Fake Nostalgia

For some reason, I made Spaghetti and Beanballs from Veganomicon.

I say "for some reason" because, for me, spaghetti and meatballs are not a comfort food I was ever accustomed to.  My mother used to make a meat sauce, but the meat would be loose in the sauce, cooked along with onion -- never shaped into balls.  I guess I just decided to make it because I love Veganomicon and trust it thoroughly, and also because I had everything I needed without going to a grocery store.  I still had homemade sauce in my freezer, about two months old (and still good!) but, to tell you the truth, I supplemented it with some Newman's Own sauce -- the tomato and basil kind.  Also, I had some leftover shallots and a green bell pepper picked by my ever-generous friend Jenn, so I chopped them into tiny bits and cooked them into the sauce just to veggie the dish up some.

It was good but not great.  I'm not really sure why I made it, actually.  Sometimes when I'm hungry I just cook what I've got all the ingredients for without thinking.  Kids, think before you cook!  If you're not really into beanball-type things, don't make them!  It just doesn't make sense.  Still, I've eaten worse things -- usually made by professional chefs, who, in my opinion, must suck at life to serve bad food professionally.
For the record, that is vegan imitation Parmesan cheese, folks.While we're on the topic of fake nostalgia, I accidentally bought celery.  "Whattayamean you ACCIDENTALLY bought celery?"  I mean that I thought a recipe called for it, but it didn't.  So I decided to use it as the ultimate vegan childhood snack -- ants on a log. 
OK, but I've got to confess: I never ate ants on a log in my childhood.  I don't think my mom knew about putting raisins on the celery with peanut butter.  We only ever ate it without raisins.  I know, I totally had a deprived childhood.  But now, in my adulthood, I would never dream of eating the logs without the ants.  And the celery I didn't enjoy in this manner, I put into my freezer for eventual usage in some veggie broth, for I find that, because I so rarely buy celery, I'm always lacking it when I go to make broth.  And it is absolutely essential for veggie broth. 

Today is the birthday of my previously-mentioned friend Jenn, and tonight we are having a campfire gathering to celebrate.  I've made her some Individual Heart-Shaped Galettes from Veganomicon because she is such a love-bug, I know it will make her cheery vegan heart grow three sizes.  Although I suspect that her chest would explode if that were true because she's already got a huge heart.  Man, I love my friends.  As I'm sure we all do.