Order and Chaos...

Is a recurring theme through this compilation of minimalistic Detroit techno I have recently bought.

<3 this!

Order and Chaos are also two opposing forces that regularly co-exist in my kitchen.

I'd like to say this was unusual...

And my household in general. Like many parents with busy lives and lively children, it can sometimes feel like you're caught on a hamster wheel, constantly running but not getting anywhere. Not making progress, not moving forward, just keeping from slipping backwards. 

I once watched a programme that explained Newton's Second Law of Thermodynamics. Which is - if you don't keep moving everything's going to turn to sh*te.

THIS is the law I think of when housekeeping! (n_n)

So, on a typically rainy and chaotically windy spring day in Bathgate -

I have HUNDREDS of pictures of raindrops on windows.

I decided that what I wanted, what I really, really wanted, was to curl up on the sofa with a cup of Earl Grey tea and something to eat that was so decadent, so heart-warmingly good, that it would make me feel completely indulged for just a few minutes before I got back to that hamster wheel!

I wanted something gooey, and saucey and chocolatey, but bearing in mind I still had my other household chores to do - washing up, preparing dinner, dusting (groan!) - it had to be easy to throw together.

Cue Sarah Kramer's 'La Dolce Vegan!' and the recipe for Chocolate Puddin' Cake.

This recipe looks like a hot mess when you read it:

literally.

 "How much sugar? You pour HOW much hot water over it? You don't STIR??"

But have faith, if you follow the quantities and timings - admittedly, I tend to err on the side of caution and bake for 45 minutes rather than the recommended 40 - you will end-up with a delicious, self-saucing chocolate cake with moist, soft chocolate sponge and a rich, gooey sauce in the bottom.

The substitutions I made were:

Bashed-up almonds in place of walnuts because that's what I had in the storecupboard.

Plain wholemeal flour instead of white - as above. :)

I also used hemp-seed oil because I LOVE my Good Oil - it's delicious, packs a nutritional punch and can be added to both sweet and savoury baking with equal success.

Best served warm with Alpro soya cream.

 And then - just like my moment of midday indulgence - it's gone.

 Which leads to:

The Skint Vegan Top Tip of the Day:

It doesn't have to be an expensive thing to indulge yourself, but the importance of treating yourself every now and again is priceless.

• Leave the kids with their Dad, lock the bathroom door and have a long hot bath while reading that book you've been trying to start for weeks.
• Paint your nails while watching a guilty pleasure you've recorded - mine is 'Four Weddings' on Pick TV!
• Go to your local pool, swim a few lengths and use the steam room - we're very lucky in West Lothian that our municipal facilities are both well-maintained and inexpensive.
•  Or treat yourself to a spot of afternoon tea instead of running those errands that will still be there a half-hour later! (-_o)