Moo.

Since becoming vegan so abruptly, Emily has left me with the task of finishing off all the dairy products in the fridge, the most daunting of which is, of course, the half-full gallon of milk.

Throwing milk away stinks a lot, and if you procrastinate on dumping it like I do, I mean that very literally. When I am the only one drinking the milk, I will buy the small cartons, but sometimes even those have half a cup or two left over days after the expiration.

I’m certain I’m not the only one out there who is plagued by this terrible, terrible reality. I still think having milk delivered in glass bottles to our doorstep will somehow solve everything, but some disagree with me. So how can one find (less exciting) ways to use up that last bit of milk before it goes bad?

The trick is, to bake with it. Once it’s been cooked, that milk is good for another few weeks. (Don’t try cooking your milk and then re-refrigerating it to drink again. I’m sure that will not have good results. …Actually, someone dumb and deserving should try this, and let me know how it goes.)

Recipes that call for milk will often require less than you need to use up. Here are my favorite from-scratch, I-need-to-get-rid-of-a-lot-of-milk recipes:

Cheese sauce (for mac & cheese): Dissolve corn starch into milk in microwavable container (about 1 tablespoon per 1 cup of milk will give you a nice, thick sauce). Microwave until sauce begins to thicken (it will start to rise up). Stir it a bit, then add grated cheese (the amount depends on how cheesy you want it, but you will need at least one cup) and stir. Pop it back in the microwave, and zap for another minute or so to melt the cheese and give the corn starch time to fully thick-ify.

Vanilla pudding: Similar beginning—corn starch in milk, milk in microwave. Instead of adding cheese, however, add sugar (1/2 cup per 1 cup milk), and microwave for several minutes after it’s thick to blast out that starchy taste. Let cool slightly before adding a teaspoon or so of vanilla.

Tapioca pudding: Follow the directions on the box, fool!

Rice pudding: This is also good for using up leftover rice. Mix equal parts rice and milk and sugar (half a cup or less) in a saucepan and cook at medium heat until thick. Beat an egg with a little more milk and add in. Cook another couple minutes and eat while it’s nice and warm.