I am going to admit something publicly here...I may never invite someone over to dinner again. Why? Because I am a terrible cook-under-pressure. Something ALWAYS goes wrong.
You want evidence? OK...just because I love you and for your reading pleasure...
A couple of weeks ago, we learned that some friends who had been our neighbors in Idaho had moved to Arizona and were living about 2o minutes away from us. Delightful! Wonderful! Friends close by...I was thrilled. We decided to invite them over to dinner. My hubby called earlier in the week and invited them over for Sunday dinner. I had a lovely turkey breast sitting in the freezer and we decided to pull it out, thaw it and make a delicious meal befitting a reunion with friends.
Sunday morning I was busy making all the preparations necessary for our dinner, getting kids and husband ready for church and all that other good Sunday morning stuff. About 30 minutes before we needed to leave for church I turned on the oven to preheat and went to finish working on my hair and put on some make up. Kids were going crazy, husband was getting antsy to get going and I was rushing as quickly as I could, trying to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything. I took one last look in the mirror to make sure that I had applied mascara to both sets of eyelashes (I can't tell you how many times I have done one...gotten distracted by some urgent matter and forgotten to finish the job). Satisfied that I had blackened both lash sets, I ran out the the car. We made it on time to church and even were able to sit and listen to the prelude music for about 4 minutes before sacrament meeting. I was feeling pretty good about the morning, I was thinking that for once...I might actually be able to pull off a nice and on time dinner.
Primary yesterday was a little crazy...but that is another story...I only mention it because it means that my mind was on what was happening there and not thinking at all about what needed to be happening in order to have a successful dinner. It was not until we were in the car on the way home that my heart stopped beating, hyperventilation began and panic overcame me when I realized...I FORGOT TO PUT THE TURKEY IN THE OVEN!!!!!
Now...I ask you people, what would you do?..You have 30 minutes to get everything ready and pulled off well. Our friends don't eat red meat and wouldn't you know it...it was one of the few times I didn't have some chicken in the freezer (having used it the night before for delicious rice bowls). So...I stood shell shocked for a few minutes in front of the cupboard before I decided to go for a lovely vegetarian meal. I added some beans and rice to what I had planned, skipped the potatoes and got everything going. Our friends had been delayed by an unexpected visitor and were a wee bit late...so everything was a little past the done point.
Oh well...I think the snickerdoodles and ice cream were alright...
I wonder how long it's going to be before I decide to invite friends over for dinner again.
9 comments:
Oh, no! I feel your pain. Once I delivered a meal of soup and fresh bread to a neighbor. When I came home to eat ours, I realized that the bread was rock hard!
That's why I make my hubby help with dinner. Usually he is more than happy to anyways. :)
Isn't that the way of it!
I probably would have done pretty much what you did under pressure.
Thinking about it now, though - it might have been interesting to cut the turkey breast into smaller pieces so that it cooked faster - then pan fry, grill, broil - whatever your favorite cooking method is.
I have no idea how that would actually turn out though...
OH NO!!! Next time, try having them on a friday night and just order pizza! No stress!!! Sorry it turned out that way!
Sounds like you did just the right thing!! Presto, chango and I'm sure the meal was great! So let me guess... turkey tonight??
Tragic!! I'll bet you are a brilliant chef in normal circumstances. Look how clever you were to throw something together with limited options and time.
For some strange reason, I typically try out new recipes on guests. Can't think why I insist on repeating this behavior, but I'm pretty sure that next time I have someone over, I'll stress myself out with some "great" new recipe.
I am impressed that you were able to throw something so nice together at the last minute. I would have been in a complete panic and wouldn't be able to come up with an alternatives. I think you did pretty well under pressure.
First off, I think you are a brilliant cook. You saved dinner! You were able to pull something off last minute and it worked. I think that is talent! Second, I could have written this exact post. I have totally given up on sharing my cooking with others. It never turns out right under pressure. I think my brain becomes way to scattered and food isn't a high priority to me. This was a funny post though. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Thanks for sharing your pain:) It makes me like you even more!
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