Transforming......

 Transforming a bunch of flowers into a centrepiece for the table was my first task this afternoon, as tomorrow evening I shall be having guests for dinner.

With the flowers done I then turned my thoughts on what to prepare, given my late finish on a Friday afternoon I wanted to prepare half of the meal tonight.

 With onions and garlic sizzling on the cooker I allowed the flow of creativity to work through me, no recipe to follow I simply went with what I was prompted to do.

First result, this hearty spicy bean and mushroom pasta sauce, smells divine, all I have to do tomorrow to complete this course is cook the pasta and the garlic bread to serve with it. My tummy is rumbling already!

 Deciding that I wanted a soup to start, I concocted this curried lentil and cauliflower soup, again, just  opened the pantry and fridge and all of a sudden the dish appeared before my eyes.

 All I will have to do tomorrow is make desert, at this stage I thinking of apple crumble, or pie (time will dictate which,) served with cranberries poached in maple syrup and orange juice, with a dollop of soy ice cream.

 It is a rare event having dinner guests in my house, and it is perhaps the thing I miss the most about sharing life with another, I adore cooking, love inventing new recipes, love watching those I love eating a meal I have created for them, it simply is not the same eating on ones own.

 Some people I know are a little hesitant at coming to a vegans for dinner, I am still amazed that so many people think that I survive on lettuce leaves and not much else.

In fact once, a few years a go, I was expecting a couple for dinner, the male of the two decided he needed to eat before he came as he said that there was no way he would like, nor be filled with food made entirely of vegetables!

Well, he was lost for words, and he was full to the point of bursting, which made me laugh when I found out what he had done before arriving.

 With the kitchen sparkling clean once again after my afternoon of cooking I sat back happy with my results, looking forward to an evening of good food, wonderful company and hours of stimulating conversation.

Now though, it is time to relax into the ambient mood that surrounds me..............