I am so glad I have friends who are vegans. While it is not a lifestyle I choose for myself, it does provide me with a cool challenge to test myself with in the kitchen. (I do love them for more than their food choices!!!!)
The need for vegan finger food inspired me to try dolmas again. The traditional stove top method didn’t turn out so well for me on my first attempt, but the revelation from the crockpot lady that they could be slow cooked gave me courage. They are now a party favorite.
What inspired this blog post is a Fourth of July celebration I’ll be attending tomorrow. Here is my communication with the coordinator:
Me: We will be there!
Friend: Sweet! Didn’t you make something awesome last year? Was it potato salad? Or did I make that up? Point is, bring the yummy!
Me: We will bring the yummy – and try not to have to evoke the 5 second rule this year!
Friend: It spilled and we ate it anyway. A sure sign of good eats!
While I don’t remember exactly what I made that was yummy enough to eat post party foul, I was grateful for her reminder of another vegan dish.
Back in football season, some fabulous friends invited people over to watch the playoffs and Superbowl. To one of these events, I’d fully planned to bring potato salad. I always have a fake fat-free “mayonnaise-type” dressing in the fridge, so all was going to be set to honor the hosts’ vegan lifestyle. After I’d boiled up my vat of potatoes, I pulled out the mayo and was rudely reminded that the last time I had bought the “light” version instead. Dang it – made with eggs.
I stood there staring at the steaming spuds when the light bulb went off – German potato salad! Perfect! I prefer the tangy-ness of the vinegar-based version anyway.
Following my friends’ dietary choices meant that instead of bringing something run of the mill, I obviously created something memorable. That bowl was scraped clean and the dish was requested again. I just hope my version tomorrow is as yummy … and doesn’t get dropped!
What memorable food creations have you made out of necessity? or Is the five second rule universally accepted as a thing?
Grown Up, Now What? 
And we are glad to have awesome non-vegan friends! If we didn’t, we might not have any friends at all since we are practically the only vegans we know! Thanks for always bringing the yummy, Tammy! 🙂
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Hi Amy! Thanks for stopping by. I’m so glad to have willing guinea pigs when I attempt new recipes of the yummy!
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OK, first, I love dolmas. So does my daughter. Now I want some.
Food that we’ve made by necessity that turned out awesome…sometimes it’s about dietary requirements, but more often than not, my necessity meals are when we have a tight budget week or I decide to do a “clean out the kitchen” week (generally coincides with a tight budget week – ha!). I like the challenge of coming up with something edible, if not terrific, just from what is on hand and nothing else. It makes me feel good that I can provide that for my family.
As for the five second rule…I read something about it not too long ago that said basically, there is no difference in germ content at five seconds. It was actually research-based (someone actually did a study, if you can believe it) that made me laugh first, then got me intrigued.
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Just last night I made a throw together dinner from the pantry and freezer that turned out remarkably well. I love when things like that work out well.
I saw the 5 second rule study. I can’t believe they got funding to study that!
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