Peas and Thank You

Collection of the Obsolete

Our lives have changed so much in the past few years.

Between having kids, career moves and changing our diet, many of the belongings we once owned that were consistently put to good use are now just taking up space, totally unused.

Scratching posts. (And consequently, cat treats.  And maybe just cats in general.)

Thong underwear.  If there’s even a moderate chance of visible panty lines, I shouldn’t be wearing it.

Bras that have a respectable cup size and lack any meaningful amount of padding.

Books for leisure reading.

Crossword puzzles to pass abundant free time.

And as of yesterday,

Birth control.

Please don’t ask.  He keeps asking me to send him a copy of this picture so he can post it on his Facebook wall.  I’m assuming he has far too many “friends” and is looking for a quick way to remedy that situation.

Wander into my kitchen and you’ll find even more of the unnecessary.

Butter dishes.

Meat thermometers.

Bottle upon barely used bottle of poultry seasoning.

And sadly, one of my former favorite baking tools,

The popover pan.

If you’ve ever made popovers, you know that they are a deliciously light and fluffy baked good, sort of a cross between a muffin and a biscuit.  The thing that makes a popover so delicious is the crusty exterior and the soft, almost hollow interior that you can then fill with butter, jam and/or honey.  The two prerequisites to making popovers: a popover pan (check) and eggs (no check).

I admit, I kind of miss the magic of popovers.  I miss the girls peering in the oven door to watch them creep over the top of the pan.  I miss taking a big steamy bite into the crisp crust and getting a delicious burst of melty butter and jam.

And while I still haven’t found a good use for my pan, I have found a way to fill that popover craving.

And they are perfect for eating in granny panties and padded bras.

Mochi Popovers

Print this recipe!

Serves 4

• One 12 oz. package mochi (original or flavored)*
• 1/4 c. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)
• 1/4 c. organic jam (we love strawberry and raspberry)
• organic powdered sugar for dusting

*Mochi is a gluten-free, vegan rice cake made from pressing sweet brown rice into a mold and refrigerating it.  You can find Mochi at Whole Foods, natural food stores and some Asian markets.  A popular and widely available brand is Grainaissance.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove mochi from packaging and cut into 1 to 2-inch squares.

Place squares a few inches apart on a ungreased, non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  At first, it won’t look like anything is happening.  But then suddenly…

magic happens.

Allow mochi puffs to cool slightly, before removing from the pan and slicing open.

Crusty exterior?  Why, yes!

Hollow interior?  Indeed.

“Butter” and jam?  Don’t mind if I do.

And just to make these chewy, hot puffs a little more special, a dusting of powdered sugar.

Good.  Night.

(Bad.  Manicure.)

Crowds flocked.

Silent chewing commenced.

Fingers were licked.

Requests for Star Wars-themed photographed were again voiced.

Crossword puzzles were retrieved.

Because suddenly my evening just became totally free.

 

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*Check out the updated Wannabe Recipea: Tamale Pie post.  Nour makey.  Nour likey.

*The winners of the Memorial Day Book Preview Giveaway are:

Facebook:  Debbie Humphrey Grose, Amy Risher, Alison Stover, Katie Anderson and Kristy Doyle

Twitter: @LivinOnArugula, @KitchenSpaceAna, @Junieeee, @Healthy_Helper, @franceygin

Congratulations!  Please email me your mailing addresses to peasandthankyou@hotmail.com and I will get your prizes on their way.  And thanks to all who entered!

I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day and were able to give thanks for the many sacrifices the men and women of the military and their families have made and continue to make every day for each one of us.  God bless them.