Sourdoughgan Popovers

I’ve never been one to keep a journal.

(I know, I know - here I am writing a blog…) But one nice bit of putting this website together is that the Meals By Maeve archives are a time capsule, snapshots strung together of my life in food. 

I watch back this video and Sourdoughgan looks so soupy! And her color is so light! These days she’s sturdy and active and much darker. All three because I weaned her off a fully all-purpose flour diet, gave her more whole wheat flour, and lately even incorporated some rye flour. She’s so much more hearty and complex and flavorful now. It’s nice to be reminded of how much I’ve learned by simply sticking with something.

I also look back at this video and cringe at my dirty dish pad. I definitely still own dirty dish pads. But I no longer am so starved for counter space that my dish pads pull double duty. That kitchen was so tiny (SO tiny), but look at everything I managed to do there! That kitchen tested my patience so often that every meal was a recommitment to how much I love to cook. 

I’ll remember that apartment fondly for being my home during a defining period of my life, but I am so happy to not live there anymore. My new kitchen could use a face lift, but it’s got good bones. Ample counter space, quality appliances, and a pantry that brings me what I can only describe as glee. Yet it’s nice to look back at the past and have it confirm the choices I made that make me so happy in the present. 

Lastly I look back at this video for all the things that have stayed the same. Those friends at the end are people I don’t remember not knowing. Now we’re in our thirties! That popover tin reminds me of how nice it is to be cared for. Over the ten years I lived in DC, my cousins planned and prepared so many dinners for me, set the table on the porch when the weather was nice, and always gave me a ride home. Popovers started every meal we shared together, and when I left this popover tin was their heartfelt wish to send me off. I cherish it! A piece of metal good for making one thing, but now one of my most beloved possessions. 

So while I don’t have a journal, I have my recipe notes, and my popover tin, and this silly little Instagram show I started years ago that has brought so much fun and connection and memories to my (thankfully bigger) kitchen. And my kitchen, in turn, has made my life so much bigger.

I guess a soupy Sourdoughgan not only made great popovers, but also made me a sap. Ah, well. Pass the jam, won’t you?

Recipe from King Arthur.