Last night we had friends over for a celebratory dinner party marking the one year anniversary of super-geek and my co-habitation as well as my resultant vegetarianism. I'll find any way to host a party! And we're getting better at it...or so I thought.
After various brunches, dinners and holiday meals at which sg and i spent way too much time cooking while our guests looked on, we aimed for major pre-preparation this time. Two nights ago I sous-ed like crazy while he prepared a wicked good curry. I also whipped up some dips using packaged (gasp) spice mixes. So last night, all that remained was to cut up some veggies, boil the rice, and throw together the mix for brownies which we intended to serve ala mode for dessert.
Yes, the brownies were also packaged, but the ingredients were literally exactly what we would have used from scratch (no mysterious substances or extraneous syrups). Having only to add butter and eggs and voila! fit in perfectly with our "focus on the friends not the food" theme. Of course, we're vegan, so I didn't actually use butter and eggs, but instead earth balance and banana.
The weather was wintry for the first time this season and our guests arrived in dribs and drabs, nibbling on snacks until the full contingent arrived. Dinner, once served, was awesome (I can say that because sg was mainly responsible.) The curry once again was right on. I don't know how he does that?
As everyone chowed down, we threw the brownies in the oven so they'd have time to bake and cool. As they did so, the scent of bananas filled the apartment, which should have been the first clue of things going, ahem, awry. I knew the pan I used was slightly larger than the recipe called for, but I was assured by a very reliable guest that brownies "puff up" when they bake. i can now say from experience that, when banana is used instead of egg, they do not, for the results were the thickness of pita bread and the consistency of taffy.
But we were all in good spirits and everyone adventurously took one. some of us scooped on neopolitan soy ice cream, thinking that would improve things. again, not a wise decision. the jokes got rowdier and funnier as everyone did their best to consume what could only loosely be defined as dessert. comparisons were made to peanut brittle and, more appropriate consistency-wise, jerky. I was laughing along with the rest, mainly eating the ice cream in my bowl, when I decided to go for it and take a bit of the brittle/jerky. unwise decision number three.
I immediately felt the snap and threw my hand up. sg, still in joking mode and thinking maybe I had bit my tongue, quipped, "what, did you chip your tooth or something?" um, yes. or at least sort of. see, due to high doses of antibiotics in my younger years, my front teeth were terribly stained. so 10 or so years ago my dentist whittled them down a bit and capped them with veneers. For the orally challenged, veneers are like Lee press-on nails for your teeth, but the glue is a heck of a lot stronger. apparently not strong enough for these "brownies", though, as one had simply snapped off.
I rushed to the bathroom to confirm what I already knew. One capped front tooth, one noticibly smaller bare one. This, oddly enough, was a nightmare come true. I often dream that I have snapped one of those babies off and have to walk around all snaggle-toothed, but it hasn't actually happened in 10 years! There was nothing to be done, of course, so I went back to our guests.
Hilarity ensued as we pondered my predicament. It dawned on me that I had a meeting scheduled for this morning and would simply have to suck it up. I found myself covering my mouth as I talked until my co-conversationalist assured me that she was not, in fact, looking at my teeth. Others across the room pointed out that they couldn't see a difference.
I was struck by how awesome it was to be in an atmosphere that encouraged me to laugh at myself and my vanity (the wine probably helped). And, considering that I still haven't been able to reach my dentist, I think I'll be drawing on that feeling over the next few days-or longer?!-until symmetry can be restored to my pearly whites.
