Close to Nowhere

I hope your holidays were good and filled with happy people and delicious food.

Me personally, as much as I enjoy the people and the food, I’m kind of glad they’re behind us. I can use a good stretch of boring rut for a while. About Valentine’s Day I’ll be ready to holiday again.

We did almost traditional for New Year’s. I went to sleep long before midnight. Youngest granddaughter Remy sent out a group text about 10 minutes after 12 and woke me up. I’d been in my chair “watching” television, so I got up and went to bed. Son Kris was already asleep. Wild times at the Jones house.

New Year’s Day was as normal as we get. Daughter Dana went to the movies with a friend, brother Dennis had football plans at a sports bar with friends, and brother Danny had to work, so it was just grandchildren and greatgrands at the house. Oldest granddaughter Mere’s husband Tim has that tick disease where he can’t eat red meat. He’s always been allergic to eggs and dairy, so we have to be really careful cooking.

We had ham (well, Tim didn’t), black-eyed peas (with canola oil and they were good) and turnip greens (with canola oil) and you really can’t tell a lot of difference. Instead of mashed potatoes (no butter, no milk) or potato salad (no mayo, no eggs), I made stewed potatoes, with canola oil and plantbased (avocado) butter. That plant-based butter is so much better than margarine. It’s a shame it’s so expensive, but I think I’ve switched from margarine to plant-based anyway.

We also had chicken and dressing. Tim can eat fowl, so chicken and turkey are great to cook with. Dressing requires cornbread though and cornbread requires buttermilk and eggs. Right?

Wrong! I Googled dairyfree cornbread and found a vegan recipe – cornmeal, flour, canola oil, salt, water and sugar. The recipe called for a fourth of a cup of sugar. I’d never made vegan cornbread before so I went exactly by the recipe. Next time, I’m using the normal spoonful of sugar.

There will be a next time. It was good. Hot out of the oven with plant-based butter, the corner I broke off and ate was great. It tasted like cornbread – a little crumbly, but really good.

(If you ever want a vegan recipe, email me and I’ll send you ones I’ve tried —ljones38685@gmail.com.)

Sunday, I’m making white chili, and vegan cornbread. I find it hard to believe, but I like quite a bit of the vegan food.

I hope I’m not turning into a Yankee...