Popovers and Kittens

I had a vivid dream last night that I had less than a week to live and that I was mentally composing a blog post where I asked you what you thought I should do/leave for the kids—like, videotapes or letters or what. Ack.

I’ve been feeling very Low and Listless the last few days. I’m self-medicating with coffee and with the recipe my sister-in-law sent me for popovers. It’s from The Joy of Cooking, and the asides are hers:

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Preheat oven to 450. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin pan or 12 six ounce custard cups. If using custard cups dust with flour, sugar, or grated Parmesan cheese.

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp warm melted butter
Pour over the flour mixture and fold just until blended. A few small lumps may remain (Me=HA! Lots of lumps remained.) Fill the cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Fill any unfilled cups 1/3 full with water so pan doesn’t burn.

Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20 minutes more, until well browned and crusty. Do not open the oven to check on the popovers until the last 5 minutes to avoid deflating them. Remove from the oven, unmold onto a rack, and puncture the sides with a sharp knife to let steam escape. Serve immediately and TOTALLY RUIN YOUR DINNER BUT IT IS WORTH IT or return to a turned-off oven for up to 30 minutes for extra crispness.

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They’re easy to make and fun to watch in the oven because they PUFF UP. I like them with Nutella—also the sister-in-law’s suggestion. I think they’d be most perfect for breakfast, dipped in maple syrup. Or if I were having people over for dinner (ha ha ha) I think they’d make a fun surprising dinner roll.

On the way home from a shopping trip last weekend, I spontaneously stopped at the animal shelter to look at kitties. Well, as spontaneously as I ever do things, which is to say I thought about it on and off for weeks, then told the kids we MIGHT stop that day, then decided three miles before the shelter to stop there for sure, then reminded the kids it might not even be open, then wondered if I should change my mind, then used my right turn signal well in advance of the turn.

They didn’t have any kittens; apparently kittens are seasonal. Did you know that? That kittens are like produce? The shelter worker said we could start to call in mid-March to inquire as to kitten ripeness.

We’ve mostly decided to get a kitten, but we looked at the cats. I saw one I was drawn to, but she was already taken. I saw several more I liked well enough to get to know them better, but they were labeled as being for homes with no children or no other cats. Another was very nice but was 13 years old. Another was very nice but was in a bonded pair with a cat I didn’t like as much. I was happy not to find The Perfect Cat yet, since the shopping experience is so fun.

42 thoughts on “Popovers and Kittens

  1. cardiogirl

    Am I first? What an awesome way to start a Friday and yet I feel pressure to quickly hit publish so I can be first.

    I will be trying the popovers tonight because I actually *always* have those ingredients on hand. Sweet!

    I want a kitten so badly but my kid is allergic. However, I love the idea of kittens being seasonal like a rare papaya (are papayas seasonal? I could Google that but then I wouldn’t be first and I am competitive and this is a race against the clock.)

    Reply
  2. Fran

    Sounds yummy AND easy!! I just copied and pasted it to my computer so that I can try it out and if it works for our house then I will put it on my new recipe blog. Thanks Swistle!!

    Reply
  3. Trish

    Those popovers really do sound scrumptious! And I love the Nutella suggestion.

    YAY for baby kittehs!! :) Can’t wait to hear more about your search.

    Reply
  4. statia

    I LOVE popovers. My husband sometimes makes them for breakfast. They’re also good with herb butter. Nutella takes the cake, though. Or any type of chocolate product.

    Reply
  5. donna

    I found out a few years ago when searching for a kitten that they are seasonal. Apparently female cats only go into heat about once a year rather than a few times like dogs. I still think that’s weird.

    Reply
  6. Stimey

    Pet perusing is really fun. Albeit sometimes a little sad.

    I think if you were to die in a week, your kids would have a really lovely picture of you as a whole person from all the words you’ve put up here. Needless to say, I believe that you will live for many, many happy years.

    Reply
  7. SheLikesToTravel

    I love popovers too. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Currently I’m using the BH&G popover recipe – which is also a good one.

    As another reader said, these recipes take such easy ingredients… and the results are so decadent. It’s a win/win.

    Reply
  8. Marie Green

    I know this next statement is going to be quite a surprise to you, Swistle dear, but can I heartily recommend a part-ragdoll kitten? ;)

    (Our kitten has been AMAZING- I’ve never seen a cat be such a….pupppy with the kids. She runs to the door when it opens, follows them around, and is always, ALWAYS being carried around by them.)

    Ok. I’m done now. I’m excited to see what your next kitty will be!

    Reply
  9. Shelly

    Those popovers sound awesome. Maybe I’ll try them this weekend.

    And kittens are so sweet. It’s hard to believe that they are seasonal! Seems like they should always be available – sad? here’s a new kitten!

    Reply
  10. Cayt

    I’ve never had popovers before, and I’d go and get eggs to try them but it’s so cold outside! They look yummy, though, I’m bookmarking the page so I can make them at a later date.

    Reply
  11. Penny

    Yes, we were actively looking for kittens a few years back and there was about a 2 year waiting list for kittens at the local shelter. Two years! Well if that doesn’t encourage black market cat relations, what does? Thankfully, friends of friends slutted their cat out and voila, we got a boy/girl pair.

    Did the shelter give you tips on picking just the right kitten? Say, squeezing its head for ripeness or smelling its…other side…for freshness?

    Reply
  12. SIL Anna

    A popover post! Yippeeeee!

    Also, I recommend a COMING TO VISIT US to lift one’s spirits. Surely by May there will be no obstacles . . .?

    Also also, to Jen: OMG HOW MUCH I DO HEART THE NUTELLA GELATO.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    Your title instantly brought to mind the image of small cats in muffin tins. I thought isn’t that cute…and delicious!

    Reply
  14. Lawyerish

    When I was growing up, we often had popovers as a special dinner roll, but it never occurred to me that they would be perfect for breakfast and/or with something sweet (NUTELLA OMG). Genius!!

    I, for one, had no idea that there was a Kitten Season.

    Reply
  15. Ms. Molly

    Swistle, I hope the weekend raises your spirits if not I recommend a bag of Hershey Kisses- I can’t stop eating them!
    We tried to adopt a dog from our local shelter and they wouldn’t let us, very disappointing and we ended up going to a pet store instead. Good luck on the kitten hunt, so much fun!

    Reply
  16. Kristi

    I hear you, Low and Listless – I too am feeling L&L. Only difference is I want someone to bake FOR me. Perhaps even Dolly Madison or Ms. Hostess. Or whatever would put me in a voluntary coma for three days. Oh, what a blissful coma that would be!

    Reply
  17. Nicole

    Interesting–in LA shelters they say that the puppies are seasonal but kittens available year round. I got my own kitten in October. Nice that they’re available, I guess, in a totally depressing kind of way…

    Reply
  18. trifitmom

    i live and die for popovers. in nyc they have the popver cafe, the popovers are huge and you can order a bag ass basket of them….damn now i am going to have to cook some tomorrow.

    Reply
  19. Lippy

    I too have been feeling blah this week. When my cat died about 8 years ago, I went looking for a kitten with no luck. I was so desperate I started asking students if they knew of any wee little kitties. One of my students had one left, I didn’t even shop, I just drove over and got her. Because when you need a kitten, you need one now. This may also apply to popovers.

    Reply
  20. Kate@And Then I Was a Mom

    Ah, a surprising dinner roll. Honestly, that’s enough right there to actually invite people over. You can make whatever else you want, to whatever degree of quality you choose, and you will still be remembered as “that woman who makes really good popovers.” I mean, SCORE.

    Reply
  21. Sahara

    I read the title of this post and thought “Awesome! Can’t get any better than that!” and then you went and mentioned nutella. Kittens and NUTELLA?? I like your brand of self-medication, lady.

    Also, if you want to discover another tasty puffy thing, abelskivers with nutella are super good (but more work than popovers, and require a special pan).

    Reply
  22. Sahara

    P.S. My word verification was “shicat.” That could either be really cute (shycat, awww) or…not so cute. Interpret this surely extremely portentious symbol as you will.

    Reply
  23. alice

    Oh, kitten season. It’s ridiculous. And I hope that you find a cat who works for you! The grown-up cats have such a hard time getting adopted during kitten season, but they’re totally awesome. And multiple visits to play with cats is never a bad thing. :)

    Reply
  24. momstinfoilhat

    Ha, good enough mom, you stole my post!

    I love popovers so much – they are one of the first things I learned how to cook – right after scrambled eggs and spaghetti.

    And, I am so over my cats.

    Reply
  25. Tracey - Just Another Mommy Blog

    Tell you what: you can have my own “bonded pair” of cats and try them out for the few years they have left. They ARE good with kids and even tolerate bonnets on their heads. If you can just ignore their tendency to pee on any clothing or plastic bags on the floor, then you’ll be golden. (Yeah. Ever try making 3 kids and a husband keep their crap off of the floor? Ever have to do the sniff test on all of the laundry to be sure that you don’t reek of cat urine? Good times…)

    Reply
  26. Astarte

    Popovers are yum. YUM.

    Kitten ripeness! :) By then, you should be ripe for a kitten, too. I can’t wait for you to get one! Did you look at Petsmart? They always seem to have kittens, AND the cats there are super well-socialized because kids are in and out of there petting and talking to them all day long.

    Reply
  27. the new girl

    When you were writing ‘popover’ I was thinking ‘Turnover’ and I couldn’t get it straight in my head, that list of ingredients. Where’s the phyllo dough? Where’s the jam or whatevs?

    It wasn’t until AFTER I WALKED AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER that I realized you weren’t talking about ‘Turnovers,’ and now, I don’t think I’ve ever even HAD a popover.

    Reply

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