So What do You Cook When You're All Alone??

I had a really fun day today. Bob was still away at his Mom's house picking up the kids. (They'll be back tomorrow.) You know, as much as you can love your family, there is a lot to be said for having some time now and again to spend with yourself. Life takes on a different pace- you do precisely what you want, when you want.

I did a lot of cleaning up around the old shack, but I also did some cooking. I started by making some vegan substitute for Sweetened Condensed Milk. This is something I've attempted twice before, and it didn't work out; on both previous tries it was way too watery.

I finally found a recipe that works! It's been so long since I copied and saved it that I forget the source. (Apologies if it's yours.) I can't wait to try out my mom's incredible cheesecake recipe with it.

Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup powdered soymilk

3 Tbsp melted margarine

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 cup boiling water (Recipe calls for 1 cup, I had about one and a half on hand, and I found I needed almost all of it.)

I melted the margarine in a pot on the stove, and then whisked in all of the ingrediants in except the powdered soymilk. That I added last, followed by enough boiling water beyond the one cup to reach the consistency I needed. It was perfect! Hoo-ray!

I then used the soymilk to make some Caramel Toffee Squares from the "Company's Coming" Square cookbook. Hmmmmm..........wow... I sure hope I have the willpower to leave some of these for the brats when they come home tomorrow......

I also tried to make some chocolate macaroons for the first time in years. The reason that I haven't made them in so long is that I seem to lack the macaroon- making gene. Mine always turned out either too dry or too soft.

The Verdict: Still too damn dry. Goddamit, what it the secret to these things? The hell if I know. It will be a cold day in hell before I bother with this again. I'll just have to con my next door neighbor into making them for me. She's got the whole thing down pat.

The soup I made for lunch, however, was hands down fabutastic. This is a recipe I concocted for my recipe book. I've been considering and tweaking the ingrediants in my head for a few weeks now, and today, when I finally got a chance to bring my idea to life, it ROCKED!!

It's a spicy pureed soup using sundried tomatoes and red lentils, among other things. I swooned when I ate it, no word of a lie. Good thing I was sitting down!

After dinner, I took advantage of a lull in the rain to go for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. After that, I spent some time knitting and watching TV. Not much else to do in the rain, dammit.

And for supper, just a plate of garbage eaten off a TV table.....

G'night All!

Food For Thought: "Casein (milk protein) quite simply, is a carcinogen. Make no mistake about that. There is no other chemical that is as carcinogenic as animal protein. The evidence is deep. The evidence is relevant because it occurs at common levels of intake. We're talking about the kind of intakes people consume each day in this country. And the evidence is broad. It does not exist for soy protein and wheat protein."

T. Colin Campbell, PH.D.