Beta: Home Alone

Over the years the idea of being away from the AC for any length of time has evolved from the "missing you every moment, waiting by the phone" to "oh, good, the house to myself". I enjoy some time alone, in my house, without music, generally vegging out to Hulu.

I have been infamous in my malnutrition while the AC is away. Once, I subsisted on brie, crackers, olives, boxed wine and popcorn. And it was damn good. Of course, I felt way better when the AC came home and pumped actual nutrition into my diet, but there's something to say for a little bit of laziness.

My lack of nutrition when alone isn't because I can't cook, there's some element of rebellion to it. I have often wondered what level of cuisine I would settle on if left alone. I always assumed I'd have to find another chef to cook for me, should we part. But I have evolved. One staple at-home-alone meal for me was macaroni and cheese, yes, the boxed variety. I would fool myself and buy the Amy's, you know, the organic kind with the little bunny pasta, but it really tastes just as bad. Mac and cheese was something the AC wouldn't touch, that I could eat all alone without guilt. Then I added some kind of canned meat, usually chicken or salmon. This was my on-my-own staple, until I found orchietta pasta and tuna packed in olive oil. This elevated the whole mac and cheese concept to a new level of cooking.

It's so simple and easy, but tastes good, the perfect combination. The ingredients are simple: one portion orchietta pasta, one can of tuna packed in olive oil (Trader Joe's makes a really good one), leftover veggies-chopped, grated parmesan (no, not kraft, real parmesan), salt, black pepper and cayenne.  I cook the pasta, drain and remove from the sauce pan, then add to the same pan whatever chopped veggies we have around- helps relieve some of the guilt I was talking about earlier. I add a bit of olive oil from the tuna to cook the veggies, once soft I add the tuna with the rest of the olive oil, douse in salt, black pepper and cayenne and cook until warm, then I toss the pasta in and stir fry for about a minute. I then dump it all into a pasta bowl and cover with grated parmesan. For the version pictured here I used crimini mushrooms and black olives de provence.

So that leads us to the boxed wine. Yes, boxed wine. I'm assuming most of you have explored this new world of premium, not just for cheap parties, boxed wine. For me it has served a very specific purpose, namely, I'm home alone and want a glass of wine, but don't necessarily want to "drink alone"- a concept heavily frowned upon in the 12 step world. I've found that the white varieties are the most drinkable (with the exception of Chardonnay, never drink cheap Chardonnay), probably because it's chilled, but whatever. I have found that Sauvignon Blanc is usually the most drinkable. This brand, Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc, is actually quite good, for a boxed wine. It's crisp, tangy, a tad sweet off dry.

So there you have it, the Ultimate Beta home alone, not so bad. Much better when the AC returns. But then usually I have had a couple days to decompress, enjoy the silence and eat enough junk to really appreciate what I have. I guess that's pretty perfect.