Tidbits
Apparently if you get a photo of pumpkin cookies on Foodgawker, traffic to one's site is doubled. This tells me: 1) A lot of people are sitting at their desk, hungry and avoiding work (can you blame them?) and 2) People are ready for fall and all things pumpkin. Bring it on, October. We're ready. (And the kids have been counting down days till Halloween since last November 1st). Do other parents have that problem? You finally get through the Halloween stash, then some kid has a piñata for his birthday party (the nerve). After that, it's Easter, and that candy lasts until the Fourth of July parade where firefighters throw candy from the truck as if they didn't know the first thing about health. I've heard the "Just throw it away secretly" theories or "Let them eat it all in one day," but haven't been able to execute either.
I don't have a showstopper for you today. Just a few tidbits that have been stacking up. Have I mentioned how much I like being here with you? I think so. About a million times. But I like it. I imagine that we're all friends, and in a way we are. Call me a sap. I can be kind of an abrasive loudmouth at moments in my offline life, so being here settles me down. I hope the women in my mothers' group haven't decided to kick me out yet. God, I can be opinionated. Take it with a grain of salt, ladies. On to the tidbits...
Fried Sage Leaves
These are showing up everywhere lately, and I always thought they seemed complicated. I pictured them being deep-fried or coated in batter. Too much work. But when you shallow-fry them in 1/2" of olive oil for 30 seconds, they turn delightfully crisp, their fuzziness goes away, and you'll want to put them on everything. I have a giant sage plant in my garden, and it's sadly underused most the time. Fresh sage is too pungent for lots of things besides turkey or a hearty beef stew. Not anymore! They're pictured here, along with feta, garnishing black bean soup with kobacha. A little 8" cast-iron skillet is sitting on my cooktop, ready with olive oil from the last batch.
What I Did with the Rest of my Figs
I bought a tray of figs last week (remember those tartines?) and made a fig and ricotta galette with rosemary and pecans. Still more left, so put them in a salad with oranges, chevre, thin strips of Thai chile, sunflower seeds, and mint. That salad was the bomb. (That means it was good. I think. Since I don't work with youth anymore, I am horribly outdated).
How to get Deliciously Thick Yogurt on the Cheap
Buy your favorite additive-free yogurt. These days, I am into Mountain High plain original style (read: high-fat content). Line a sieve with two coffee filters that you've split down the seam and laid open (so they're not double thickness). Pour the yogurt into the paper-lined sieve and set the whole thing over a bowl. Leave it on the counter for an hour or two, and all the liquid in the yogurt will collect there. Spoon the thickened yogurt back into your tub. You won't believe how thick and creamy it is, and that they make you pay $3 more for it this way. (Though the volume will be reduced...)
...and How to Make that Yogurt Taste Other-Worldly
This month's Gourmet featured "Vietnamese yogurt," which is yogurt with sweetened condensed milk stirred in. Of course I tried it, and now I'm sort of sorry. So good! I opened a can of condensed milk and poured it into a jar. Now, I just stir a spoonful into my plain yogurt some mornings (not all, okay?), and it tastes, not like vanilla yogurt, but like sweet cream gelato. With crunchy granola on top, you won't hate your Monday so much.
That's the Friday report, friends. You're the best readers ever.
October 2, 2009
Reader Comments (19)
love love the pic of little loretta. so sweet. i read about that vietnamese yogurt also...sounds devilishly good. thanks for all your tidbits. i, too, have a large sage plant and this looks like a delightful way to use them.
Cold rainy evening + fried sage leaves + popcorn + the Christopher Walken movie I just got from Netflix = my Friday night, sooo looking forward to it. Thanks for the sage inspiration, you wise sage you (ha ha, punny).
I made one galette for the first time last week with the tomato chutney, fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, yum! I doubled the dough recipe as you suggested and I'm just about to make one with ricotta and frozen raspberries we picked over the summer, with some lemon zest. My family thanks you for bringing the joy of cooking back to our home.
I like being here with you too.
Aha! I know about yogurt!
I have been eating (High Fat) Mountain High Vanilla yogurt many mornings for a long time. I've always loved yogurt. Picture Loretta trying to figure out how to lick the yogurt out of the bottom of a Yami yogurt cup... that was me. You have to look hard to avoid the lowfat kinds...
I switched to what I like to call "Whole" Yogurt when the real insanity began in my life 3 years ago this October, my physical activity level went through the roof, I never felt like I had time to eat, and I dropped 50 pounds in a year "without dieting."
Okay, at that point I was probably chugging Trader Joe's Strawberry Keifer in the car on the way to work, but if I had time to eat yogurt with a spoon it was the high fat kind.
The point is, I continue to eat "Whole" Yogurt with no guilt at all. I always needed something besides plain, though. Will have to try the condensed milk! I make no apologies for my sweet tooth. I also get to eat it with "Sarah Granola," pds's style.
Thanks, I love being here with you, too! It's like a little condensed milk in my day.
You know what's a showstopper? That photo to start. Such a sweet face.
I do make Sarah granola sans dried fruit. Turns out that I'm not really fond of dried fruit in my granola. Who knew. Anyway, we keep lots of dried fruit around for those who want it. I didn't before IPOL™.
love the idea of "tid bits" and these are all gems! thanks.
When I read about adding the sweetened condensed milk I literally sat here staring and dreaming and said out loud: Oh. My. Word.
Figs with fresh sage leaves are the bomb. With a little drizzle of honey and some salty, creamy cheese it's a piece of heaven in your mouth.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Could she be any more adorable if she tried, I'm so glad I'm her nana!....and yes I love all your tidbits.
Loretta is glad you're her nana, too. She gets her rascal-ness from you.
Hi Cutzi! I owe you a galette. I haven't forgotten...
Those sound delicious, Cora!
Loretta is beauuuuutiful and you Ms Leftoverist are doing such an amazing job with inpraiseofleftovers. Super good vibes to you. Thanks for sharing your energy and gifts with so many of us. ~Sara & Leo
I love the friday tidbits. the leftover leftovers! I might have to adopt the idea over at lemonbasil. I read so many damn food magazines, I might as well share the ideas with some people who may not waste, er, I mean spend their time reading food news and recipes.
Beautiful picture of Loretta. Love the tidbits. Especially the yoghurt. My parents always strained their yoghurt, and I do the same these days, too. But my goodness, evaporated milk in the yoghurt? I am trying this tomorrow morning - ignoring the fact that I had to buy new jeans that fit. Shshshsh! :)
I love the yogurt idea and I have a sage plant although I dislike sage. This may be worth a try. What else can I use these fried sage things for? Any ideas?
What a beautiful child!!!!
You and I are on the same page--I made the Vietnamese yogurt this past weekend...And I agree, it was AWESOME.
This picture of your child, my mother could have taken it with me. I think it is simply what I prefer with cakes: when I clean up by myself the cooking tools :)
Have a nice evening