Matchstick Fries, and Lately I’ve Been Loving, Part 2
Apologies to those who want me to get straight to the food commentary. (Although it’s becoming apparent that I’m always kind of long-winded when it comes to writing about food, isn’t it?) Feel free to jump past this section, of course.
To all you others, lately I’ve been loving…
– Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, lemon and blueberry fro-yo to be exact. I had the pleasure of trying the salted caramel flavor this weekend, and while it was delicious and pleasantly salty, the lemon was stunning. Luckily the recipe can be found online.
– Niagara grapes, a replacement to the Muscats I can’t get on this coast.
– The perfect wedding ring has been found. It was love at first sight; I was mesmerized by the shine and didn’t want to take it off.
– The Book Thief may fall in the YA category, but it was so creative and lovingly written. Apparently, 1,249 people agreed, yowza.
– Fashion Week street style. I can’t help loving the grand display those fashion insiders put on twice a year.
– Jeanne Damas. Specifically, I love her hair. So much so, I was inspired to carve out a set of bangs for myself the other day. It soon became clear that I’m rusty in the bangs-cutting department. They turned out shorter than I would’ve liked. A LOT shorter, and crooked too. This is why there are professionals to do this sort of thing—but surely I’m not the only person in the world staunchly opposed to forking over money simply to get my bangs cut?
And the latest Pinterest love:
– This photo pretty much captures love, don’t you think?
– The perfect wedding takes place in the forests of Northern California. (I want a forest wedding!)
– This wedding veil is utterly romantic. I must get it.
– One of my favorite food photos as of late. It is so moody and evocative.
On to today’s recipe. Chris and I got home famished, after an afternoon rummaging through the Brooklyn Flea. I remembered that we had been given a bunch of potatoes, big dusty Idahos, that had been sitting on the counter for awhile. We hardly ever have potatoes in the house, because neither of us really like them except when they’re deep-fried.
So that’s what I decided to do. I whipped up a batch of these matchstick fries in no time, doused them in salt, pulled out a couple beers from the fridge, and suddenly, happy hour had been transported home with us. Minus the lack of seats.
MATCHSTICK FRIES
Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
1 Idaho potato, peeled
Salt
Directions:
Slice the potato into matchsticks of about 1/8″ thick. You can use a mandoline, but I just hand-sliced without too much difficulty.
Heat about 1/2-inch of oil on medium heat in a medium saucepan with steep sides.
When the oil starts to shimmer, gently drop enough potatoes in the pan so it’s full but not overcrowded (overcrowding will cause the potatoes to stick together). Cook until they turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. Continue cooking batches until you run out of potatoes.
Serve with your favorite condiments. Chris likes them as simple as can be, amply salted, and I like them with ketchup.
Pumpkin, Banana, & Apple Yogurt Smoothie
I am still on a pumpkin kick this week. I have been making a lot of fruit and yogurt smoothies lately, so I thought I’d make a pumpkin smoothie. I try to eat more yogurt, but I go through phases. Sometimes I will eat it for two weeks straight and then get sick of it and don’t eat it for a month.
When I am in my “I am so sick of yogurt” phase, I usually throw it in a blender with fruit and make a smoothie. It’s easier to slurp down with a straw and I am eating something healthy. It’s a win, win situation.
I just dump all the ingredients in the blender and turn it on. Simple, easy, and healthy. Ok so maybe the caramel is not so healthy, but I just had to do it. Besides, I only used a teaspoon.
This smoothie was a big hit. I gave it to my six year old daughter, thinking she would take a few sips and then not like the pumpkin taste. Instead she downed the entire glass all by herself while eating a pumpkin apple scone (recipe coming later in the week). So see, kids will love it too. I think the pumpkin and apple were a perfect match and the caramel added just the right amount of sweetness, without making it too rich.
Pumpkin, Apple, and Banana Yogurt Smoothie
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: breakfast beverage snack pumpkin apple banana yogurt
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 1 banana, chopped
- 1 6oz. container Chobani Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon caramel (or caramel topping, or pure maple syrup)
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
Place chopped banana in blender.
Then add yogurt, pumpkin puree, spice and caramel.
Pour in milk and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and well mixed.
Pour into two glasses, add straws, and share with a friend. Enjoy!