Totwaffles

Some time ago I told you folks what I had discovered about tater tots and waffle makers.

Yesterday author and blogger Kait Nolan shared not only her same secret shame, but also a recipe for what she has named Totwaffles.

Check it out here, and don't forget to check out the rest of Kait's website as well, and buy/read her books.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #104

This one comes to my attention from the Facebook via my friend and great writer Becca Butcher. It was posted by another amazing writer, John Everson, and yeah baby, it is jalapeno poutine. It's French fries, with gravy, cheese curds, and roasted jalapenos.

Who would do that to fries? Those wacky Canadians, of course. The pic comes from the Design District Urban Tavern in Calgary. Wow.

French Fry Diary 494: Starbucks Potato Chips

When I first started writing this blog there were certain things I expected, and certain things I did not expect. One such thing I would never expect is to be reviewing potato chips from Starbucks. A coffee chain making potato chips? Sounds absurd, doesn't it? But it's true.

Folks who regularly read this blog know I'm not a coffee drinker, yet I do visit Starbucks quite often. It's a writer's conceit. Starbucks is the stereotypical place where writers write, where they meet, and, for some, where they go to be seen writing. Yeah, we writers are a sick breed.

Anyway, when I saw these new potato chips at the Starbucks where I attend a weekly writers group, I couldn't help but pick up a bag - especially when I saw they were my favorite chip flavor. Barbecue, specifically Smoky Sweet Barbecue, in a kettle variety.

Here's the thing though. Starbucks doesn't seem to want to acknowledge, at least online, that they would ever do such a thing as make or sell potato chips. There's no record of them online, or at least on their website. A lot of other folks, who are not Starbucks, are talking about and taking pictures of them however. Apparently the branding was/is known as Darling Spuds in the UK, and they come in quite a few varieties. However that name is nowhere to be found on my bag.

When I opened the bag, they had a good aroma. Unlike a lot of kettle chips I have tried recently, these chips were pretty big, and twisted well for dipping. The touch of sweet compliments the heavier smoky barbecue seasoning. Not bad. Starbucks should confess, they're nothing to be ashamed of.

Baked Tempura Potato Slices

This one comes from the Facebook, from my friend and fellow writer Jerry Whitworth. These are Baked Tempura Potato Slices.

Here's the goods, from Jerry himself, "Peel and slice some potatoes. Mix flour and water to make a batter. Spray some nonfat cooking spray onto a baking sheet (oven pre-heated to 450°). Dip the slices into the batter to a light coating and lay out the slices on the sheet like you would with cookies. Bake for twenty minutes. Easy peesy. Serve with soy sauce for dipping."

Mmmm... I can't wait to try these myself…

French Fry Diary 399: Ronii's Butt Fries

The wonderful Ronii Grace passed away a couple years ago. I had never met her in person, but she was as good a friend as one could have online. She was a terrific and talented writer, and a giving and generous friend, with a fun and quirky sense of humor. Some time ago when I was on a hiatus from French Fry Diary, because of my own illness, she wrote the following for me. It's perhaps not family-friendly or for the squeamish, so you've been warned.

Hey Glenn…

Just read your French Fry Diary. I see you haven't worked on it for some time. May I make an offering? It is a bit weird and wacky, but you would expect that from me now, wouldn't you? I am feeling a bit cheeky, pun totally intended, so here goes.

Years ago I had a midwifery client whose husband we all called "Chuckie." Chuckie was a gorgeous character with deep chocolate skin and thick matted dreadlocks. Chuckie came to all his wife's prenatal visits faithfully in part, because he thought I, the midwife he had hired to deliver his son, was hysterically funny. He often told me I needed my own cable show with my midwifery partner Lori as my trusty sidekick.

The event that started this whole tack had to do with, you guessed it... French fries. You see, his wife had pregnancy-induced hemorrhoids. I recommended a tried and true remedy for her discomfort. You simply cut some potatoes (without skinning) "home fry style" into thin wedges, freeze them in a Ziploc bag, dip the frozen wonder in a bit of vitamin E oil, and insert it into the offending orifice. "Butt Fries," as we affectionately called them, solved the problem. We even had a handout with nice illustrations.

The wife (and many others) swore by them, "A miracle," she said. Oh, but Chuckie had fears. What if on some summer barbeque Saturday he grabbed the wrong bag and had the butt fries for supper? We allayed his fears reminding him that they were only French fries until put to other uses.

It was the start of a long list of experiences... just thought you, the French fry man, might want to know. They're not just for supper any more!

Blessings, Ronii

This bit of attempted humor is not intended to offer medical advice. If you have a problem, please... see your doctor or other healer.

That's Ronii. I told you about her sense of humor. I had never posted it because she had promised me the illustrations, but she never got around to sending them. And then she passed away suddenly.

She is much missed. Her birthday is Sunday. I hope she sees this wherever she's at and knows how much she's missed. Thank you, Ronii.