Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
In case you haven’t noticed, I like to photograph pretty things. Okay, mostly just pretty food. Gone are the days where I photograph all my meals. Whenever I eat stir-fries and oatmeal I think “thank God.”
So when I saw this recipe in The Globe and Mail, I knew I had to make it. Not just to eat, but to photograph too!
Part of what also attracted me to this Strawberry Rhubarb Galette recipe is the fact that my mother’s backyard is overflowing with rhubarb ripe for the picking.
So off to my mommy’s I went on Tuesday night, assembling the pastry dough while she picked the rhubarb. The recipe only calls for six galettes, which I though seemed rather large. Being a fan of mini desserts, I decided to turn mine into 10 “mini galettes.”
Except, an error occurred.
No, I didn’t screw up the ingredients. Or start a kitchen fire (again). It’s just that well, my mini galettes came out ugly!
I mean, strawberry and rhubarb produce some of the most vivid colours in nature. And yet, mine look kinda shrivelled and dull. The pastry wouldn’t stay neatly tucked around the filling like a normal giant-sized galette. Instead it flattened out so I frantically tried to fold them back together any way I could.
But you know what saved this recipe?
It may be ugly, but holy moly it’s delicious. There were a lot of “ohmygodthisisgood”s coming from my mom as she ate her first one. My dad had one as a bedtime snack, then again for breakfast the next morning.
Good thing I turned the recipe into 10, because they are now all gone.
I guess the moral of the story is: Don’t judge a pastry by it’s photo.
To The Summit We Go
I have a confession to make. (don’t us bloggers always do?)
Since moving back home, I have resorted back to some of my old habits. “Toronto Susan” was a little more outgoing, adventurous, and always on the go. “New Brunswick Susan” is a lot more shy, isolated, and plays it safe. Mind you, my injury has forced me to reel it in a bit, but it’s also turned into a convenient excuse.
I am so full of excuses these days.
So when I found myself spewing out excuses as to why I couldn’t go to the Healthy Living Summit this year after having a fun time at it last year, I had to convince myself to give it a rest already.
With about 15 tickets left for the blogging conference, I snatched one up on a whim without allowing a chance for any second thought.
Yup. Come August, I’ll be flying to Philly to hang out with some of my best blog friends. Some I know well, and some I have yet to meet. Seeing as I live at home now, I’ve got extra room to play with expenses. And even though I have a looming surgery on the horizon, it’s my decision as to when it will (or won’t) happen.
As I mentioned, I went to the Summit last year in Chicago and know a little more about what to expect going into it this year. Chicago was my first ever blogger conference and I was so nervous! Now I’ve got two big ones under my belt (Foodbuzz being the other) so I feel a little more relaxed going in.
I do however plan to attack this year’s conference a little differently. I am no longer a budding entrepreneur like I was last year. I’m physically injured and can’t participate in some of the activities. My overall life outlook is much different.
(My Toronto gals – I miss yoouuuu!)
I think the biggest thing, is that I just won’t take it as seriously.
Getting almost 200 females obsessed with a healthy lifestyle together can be an unhealthy recipe for disaster. There can be gossiping, self-comparison, and unwelcome cliques. The key is to not get caught up in this.
Even though on paper, I’m not as “healthy living” as I was last year, I would say I certainly have a healthier approach to how I live my life now. A lot of things have happened over the past year that have put “healthy living” into perspective for me, and given me a better focus of where I need to be in order to truly be healthy.
Honestly, I’m going to feel a little out of place because my approach to blogging is so different now. I’m really more looking forward to surrounding myself with fun, enjoyable people, taking in what I can from the sessions, and seeing a new-to-me U.S. city!
Not to mention, I’ll be staying with my road trip partner and roommie from last year, Callie!
As well as my blogging soulmate/Foodbuzz roommie Janetha!
And Lauren, who is the only one I haven’t met yet, nor already shared a bed with ;)
Finally, a few other plans for Philly include eating Cheesesteak, running up the Rocky stairs, seeing this girl, and licking the Liberty Bell. Should be legendary!!
I feel like after everything I’ve been through over the past few months, a fun weekend getaway will be just what I need. Apparently so did my mom, as she ended up buying my plane ticket as a “broken arm present.” In the end, it seems I am left with absolutely no excuses.
The Best Buttermilk Waffles
I am about to share with you my favourite waffle recipe to date.
Like many great recipes, it started with buttermilk. I almost always have buttermilk in the fridge. A love of waffles, biscuits, and quick breads will do that to you.
I groggily rolled over Saturday morning, reached for my new iPhone, and opened one of my favourite apps.
I typed “Buttermilk Waffles” into the Epicurious app and began reading through the recipes that came up.
I ended up basing these waffles off these Belgian Buttermilk Waffles with Glazed Bananas because they were so highly rated with so many reviews.
But you know me, I had to make my own changes!
Here’s what I used:
I skipped the glazed bananas for my own topping.
- 1/2 tbsp almond butter
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp sugar-free syrup
- cinnamon
All whisked up and poured over top with blueberries.
The end result was phenomenal. Mind you, these are not my usual lower-calorie waffles. But it seems the best tasting things usually aren’t ;)
The recipe made four waffles, which meant I had three leftover for weekday breakfasts!
All my life I have dreamed of having a four-toast toaster. Now I have one and can put it to use with waffles. I like to divide my waffle up into quarters and pop them in there to reheat from frozen in the mornings.
Now, my weekend waffle was a little on the decadent side. But for my weekday, I kept it simple with sugar-free syrup heated with some blueberries.
Still ridiculously amazing after being frozen then toasted.
Best. Waffles. Ever.
Not to mention, toasting them makes the kitchen smell like the weekend, even on a weekday. It puts me in a great mood to start off the day. A great breakfast will do that to you. Why do you think I love Waffle Wednesday so much?
