Holy Sweet Potatoes!

Dear My Favorite Farmer's Market Vendor,

Please never stop growing and selling your sweet potatoes. I realize there are extenuating circumstances to take into account. Something about the seasonality of crops and whatnot. But I just can't seem to get enough of those sweet potatoes. Don't get me wrong, your other produce is exceptional, but those orange gems of tuber-y goodness have converted me forever. On top of that, they have inspired a now staple recipe in our household. Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Um, yum.

So thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love,

Erin Sue

Seriously though, those bad boys are wonderful hot out of the oven and dipped in Ranch. Or sneaked off the baking sheet while waiting for them to cool. Not that I've done that. At regular intervals because the smell is just so lovely. No siree.

Please try them. In any shape or form you'd like, really. Spice them to make your taste buds happy. It'll be great! So great, I hope, that you'll forgive the poor quality of my first "chop motion" video. I'm still working out the details of almost every aspect. Pardon my mistakes.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Adapted from Ina Garten's Baked Sweet Potato "Fries," Back to Basics

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper (I used garlic pepper)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the halved sweet potatoes into spears (the thinner you cut them, the crispier the outside will be). At this point, I usually halve them again. This way, they crisp up better, and I end up with a larger number of fries.

Drop those beautiful spears in ice water, and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

Once time's up, pat dry and move spears to a

good-sized bowl.

Add olive oil, chili powder, onion salt, black pepper, sea salt, and brown sugar straight into the bowl with the spears. Toss everything together until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated.

Spread the spears out in a single layer on a greased, foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the sweet potatoes with a spatula and bake again for another 5-10 minutes.

I dare you to let them cool even a little bit before inhaling them all!

Tenants, Meet Kitchen

Once upon a time there was a kitchen.

Not very interesting, I know, but stick with me.

While it was neither the largest nor the most beautiful kitchen, it had potential. It had spunk, gosh darn it. It just needed people who could appreciate it for what it was. People with imagination, you know? People with...lower expectations...and a desire to cook regardless of cramped quarters and minimal counter space.

Enter a young couple, the new tenants.




Peter, a design student working on his second degree.
Likes: Cars, Tex-Mex, noodles, and cars. And his dog Moose. Dislikes: Mushy foods, eye boogers, and when the UPS man stops but doesn't leave anything.







Erin, a displaced Austinite recently out of college and looking for her purpose in life. Likes: Baking, snail mail, kitchen gadgets, and pretending to be a photographer/filmmaker. Also warm socks. Dislikes: Clutter, horror flicks, and arguing about politics.


It was like a scene from a movie. An incredibly boring movie about a kitchen and a couple's first apartment. But as soon as the dishes filled the shelves, the various gadgets found homes and the drawers were full of utensils, it actually felt like "their" kitchen. Sure the refrigerator, dishwasher and pan cupboard were so close together they didn't open all the way. And so what if the oven vent flung bits of aluminum at unsuspecting cooks if left running for more than twenty seconds. It gave the place character. And some pretty wonderful stories to tell friends and family back home. Everybody wins.

I hope that paints an accurate picture of our relationship with food preparation in our household. That being said, Peter and I have differing levels of tolerance for this particular section of the apartment. His philosophy: the easier the meal, the quicker he can clear out of there. I seem to have developed a fonder attitude to our kitchen's little eccentricities. This means the bulk of the cooking has happily fallen to me. To be perfectly honest, I would cheerfully take this on even if our kitchen was Peter's favorite room in the apartment. You'd better believe I'd fight him for it.

I have also recently discovered how much I enjoy stop-motion videos. Seriously, have you seen these things? So cool! So, to make it fun (well, even more fun), we're going to combine the two. Stop-motion cooking: where the food prepares itself!

I've got to tell you, I'm pretty nervous about the amount of work this project might require. But we'll get through it, right? You and me? We'll support each other. Even when you find out just how amateur my videos are.

It's a deal.