It’s time for another week of maternity and food shots. Seems like time is going REALLY fast by the way. I can’t believe I will be halfway through this pregnancy in only two weeks.
This week, the internet gods of pregnancy have emailed to inform me that baby Boley is about the size of a sweet potato (about 5.5 inches from head to butt). Soon we get to start adding the leg measurements into this equation which means suddenly baby will appear to grow from a something like a grapefruit to a melon within a span of a couple days. This is not exactly the case, but then again this is all very silly with the fruit and veggie thing in the first place.
Once again, the grocery delivery service gave me slightly smaller sweet potatoes than I would have picked out for this shoot, but let’s all pretend they are a bit more rotund. LIKE MY FACE.
Dear FACE, please stop growing. Not cute.
I don’t think I have given credit to the photographer, Mr. Boley. He is not super thrilled about being on the cold porch for these shoots, but he is getting used to the idea. Today he made me sing the filet o’ fish commercial and talk on the potato phone so I would loosen up in front of the camera. I would rather be behind the camera taking the photos, but that is clearly impossible in this situation.
Porpus Boley has been a wonderful director of photography throughout the process. She is generally excited to inspect each food item. NOT TODAY. She doesn’t want anything to do with potatoes. They are neither cute nor tasty in her feline opinion.
DO NOT WANT.
She is right about this being an ugly food. I added the bunny to up the cute factor.
This week, I made a simple and tasty batch of sweet potato fries. You can find a million websites with different spice blends to put on these guys before baking, but you really don’t need a recipe. Just a few favorite herbs and spices that you aren’t afraid to mix.
Here are some important notes to remember when making sweet potato fries:
- Make sure they are cut into small, even sized fries. 1/4 inch is a good measurement, anything too large will be a mushy mess.
- DO NOT crowd the pan. Do a couple batches instead. If you crowd the fries they will steam instead of bake. Hence mush mess.
- Bake at a high heat. 425 degrees for 15 min. Then turn the fries and return them to the oven for 10-15 more minutes. DO NOT open the oven to peek on them all the time. Let them do their thing. Otherwise, mushy mess.
- Experiment with different crisping methods. I have heard that soaking the raw fries in cold water for 10 minutes will remove some of the starch and allow for a crisper outcome. I have also heard that tossing them in egg whites is the way to go. Let me know if you find the perfect method.
All in all, they are a healthy and unexpected fry option, that is generally a winner for most people. And if you are pregnant, they have all these wonderful vitamins and nutrients that your baby will love you for. (If you are not pregnant, don’t worry, you are allowed to have nutrients, too.) So skip the McDonalds’ version, and treat yourself to a healthy plate piled high with these seemingly indulgent fries.
