growing up, one of my all-time favorite things to do was spend the night at my grandparent’s house. My grandma and I would sew, take a ride in the golf cart, and have tea parties. My grandpa would buy me ice cream and take me to breakfast after church on Sunday mornings. Whatever sports game he was watching would blare throughout the house, and every time I smell Listerine, I think of my grandpa. He has a green comb that he keeps on a side table next to his recliner. My grandma has a violin hanging on a velvet backdrop across the room. My grandparents have lived in this house my whole life, and it’s still one of my most comforting, happy places. Continue reading “Everything Bagel Popcorn”
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! Today, my Canadian friend, Stephen, comes into town to experience real American Thanksgiving, so to celebrate, here’s a classic Canadian recipe! If you read about my Canada trip, you know that I spent one late, post-beer night at Smoke’s Poutinerie, which I’ve been told is the classic around those parts. I ate “traditional” poutine, some drunk college kids told me I look like Bjork, and then we piled into an uber and I woke up with a gravy hangover the next day.
Tomorrow, I also plan on waking up with a gravy hangover although I’m hoping this gravy is topped over a mountain of mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing. Yesterday I went to the liquor store after work, which was absolute utter madness, but I got some fancy gin, and I’m ready to party. I will be spending my weekend surrounded by 40+ people who share my DNA, and I have dubbed myself the official gin + tonic maker for the weekend.
When I asked in my Toronto post if it would be sacrilege to use tater tots instead of french fries in poutine, Stephen came back with a resounding “YES”. However, because I have no manners, and because deep frying foods in my own house is something I avoid like spiders and vacuuming, tater tots were the obvious choice. Plus, tater tots ♥
While we’re on the matter, would if be totally inappropriate for me to top mashed potatoes with gravy and cheese curds? Do you think Stephen would just totally leave the country and never come back??? Would mashed potatoes + gravy + cheese curds be delicious with gin + tonics? Or is that the gravy-hangover remedy?? If you have answers for these questions, pls let me know ASAP. There isn’t much time before I pick up the Canadian from the airport and the festivities begin.
Tater Tot Poutine
Serves 2
1 lb. tater tots (I eyeballed 1/2 of a 2 lb. bag)
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. beef broth
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 c. cheese curds
Parsley, for garnish
Heat oven to 450* F. Place the tater tots on a greased baking sheet making sure the tater tots don’t touch. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. You want them to be super crispy but not burned.
Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Whisk in beef broth, salt, pepper, onion powder, and thyme. Stir until thickened. Keep warm.
Drizzle gravy over tater tots. Top with cheese curds, and broil it in the oven until the curds are slightly melted. Top with parsley, if desired.
Serve immediately. Extra gravy optional, beer required.
xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the day: Cosmic Sass by Good Morning
After a week and a half of recovering from surgery I’m finally back! Although I can’t say my senior-year spring break was worthy of being considered a “spring break woohoo!” by any means, I can’t really complain about playing lots of guitar, having an excuse to eat ice cream for all 3 meals, and watching Season 2 of Love for an entire week, right? Take it from me, if you’re sick and also feeling blah about a breakup, ice cream and Love will solve all of your problems…or at least help you pretend you don’t have any in the first place*.
*jk, this is probably not the healthy way to deal with feelings, but we can all be self-indulgent once in a while, right?
Anyways, my week off was fun, but I’m ready to drag myself back into my regular routine so that I can get ready to graduate! Plus, as it turns out, laying in bed is really only fun for a limited amount of time. I feel myself itching to get back to working at the coffee shop and walking around campus. As a senior in college getting ready to go back into the real world after a week long break, I’ll take motivation wherever I can get it…
Now for the palmiers! As a busy student who loves to cook, I’m always looking for easy appetizers or snacks that I can bring along whenever I’m invited to someone’s house for dinner. Normally, I go for a cheese plate, because cheese = ♥, but I also am passionate about everything spice. Put the two together, and you get a savory palmier combo that’s reminiscent of an everything bagel with cream cheese, except butter-ier, because puff pastry is essentially just a delicious block of flaky butter. While these do take a little while to bake, they’re super easy to put together, and they come out beautiful, so you seem kind of impressive even if you aren’t. Also, if you have some spinach dip lying around, spooning a little on top of these palmiers is really A+.
Read below to learn how to fold palmiers!!
For palmiers, you’ll want to start by rolling the creases in the puff pastry with a floured rolling pin. Spread your filling on the puff pastry sheets (filling recipe below).
To fold these cuties, fold the puff pastry long-ways once toward the center. Then roll them again so the left-and-right sides meet in the middle. You’ll want to have 2 layers for each side (see right side of the picture).
Fold the left side on top of the right side so you have 4 layers. Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This can be done up to a day in advance if you’re pressed for time.
Cut each roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place on a baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and bake until golden brown!
Although I strongly suggest using the everything spice + parmesan on these palmiers, this recipe is a great template for other flavors as well (cheddar + rosemary, feta + za’atar?).
xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Give it to Me by HOMESHAKE
I know that St. Patty’s Day is not a super celebrated holiday in the U.S. (and probably we don’t really celebrate the correct way), but I’ve always felt drawn to it purely based on the fact that my favorite color is green. As a little girl who was obsessed with green, I thought it was the coolest that there was a holiday where everyone wore my favorite color. And now, I’m planning my trip for Ireland! And guuuuyyyyyys. I’m crushing hard on Ireland. Based on pictures, I’m pretty sure I’m utterly in love.
I’m a little bummed about this St. Patty’s Day this year, because I’m having surgery the day before. No beer or corned beef for me wah wah 🙁 But then! I was innocently going about my day, and god knows why, but I started thinking about kettle corn. (Do I really need a reason?). And then suddenly without hesitation, matcha kettle corn popped into my brain. And what better way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day than with green kettle corn?!
Remember in elementary school when we would have parties for all the holidays, and without fail, at every single celebration, someone’s mom would make those sweet popcorn balls with shit tons of Yellow 6 and Red 40 and Blue 294u304889? I have a vivid memory of trying my damnedest to bite into one, but it was absolutely impossible. Why did no one’s mom just think to make regular kettle corn? Anyways, the point is that matcha kettle corn is essentially an adult-friendly throwback to green-colored sweet popcorn balls except without the poison, so you’re welcome !!
Notes: As for the matcha part of this kettle corn, I would say you have to be a pretty big fan of matcha to enjoy this. Well, obviously. If you want a light coating, start with about 1 tsp. of matcha. You can add less for a very light coating. Add another 1/2 tsp. if you want a little more flavor. I liked it with 1 1/2 tsp., but I luuuurve matcha. Also, I believe that the kettle corn is perfectly sweet with 1/4 c. of sugar, especially to balance the earthiness of the tea. But, feel free to use less if you don’t like sugary kettle corn. My dad doesn’t like super sugary kettle corn but said it’s the perfect balance of sweet. So take that as you will!
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Abducted by Cults
