My DH did a wonderful job on our library. He painted it a lovely, warm deep gold and is now adding a gorgeous trim and corner medallions to the bookcase front. He built the bookcases several years ago but the plain fronts really didn’t go well in our 1860′s house. This project cost very little money but made a big difference in the look of our home. I wanted to make Bruce something special for breakfast and decided on popovers.
We love popovers. They are inexpensive and delicious and so easy, my kids can make them.
I start by putting a greased, cast iron skillet in the oven and preheating it to 450 degrees. Then I mix up a cup of milk, a cup of flour, a shake of salt and two eggs into a thin batter. When the oven and the pan are hot I pour in the batter. I don’t let the kids do this as this pan is really hot and a wrong move will give you a nasty burn. The batter cooks at 450 for 15 minutes then I drop the temperature to 350 and cook for another 15 minutes. The popover should be golden brown on the outside and moist on the inside. We like ours served with some butter and fruit jam. This can be cooked in muffin tins if you prefer. One caveat is that these are fabulous and one pan is never enough for four adults. We always have to make a double batch.
This is one recipe that is not suited for fat-free milk. I use whole milk and really fresh eggs. I suppose there is not much that is not improved by using real food.
My potting soil is inside warming up so I can get some seeds started today. My greens in the green house have really perked up in the past two days and I am cutting some for a pizza topping for dinner this evening.
I found the story coming out of Austin just heartbreaking. I am so glad to be part of a community that is taking positive steps to decouple from an economic system that doesn’t work for so many. I try to stay away from politics on this site but I do want to speak to this. When I do posts on saving money it is not because I want to put a high value on the money but rather on the time that you own by working less in the outside economy. We all need money. We need food and cars and roofs over our heads. I save money in small ways so I can have those things without having to leave my home to go to work every day. In truth, I would probably work less if I just got an actual job but it comes down to what you consider work. I can spend 8 hours putting in 20 rows of potatoes. It’s hot work and May Flies are out and my back hurts and my nails are broken and dirty but I don’t consider this work. If I had to put on a suit and stockings, get in my car to drive to an office where I spent 8 hours sitting at a desk with a phone in my ear and a computer screen glaring in front of me, I would consider that work. My nails would be clean but my soul would be wounded. I would be depleted at the end of the day in a very different way than I am after a day in the garden. I value my time but I put very little value on stuff. My favorite quote is “It is not he who has little but he who wants more who is poor”.
February 19, 2010 at 9:21 am
Great quote. I like it too. I love popovers too. I used to make savory ones for Thanksgiving in greased muffin tins. Caraway and a bit of grated, good aged gruyere cheese. They were insanely good, and easy, as you say.
February 19, 2010 at 10:46 am
I love this story, which illustrates your point about having and wanting:
By constant flattery the hedonistic philosopher Aristippus managed to gain a comfortable position at the court of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse. One day, observing Diogenes preparing some lentils for a meager meal, Aristippus offered some worldly wisdom to his fellow sage: “If you would only learn to compliment the king, you wouldn’t have to live on lentils.”
“And if you would only learn to live on lentils, you wouldn’t have to flatter the king,” retorted Diogenes.
February 19, 2010 at 10:50 am
Another of my favorites
February 19, 2010 at 1:07 pm
My Mom (an excellent baker) used to make popovers as a rare and special treat but I’ve got to say that I never got why people like them so much. So I used to always know it was meant to be a celebratory but it never translated to my taste buds celebrating.
February 19, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Popovers are my favorite! We had them when I was growing up every single Sunday, along with cheese, butter, sausage and scrambled eggs. I’d put the cheese and sausage and maybe a bit of egg inside the popover and was in heaven! Dang, now I’m going to want popovers this weekend. lol
Sounds like a good job on the library!
February 19, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Oh Kathy! Thank you for the popover recipe. My husband is sick with the flu and I have been trying to entice him with some small thing to eat – the popover did the trick. I told him that is was the perfect sickbed food (lighter and with more protein than toast) and that I made it especially because he was ill. He ate a small piece and declared it edible (which is a major accomplishment since he turned down everything else I presented him!) Thank you so, so much!!! Have a wonderful weekend!
February 21, 2010 at 11:12 pm
Kathy, the end of your post speaks, as well, to those of us that chose to stay home to raise our children. “Things” would have been nice, but we managed just fine, thank you very much, on my husband’s salary, a garden, chickens & goats. “Pin money” came from goat’s milk soap, raspberries, or my teaching dance a couple nights a week (but the girls were with me!) It still amazes me that a world of “stuff” is what people yearn for!
February 22, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Thanks to your Cheap Food Friday entry, we had a double batch of popovers for Sunday breakfast. Besides being so inexpensive, these were a good way to cycle through the inventory and use up the flour and jam that needed eating. Everybody found these to be fun to watch bake, and tasty to eat. Thanks again!