Popovers are one of the easiest, most complicated things you’ll ever make.  Easy because you can whip up the batter in no time using only measuring cups and a blender.  Complicated because no one seems to agree on which ingredients constitute a good popover.  Some swear by a leavener, like baking powder, while others say adding a leavener strips away the traditional elements of a popover.  Others insist adding anything other than Worcestershire sauce to the batter is an offense punishable by flogging via a whisk.  The debate over popovers can be as contentious as the debate on healthcare reform (representatives childishly interrupting each other optional).  Add to it the high likelihood the popovers may deflate during baking and it’s enough to make a novice baker throw in his/her apron.  But before you run screaming for the hills, I’m here to help demystify the popover…and throw in my own spin.

The Professional Chef, a textbook written by the Culinary Institute of America, states that a leavener (most commonly baking powder or baking soda, but can also include whipped egg whites) is usually needed to ensure a proper rise.  The textbook, a treasured find I uncovered a few years ago at a library sale, provides a basic batter recipe and then details ways it can be modified to suit ones needs.  It calls for a simple number of ingredients: flour, salt, a leavener, eggs, milk (or buttermilk or another similar liquid) and oil (or melted butter) for the pan.  Seems simple, right? Not necessarily.  The call for a leavener aside, The Professional Chef allows for adding in your own spices or other add-in ingredients.  This is where a bunch of “popover purists” would throw down their whisks and raise up their arms in preparation for culinary battle.  They swear that only Worcestershire sauce should be used in the batter.  This is where I call bullshit.  I’ve had popovers of all different flavors and found each one of them to be delicious in their own right.  To limit oneself to Worcestershire sauce seems a bit daft to me.  Especially since I’m not even a fan of Worcestershire sauce.  And this is where we cue the grated cheese:

Considering my almost illicit love for cheese, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.  Adding a grated, hard cheese to the batter infuses its flavor throughout the popover’s flaky layers.  Martha Stewart even does it (she uses Gruyere)!  And whatever’s good enough for Martha is good enough for me.

The easiest way to throw together the popover batter (in my humble opinion) is to use a blender.  Not only does it make incorporating all of the ingredients easier, you’re able to easily pour the batter into the prepared pan.

And speaking of the pan, there are pans especially made for popovers.  Deeper than muffin pan cups, the popover pans are designed to assist in a high rise for each popover.  To get a proper popover look, you would definitely need a popover pan.  However (and here’s where I admit a secret shame), I have been making popovers for years and still don’t own a popover pan.  I use a regular muffin pan, accepting the fate of a popover with a lower rise.  This, however, does not compromise the taste of the popover to me.  Yes, my popovers are not as light as traditional ones, but they are a tasty substitute.  However, if you’re going for a popover with a bigger rise, you will need a popover pan.  Luckily, they’re fairly easy to find (I’ve even seen them in Wal-Mart) and aren’t that expensive.

Now after all that discussion, let’s put back on our aprons and dive into this quick and simple recipe.  And hope it all doesn’t end in tears.

One of my favorite neighborhood blogs, Prince of Petworth, is celebrating three years of covering all things DC tonight at Wonderland in Columbia Heights.  Pete’s Apizza is supplying the vittles while Wonderland and the Looking Glass Lounge is donating a “generous tab” for those decked out in Prince of Petworth t-shirts! Come out and raise a glass/pint/beer bottle to the Prince!

I am not a fan of the concept of the celebrity chef…especially ones who have shows on the Food Network.  I’ve already shared my venom for Bobby Flay and Emeril LaGasse on this blog, so now let’s all turn our attention to Michael Chiarello.  I didn’t like him very much when he had his show Easy Entertaining on Food Network.  He came across like a used car salesman: overly cheerful and fake. The few times I watched his show, I always felt like he was trying to sell me a Yugo (or worse yet, a Gremlin…the car, not the creature).  And watching his ego and attitude on Top Chef: Masters solidly placed him on my list of chefs I’d like to punch in the face.  If your attitude can actually make me root for Spike, something is definitely wrong.  With all that in mind, I was surprised to come across a recipe credited to him that I actually wanted to make.  But my love of food overrode my urge to whack him one and I decided to whip up his Lasagna of Roasted Butternut Squash.

And I hate to admit it, this was one of the best vegetarian lasagnas I’d ever had.  Heck, it was one of the best lasagnas period.  The slightly sweet flavor of the butternut squash complimented the sharp and pungent taste of sage.  I used fresh pasta sheets from Severino Pasta, a new found gem discovered by The Boy at the Annapolis Whole Foods (sorry, they don’t have a shop within any of the DC area Whole Foods).  We picked up the squash, eggs, ricotta and sage at the Bloomingdale Farmers Market and I used some garlic I had picked up earlier in the season at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.  In essence, this dish was a celebration of Fall at the DC farmers market.  And I could get with that…even if I had to go through Michael Chiarello to get there.

I’ll be honest: I don’t do well at happy hours or other such get togethers. I’m a big ball of awkward that spends most of her time fiddling with her dress or trying to tame the stray cowlick threatening an otherwise presentable hairstyle. I never know what to say and it never occurs to me to bring business cards. And at some point in the evening, I usually end up in the corner silently wishing I’d stayed home in my polar bear pajamas watching the Golden Girls. So it isn’t too surprising that I’ve always shied away from blogger meet ups in the past.  But the wonderful people I met at the bake sale on Saturday made me realize there were some pretty cool people in the DC food blogger community.  With that in mind, I’ve made plans with a friend to head on over to the DC Food Blogger Happy Hour on November 4th (that would be tomorrow) at the Black Squirrel.  Festivities start at 6 and I’m personally looking forward to trying their self proclaimed Addictive Mac and Cheese.  For more information about the happy hour, head on over to The Arugula Files.  See you there…I’ll be the one wearing a stylish scarf.

The DC Food Bloggers Spooktacular Bake Sale was yesterday and it was a rousing success! We sold out before the close of the farmers market and had a great time doing it!  Even better, we raised $500.50 (which included a $50 donation from someone who wishes to remain anonymous) for Martha’s Table!  See what a little flour, some sugar and a ton of butter can do!

Even with the intermittent rain and wind, we had a great turn out, including Warren Brown from Cake Love:

And Pete from Pete Bakes (whose blog I adore and who I promise to hand deliver an invitation to our next bake sale – not going to risk gmail next time).

There was a buffet of tasty treats, including some AMAZING chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting from Modern Domestic!  She promises to post the recipe for them on her blog sometime this week (and I’ll be making them the very next day…they were just that good).  She also whipped up some mint chocolate whoopie pies, which sold very quickly.  Also a crowd pleaser were State Dinner’s chocolate chip pumpkin loaves (they were the first item to sell out).  She also promises to share this family recipe with her readers next week (I’m going to have a LOT of baking to do this upcoming week).

For the choco-holics, there were thick slices of chocolate loaf cake supplied by Gradually Greener and Pirate themed black bottom cupcakes from French Twist DC.  For those looking for a bit of breakfast, the Arugula Files brought cranberry muffins (and these fabulous congo bars).  Celebrating the seasonal offerings, Karen from Karen Makes Sense brought pumpkin pie bars (with and without nuts, giving those with any nut allergies a great sweet option) and Capital Cooking brought pumpkin gooey bars (that’s not the full name but they were warm and they were gone in a heart beat).

Macheesmo brought along Snickerdoodles (festively wrapped) and a great smile to start our day! And no bake sale would be complete without chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies (with Heath bars sprinkled in), brownies and Rice Krispies treats (courtesy of Thrifty DC Cook).  Some of Thrifty DC Cook’s friends also contributed with caramel bars and even more chocolate chip cookies (which was a good thing, since those cookies went fast), as well as Puppy Chow (no, not the dog food).

No bake sale would be complete without wonderful people helping to organize, set up and sell the goodies mentioned above.  I want to thank The Arugula Files and Thrifty DC Cook for helping me get this bake sale off the ground (and setting up, selling and being all around amazing at the bake sale) and Modern Domestic, Mango & Tomato, Urban Bohemian, and The Boy for shilling and providing muscle!  Finally, I want to thank Kuhn Orchards for giving us extra bags (we had many people buying several treats at once) and Garner’s Produce for loaning us a tent (which kept our sellers and our goodies dry).

The bake sale wasn’t the only thing going on at the 14th & U Farmers Market! There was face painting, costume contests (for adults, children and pets) and all the bounty Fall has to offer! I took tons of pictures and enjoyed every single minute!

Now to rest up and enjoy the SyFy marathon of the original television series V (oh yeah, I’m a closet geek).

UPDATE: Just dropped off the proceeds from the bake sale to Martha’s Table. Ann Haskins-Brookover, director of development for Martha’s Table, happily accepted our donation.  I also met the president and CEO of Martha’s Table Lindsey Buss, who was amazed we raised $500 from a bake sale! Thanks again everyone who helped and who came out and bought a spooktacular treat.

These look tasty, don’t they? Sugar cookies with bits of Heath candy bars mixed in make for a fantastic treat.  Wouldn’t you love to have some this weekend? Well, my dear friends, you can have them! These cookies, along with my coconut almond chocolate macaroons, are my contribution to the DC Food Bloggers Spooktacular Bake Sale going on tomorrow (Halloween) at the 14th & U Farmers Market.  As I’ve said a few times (okay, I’m shilling like mad for this bake sale…don’t hate), all proceeds from the bake sale will go to Martha’s Table.  If you live in DC, head on over to the market tomorrow morning between 9 am and 1 pm and pick up some of these cookies (or some of the other fabulous treats DC area food bloggers are whipping up)! And if you’re feeling daring, throw on your most creative costume for a chance to win fabulous prizes at the 14th & U Farmers Market Halloween costume contest! One of the prizes are these lovely spooky cupcakes:

If you don’t live in DC, don’t worry!  These cookies are super easy to make, which means you too can have them tomorrow (sorry, I don’t do catering).

Sure it’s not yet November, but my mind has already turned to Thanksgiving. Although I don’t get to head down to Georgia this year for Turkey Day, I still have every intention of whipping up a nice dinner come November 26th.  With that in mind, I’ve been trying different recipes in an attempt to create a Thanksgiving menu that will knock my friend’s socks off (or at least leave them speechlessly happy in a food coma).  When I stumbled upon this recipe for Maple-Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans, I knew I wanted to try it out for a spot on the Big Menu (as my Thanksgiving menu will be called from henceforth).

What I loved about this dish was how much it celebrates the bounty of Fall.  I picked up all the produce (brussels sprouts, parsnips, cauliflower, butternut squash and even fresh GINGER from Next Step Produce) during a trip to the Dupont Circle Farmers Market and was pleasantly surprised at how well their flavors worked together.  Although the recipe called for pecans, I didn’t have any on hand.  And it turned out that I didn’t miss the bite of the pecans at all.

I loved the flavors of this dish, but even better, I loved how easy it was to make.  Sure there was the prep work of chopping up the vegetables, but with The Boy’s help, that didn’t take long.  Once all the veggies were diced, the rest of the dish didn’t take long to throw together.  And for Thanksgiving, that’s a distinct advantage.

Soooo, you’re going to the DC Food Blogger Spooktacular Bake Sale, right? You haven’t forgotten, have you? I mean it’s only been mentioned a few times throughout the blogosphere, so how could you forget? Well in case you were wondering what kinds of baked goodies you’ll find this Saturday, take a look at this lineup:

• Candy Apples
• Chocolate Cupcakes w/Peanut Butter Frosting
• Mint Chocolate Whoopie Pies
• Snickerdoodles
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• M&M, Ginger Sugar, Chocolate Chip and Heath Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Spice Cupcakes
• Rice Krispies Treats
• Coconut Almond Chocolate Macaroons

And even better, we’ll have coffee, kindly donated by ACKC!  Oh yeah, this ain’t your middle school “let’s raise funds for band uniforms” bake sale!  So come out to the 14th & U Farmers Market on Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, meet your friendly, neighborhood food bloggers and buy a sweet treat (or two…or three). All proceeds go to Martha’s Table, whose “mission is to help at-risk children, youth, families and individuals in our community improve their lives by providing educational programs, food, clothing, and enrichment opportunities”.

Come for the bake sale, but stop and shop at the wonderful 14th & U Farmers Market vendors! From the wonderful pastas and jams from Stefano at the Copper Pot to the great Fall produce from Garner’s Produce, this is one of my favorite markets in DC.  Even better, this Saturday there will be a costume contest at the market for both adults and children!  This is the perfect way to kick off Halloween, so mark your calendars! Bring your friends, bring your enemies…just bring cash! I just realized I used way too many exclamation points in this post.  But damnit, I’m excited! I’ll be there…so will the lovely ladies behind The Arugula Files, Thrifty DC Cook, Modern Domestic, and State Dinner (just to name a few). And the fabulous Urban Bohemian will also be there! What more could you ask for in a fun morning?

Remember when I told you not to throw away those pumpkin seeds? Well now I give you something to do with them.  Roasting pumpkin seeds is an easy way to make a great snack in no time. Even better, you can spice them up any way you please to give them an extra kick.  I’ve had cayenne pepper pumpkin seeds, Italian herb pumpkin seeds and even a weird key lime pie inspired pumpkin seed concoction. But I have never roasted pumpkin seeds myself…hell, until this season, I’d never worked with fresh pumpkin.  So when it was time for me to roast my own pumpkin seeds, I wanted to try a sweet take on the snack.  And I’ll be quite honest: I pretty much dumped a bunch of things into a bowl, tossed in the pumpkin seeds and roasted.  But I must have done something right because The Boy and I pretty much devoured all of the seeds in one afternoon.  Don’t judge…they’re just that good.

This Halloween there are no tricks only treats at the DC Food Bloggers Spooktacular Bake Sale! Come to the 14th & U Farmers Market next Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and pick up some treats from your favorite DC food bloggers.  All the proceeds benefit Martha’s Table, so you can nosh for a good cause! But the fun doesn’t end there! There will be a costume contest (for kids and adults) at the market with prizes including gift certificates from Biaggio Chocolates, Cork Market and Mid City Cafe and many, many more (including a baked goodie from yours truly). If you’d like to volunteer or advertise for the bake sale, please email me! See you there!