Blog Entry: The return of a lost love
Today was a red-letter day. Not because I had a great revision session (although I did! 4 chapters revised, woooooooot!); not even because our bathrooms are now astonishingly, sparklingly clean (for which, alas, I can take no credit). It was because:
Today I cooked macaroni 'n cheese!
OK, I guess I'll understand if that doesn't immediately sound like such a mind-blowing event. But here's the thing: this was my first macaroni 'n cheese in almost two years. Because of MrD's dietary restrictions, I'd been officially refused dairy ever since the autumn of 2008. As a vegetarian, you'd think I'd have practice at this sort of thing. After all, I've happily done without meat for 14 years now, with very little difficulty even at the very beginning.
Giving up dairy, on the other hand, almost killed me. So much comfort food is dairy! Hot chocolates, milk chocolates, cheesecake, milkshakes, and, oh, yes...macaroni 'n cheese, my top comfort food of ALL TIME.
I really, really missed it.
Thank goodness, MrD's dietary restrictions have been gradually easing off over the last few months, and today I finally took the plunge.
Insane amounts of yummy Welsh cheddar cheese, melted into whole milk, baked with steaming-hot macaroni and minced garlic under a bread-crumb topping...when I took it out of the oven, the smell alone nearly sent me into shock, after so long without. As I ate it, I consciously took the time to savor every single moment.
Going without macaroni 'n cheese (and dairy in general) for so long...well, it was kind of like having a long-distance relationship. Sometimes you have to do it, because for important reasons you and your partner just have to be in different parts of the world for a while; the one truly wonderful side-effect is that it feels SO GREAT to come back together afterwards, because you missed each other SO MUCH and you appreciate each other now on a WHOLE NEW LEVEL...
But really, you just never want to leave each other ever, ever again.
I'm so happy to have you back in my life, mac 'n cheese.
What about you guys? What are your favorite comfort foods? And/or: what small pleasure have you enjoyed most, lately?