Do you know what the problem is with being a digital nomad? You’re always missing something. You’re missing family, friends, kitchen tools, an ingredient. Last week I wanted to make my grandmother’s tea biscuits but I didn’t have a rolling pin. I could have used a bottle of wine but the stubborn wine label refused to peel off. This is the price you pay for having restless wanderlust.

The other day, before I went out to the Salt Cave in Asheville and grabbed a bite at the Indian restaurant with my aunt, I made Alex alla vodka sauce. But instead of vodka I used the leftover white wine. Luckily I didn’t pour it down the drain. Of course it worked, why wouldn’t it? If you ask me, white wine is better than vodka–unless you have vodka and don’t have white wine. Anise liqueur such as Arak or ouzo, just a couple tablespoons, can work great too.

Cooking should never be strict, otherwise it’s a burden, not fun. That’s something my father taught me. Everything can be replaced. Sad but true. This kind of improvisation is exactly what being a digital nomad teaches you. You become better and better at problem solving, a master of improvisation. If there were an Olympics for improvisation, I would have won a gold medal.

If I made this sauce for me too, I would have used cashew cream (1 cup raw cashews soaked in boiled water for 1 hour, then drained and blended with 1 cup of fresh water until smooth and creamy). However, I wanted to please the Teenager so I made it with real heavy cream — Keanu (my husband) buys a proper grass-fed cream in a thick glass bottle.

Honestly, I didn’t taste the sauce with the pasta, I wasn’t here when the Teenager cooked the pasta, but he said that it was delicious. Trust him, he is a great cook with a very particular palate. Just like his mom. I didn’t call the blog Humble Shelly, I called it Humble Kitchen.

Can you make this sauce with regular tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes? Yes you can! But if you don’t mind, can you please peel them?