<p>Themajorityofmycookingconsistsofthrowingtogetherwhatever's in my fridge and cupboards. And, gladly, what I'vegrownorsurprisinglyharvestedfromtheyardthatcamewithmynewapartment!</p>
<p>Likemostpeople,thewayIcook(andshop)haschanged.It's more sparse, probably a bit boring, and at the same time more creative as I replace ingredients with what I have. Getting a "want/need/crave" item around meal times is no longer part of my life. In the beginning of the pandemic, I was that woman retreating, jumping back or even running away when people approached. The woman who snapped at people, and had to calm down in the quietest part of the store (if you'reinneed,trythedietaryrestrictionorhealthfoodsection).Foracouplemonths,Ionlywenttoonestore,closeby,whereIknewwhereeverythingwas,soIcouldgoinandoutasfastasIcould.Afriendjokinglycalledmeanoldlady,Icallittakingcareofmymentalhealth.Isoonbeganshoppinginthemorningwhenit's more quiet (yep, right after granny hour), and almost a year later I still don'tgoaroundpeakhours.Idon'tplanmeals,Ijustgrabavarietyoffruitandveggiesforuptoaweek,andaddtofu,seitan,tempeh,lentilsandbeans,sometimesafun(thoughgenerallylowinprotein)burgeroranadd-water-nut-burger-mix.Thedownsideisthatmymealscoulduseabitmorespiceandspunk,theupsideisthatIbuyandeatwaylesscandy,chocolate,cookies,chipsanddessert-typethingsthatlureyourlowglucoselevelsintherushtowarddinnertime.</p>
<p>Themajorityofmycookingconsistsofthrowingtogetherwhatever's in my fridge and cupboards. And, gladly, what I'vegrownorsurprisinglyharvestedfromtheyardthatcamewithmynewapartment!*</p>
<p>Likemostpeople,thewayIcook(andshop)haschanged.It's more sparse, probably a bit boring, and at the same time more creative as I replace ingredients with what I have. Getting a "want/need/crave" item around meal times is no longer part of my life. In the beginning of the pandemic, I was that woman retreating, jumping back or even running away when people approached. The woman who snapped at people, and had to calm down in the quietest part of the store (if you'reinneed,trythedietaryrestrictionorhealthfoodsection).Foracouplemonths,Ionlywenttoonestore,closeby,whereIknewwhereeverythingwas,soIcouldgoinandoutasfastasIcould.Afriendjokinglycalledmeanoldlady,Icallittakingcareofmymentalhealth.Isoonbeganshoppinginthemorningwhenit's more quiet (yep, right after granny hour), and almost a year later I still don'tgoaroundpeakhours.Idon'tplanmeals,Ijustgrabavarietyoffruitandveggiesforuptoaweek,andaddtofu,seitan,tempeh,lentilsandbeans,sometimesafun(thoughgenerallylowinprotein)burgeroranadd-water-nut-burger-mix.Thedownsideisthatmymealscoulduseabitmorespiceandspunk,theupsideisthatIbuyandeatwaylesscandy,chocolate,cookies,chipsanddessert-typethings.*****</p>
<p>Or:lastweekafterdinner,Isuddenlyfeltlikeasweetdessert.Ididn't have anything readymade but I did have chocolate sprinkles, flour and oatmeal. So I looked up a recipe for cookies and started dragging the main ingredients out of the cupboards. A word of warning: although it'sfuntotry,youcannotjustsimplyreplaceingredientsthatseemsimilar.I've made scones with coconut creme instead of soyghurt. Not a great idea. I'vesubbedflourwithsomeleftovercoconutflour.Notagoodideaeither.Theconsistencyrequiresotheradaptations,anditallendsupbeingawet,soggymess.Othertimesadaptingrecipesworksoutgreatthough!Chocolatesprinklecookies.</p>
<p>***with somenon-spicyportionsofmyveggiestogivetothecats.OfcourseIdoresearchonwhatthey're allowed to have, in small doses, and they were very interesting in trying pumpkin, sweet potato and broccoli. Especially the little cat has a sweet tooth, and wants in on the fruits as well. So far she'striedmango,kiwi,lychee,andkakifruit.</p>
<p>****ButthemainexceptionthispastyearismyquesttocopyCoppi's coconut macaroons. They sell them at Coppi Koffie on the Bergweg, and I love them so much that when I felt less comfortable going out in March/April 2020, I started making them myself. The first time, I made them for a friend's40thbirthdayinApril.Insteadofafuncelebrationinthepark,herbirthdayweekendwasasuperstressfulstay-at-homeversionofaChristmasdinner,whereshewascateringtoallofherfamily,andherboyfriend's family. The typical running around serving everybody on your own day. So we went for a "distance walk," and ate coconut cookies. This version followed a recipe that adds flour, so they weren'tmacaroonsatall,butcrispcookies.Slightlyfailedandstale,actually,althoughIlseassuredtothankmeforthisbirthdaygift.</p>
<p>***With somenon-spicyportionsofmyveggiestogivetothecats.OfcourseIdoresearchonwhatthey're allowed to have, in small doses, and they were very interesting in trying pumpkin, sweet potato and broccoli. They want in on a lot of fruits as well. So far they'vetriedmango,pear,strawberry,kiwi,lychee,andkakifruit.</p>
<p>****Butthemainexceptionthispastyearismy<b>questtocopyCoppi's coconut macaroons</b>. They sell them at Coppi Koffie on the Bergweg, and I love them so much that when I felt less comfortable going out in March/April 2020, I started making them myself. The first time, I made them for a friend's40thbirthdayinApril.Insteadofafuncelebrationinthepark,herbirthdayweekendwasasuperstressfulstay-at-homeversionofaChristmasdinner,whereshewascateringtoallofherfamily,andherboyfriend's family. The typical running around serving everybody on your own day. So we went for a "distance walk," and ate coconut cookies. This version followed a recipe that adds flour, so they weren'tmacaroonsatall,butcrispcookies.Slightlyfailedandstale,actually,althoughIlseassuredtothankmeforthisbirthdaygift.</p>
<p>Ihavemadethemfourtimesnow(IgotdistractedbycopyingSpirit's scones), and tried a different recipe each time. I'mnotevenremotelyclosetoElise's version at all. Not even after I told her that if I can make these, and make them well, all the corona isolation will have had at least some... productive outcome, upon which she revealed her ingredients to me, and when I tried it like that, it still wasn'tthewayshemakesthem,butit'sbeenafunchallengetokeepworkingonadaptingtherecipe.Bynowitalmostfeelslike,thatifIfinallymanagetomakeitthewayElisemakesthem...Allthisendlesssolobaking,soloeating,willbeover,maybe?</p>
<p>*****IwrotethisinJanuary2021,andbythetimeI'm editing this in June I'mabletogotothestoreagainduringthedaywithmuchlessanxiety(aboutthepeoplethere).Snacksandbellyfatareback.</p>
<p>BynowI've babbled on for way too long to have space for recipes, and you can figure out most of my simple baking on your own, so here'sthemainidea....</p>