Be My Guest

While Tony's gone I'll be cooking for one and eating by myself most nights. Today I started some pulled pork in the crock pot before I left for work. Frozen into individual servings, it will give me lots of leftovers for the coming weeks. When I came home, I was greeted with a wonderful smell emanating from the kitchen. Before I went outside to cut the grass, I put two potatoes in the oven-one for tonight's dinner and one for lunch tomorrow. The potatoes were almost ready when I was done cutting, but were fork-tender after I showered and changed my clothes. I cut some carrots and prepared to dine.

When I'm by myself, I often eat sitting in front of the computer, but tonight I felt like doing something special, so I ate by myself in the dining room, using china, silver, and crystal. I used a place mat and napkin that coordinated with a flower I'd gotten from a friend, and gathered a plate, glass, and silverware from various parts of the house. The only thing I passed on was a candle, but since it was still quite light out, it wasn't necessary.

By time I arranged my pulled pork sandwich on whole wheat toast, baked potato, and carrots on the plate it was quite full. I poured myself a glass of lemonade; it was extra-special in the elegant glass. The food wasn't particularly fancy, but the atmosphere more than made up for it: