Square-Peg Reflections: Domestic Goddesssss

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Candles always make me feel sweetly domestic. Kitchen duty usually doesn't. Cooking (in the latter years) causes me to hiss, like a snake. But today I'm having fun being a domestic goddess in the kitchen. I am aware though - that I might turn and hiss at any moment. Hence the title of this blog post - domestic goddesssss!

Little Princess is coming to visit. So - in anticipation - I'm whipping up one of her favorite dishes - scalloped potatoes.

Scrape, wash, slice, toss spices - and voila, an idea strikes. Why not make some vegan scalloped potatoes at the same time. After all, ManChild has a soiree tonight (thanks for the word "soiree", Teryll!!) - and he'll probably enjoy taking something besides dessert.

Actually, he's 18 - it's a long shot about whether he'll enjoy taking the potatoes. (Late breaking news: He gave me a big smile when I showed him what was in the over. You can never tell!)

After my voila moment - practicality. How to make vegan scalloped potatoes (big part of the ingredients = cream and butter)? Hmmm...and then - how to make them without a recipe. Because this domestic goddess really enjoys reinventing the wheel.

OK, check out the cabinets - oil instead of butter - good idea. Oh, we're in luck - when Little Princess is coming we tuck in a store of soy milk. So we've got that. Let's see, maybe a layer of brocolli florets. But - which oil? I know little of oils. I grew up in the butter-and-lots-of-it years. Who knows the difference between safflower oil, chipmunk oil and all those unheard of (and some unpronounceable) oils? Not me!

I grabbed a couple bottles of oil out of the cabinet (this is pretty much Slightly-Brit's kitchen - she believes in oil and has stocked a number of kinds). But how to tell which one I should use? I'm not fond of being snickered at - and I incurred a hearty snicker and upturned nose the last time I was found messing with oil.

That was another time I tried coming up with something vegan - this time a baked product. And luckily Slightly-Brit came in before I added whatever inappropriate oil I had in hand. She said I would have made the cookies taste like rat's ass (she will say that those words did not come out of her mouth, but that's what I remember).

This time I unscrewed the lids and sniffed (took me a while to come up with that idea - duh!) - one of the oils had a rich smell, seemed like it'd be a good choice. Slightly-Brit walked by and I asked her what she thought. She agreed with me - and smiled. Everyone is smiling at me today. What's that about?

I guess being a domestic goddess gives me a glow. Cool.

(Apples picture included because - well, you know, alluding to the snake thing. Snakes - apples - they just go together, or is that my parochial elementary school influence talking?).