Seven Links (and then some) Challenge

Raymund over at Ang Sarap (A Tagalog word for “It’s Delicious”), Sissi over at with a glass, and Yummy Chunklet recently invited us to participate in the seven links challenge. We are not accepting this challenge. OK, we are, but we’re throwing out the rulebook.

For starters, we’re far too immodest to just list seven links. Also, there was some disagreement between the two of us on what constituted “beautiful.” Katherine wanted pictures like this chocolate one or this other chocolate one. I was more about the meat and potatoes and more meat. Note to self, you need to post more potato recipes.

I’m supposed to name five bloggers to send the challenge to. We read so many great food blogs, so I’m picking some bloggers from other areas, who post everything from cool photography, cute dog pictures, movie reviews and yes recipes. They are:

• Live, Bark, Love
• Just Ramblin’ (Hi Stella!)
• Ruth E. Hendricks Photography
• Spirits Light The Way
• Sports Glutton

Now to the challenge…

The Most Beautiful Post: I let Katherine pick these. Her picks, she’s my wife you couldn’t expect her to select just one of my photos, are the mushroom spread from this tapas post; tomato pie and on the spirits side the crimson cosmo and for you nondrinkers, rosemary-infused lemonade. Hey look, we’re already past seven links!

She loved the photo, but thought I used too many anchovies.

Garden tomatoes, is there anything prettier?

Remove rosemary before pouring

This mirror has seen better days

The Most Popular Post: At press time it was too close to call, but people really like these lemon bars from the Los Angeles Times and Katherine’s limoncello tiramisu. Neck and neck.

They are like pie on a cookie

That is one good looking bite

The Most Helpful Post: Fillet a Fish. This may one day be in textbooks. It’s also BabyGirl’s (over at Pure Complex) all time favorite post.

The last cut

The Post That Was Surprisingly Successful: Me braiding garlic. Who’d have thunk it?

I could've been a hairdresser

The Most Controversial Post: Oddly enough, also me braiding garlic. I received the following letter from the Southerners Against Perpetuating Stereotypes, aka SAPS:

Mr. Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide:

It has come to our attention that you were recently pictured on your wildly popular food blog braiding garlic on a hot summer day — barefoot. If you’re going to perpetuate a Southern stereotype, we say go whole hog. What is that a compact car? Why does your shirt have sleeves? There is no iced tea, no pickup truck and your dogs are nowhere in sight. You can do better.

Sincerely,

The Arkansas SAPS Chapter

Enclosed with the letter was a pair of overalls. They were too big. Editor’s Note: I highly suspect Katherine wrote this letter.

Iced tea not pictured

The runner up for the most controversial post, Katherine’s burgers with sun-dried tomato paste, goat cheese and fresh herbs— not because they called for veal. Nope, one of Katherine’s Facebook friends said “they look dry.” OK, maybe that only stirred controversy here.

I swear I'm moist and delicious

The Post(s) That Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved: Speaking of Southerners, guess they’re the only ones that care for grits. Perhaps, bloody Marys just aren’t pretty enough. But they’re such a classic!

Have I mentioned Katherine's obsession with roosters?

So many vegetables make it a health drink, right?

The Post I am Most Proud Of: I made this!

Never buying store brand pastrami again

Categories we completely made up:

The hurry up fall picture:

Slap a Campbell's label on the side and call it modern art.

The thank you readers for not making silly jokes, for the most part, about the size of our zucchini picture:

Goat cheese rules

Ditto for our braciole:

Rolled up and yummy

The one of umpteen zillion ways to photograph jam picture:

It will stick if you forget to stir all the time

Here’s another shot of my manly hands, this time tending my arugula:

Maybe make a mini bouquet

And by big honking grill:

Thanks again, Raymund, Sissi and Yummy Chunklet!