kitchen fantasies

Last night I had a dream that I was making myself lunch. I was in my old apartment kitchen, whipping up a hearty bean soup that I had recently found the recipe for. The entire place smelled wonderfully and I left to do laundry as I let the pot simmer for a few hours. It would be ready, and delicious, by the time I got back. Then, I woke up.

I was dreaming, of course, because these days, although I do have a stronger say in what I eat (two cheers for being food chair), I am never the one making it. Sweet Carol (who I do love dearly) consults me about meals and recipes but it is her job to create, prepare and serve everything to us hungry yet health-conscious sorority girls. If it sounds like a tough job, I'm sure that it probably is.

Today for lunch she made wraps in about five different combinations. Three of them were made with tofu, for yours truly, since she knows I don't eat most animal proteins and have tired of cheese-based vegetarian options. I don't have tofu often, (hardly at all really), so it was a nice and tasty surprise, one that I enjoyed alongside our daily salads.

The afternoon before, I made the salad my main course with a necessary addition of chickpeas and a small hummus sandwich. I believe I also had a cup of vegetable soup which appears to have been camera shy. Now, as the days are surely getting colder, I am sure that the salads will take a back seat to soups and other warming foods but I hope to keep this healthy habit up nonetheless.

If only I were in the kitchen, I would make soups with pounds (yes, quite literally) of greens but I digress. I will have to cook for myself for most likely, the rest of my life, so I should enjoy the pampering while I still can :) Here's what one writer at Real Simple learned about life from spending hours in her own kitchen:

1. Small gestures can make a big difference.
2. Cheap thrills are closer than you think.
3. Control is overrated.
4. Sing if you must, but quit thinking so much.
5. There are always second chances.
6. Substance beats style every time.
7. We all have what it takes to create something.
8. Communicate, any way you can.
9. Your instinct may not be the best, but it's yours.
10. Less really is more.