Food, Glorious Food

I have a new obsession . . . FoodGawker. I visit at least daily. It's a photo-listing of new blog entries on what else, food. It's searchable and you can save favorites. No more over-full bookmark folders or getting bogged down following way too many food blogs. Even as a vegetarian, there are a ridiculous number of blogs out there I could follow. I don't plan on making my own tempeh or seitan though so I just assume not see those posts. Also, I'm not fond of the blogger's ruts like the one that keeps posting pancake recipes (and only pancake recipes). I want ideas. I need inspiration.

One of the recipes I found and quickly saved to my favorites was Rhubarb Galette. I made it for Mother's Day brunch. Yes, I made brunch on Mother's Day. My mom was in town so it was for her. D helped. I was in charge of sweets and he took savory. He made a delicious crustless spinach quiche. D hates the term "galette" as it makes him think of Gilette and shaving cream. He insisted I Google it to find out what it was, how it was pronounced, etc. Considering I love research and I love odd facts, I was already planning to Google 'galette.' Turns out it's pronunciation is straight-forward just as it sounds and it's simply a rustic pie that's not in a pan. They can be savory or sweet and their crust often contains corn meal.
I love rhubarb. Considering it's in-season there were plenty of recipes for me to choose from on FoodGawker. Personally, I never mix strawberry with my rhubarb so that reduced the number of recipes I was willing to make. I didn't have to search long. The galette looked so simple (not as in simple to make but simple as in plain & unadorned); it was an obvious choice.

The galette being assembled.

The finished galette. It was delicious.

While I've found dozens of recipes I want to make, including some vegan lemon bars and candied lemons to top them, I opted to make more granola yesterday. I bought all the ingredients during the Mother's Day shopping trip in hopes of making them then. I always think I can fit more into the day than actually ever happens. I made a tropical version yesterday with macadamias, pineapple, mango, extra coconut, and candied ginger. I only put chocolate chips on half the pan and I was sure to keep them on top this time so they'd remain intact. I really liked this version, possibly more than the first. I just need a tropical drink . . . ooooh, or better yet a tropical setting in which to eat them.

Done & ready to eat.

Tropical Granola: ready for it's close-up.

Last but not least, I found a link on FoodGawker that wasn't a recipe. It was a request for votes on which reader submitted the worst meal(s) they were served by a parent, grandparent, or other family member. They were both revolting and hilarious. It got me to thinking and remembering. My mom cooked for years until my father took over because in-part he apparently liked cooking more than she did. Now everyone tells me his food is fabulous but it's a vegetarian's nightmare. I couldn't tell you how it is. I tried to recall the meals I had that my mom made and they were all really normal compared to those mentioned on this blog. I'm sure one of my siblings could of and/or did love the meals I didn't like. I'd say my least favorite meal that I was regularly served was mini-pizza on hamburger buns. It was made by "spreading" raw hamburger onto hamburger buns and then popping them into the oven. They get topped with some sauce and cheese. The burger turned the white bread burger bun a bit slimy. I really hated them. I've been trying to recreate quite a few of my childhood dishes into vegetarian options, but that won't be one of them. So if you check out the blog and have a contender, their contest is over but I'd love to hear your horror stories! :)