Things were not going well. I had managed to use more dishes prepping than normal so the counter was covered with dirty pots and pans, utensils, and the like. Grease had splattered all over the stove and walls when I was sautéing the onions, so the entire kitchen was a dirty, grimy disaster. There would need to be a massive clean up to be guest-ready.
Then I scorched the milk for the pudding. This meal was turning into more drama than seemed necessary. I realized a lot of the stress I was feeling was self-generated so I took a deep breath.
I started over - which seriously threw my timing off - and I could almost hear the countdown in my head. Apparently that deep breath had just wasted precious time. It was becoming obvious that the kitchen was not going to be pretty when the doorbell rang. Oh, well. What are ya gonna do, right?
I was whipping the egg yolks to finish the pudding when Jerry arrived home from work. He tasted the entree - one of his favorites - and announced that it was "too spicy to eat." That was happy news. Not.
 |
| Gross. |
Those words were chasing each other around in my mind when I poured the eggs into the warm milk too fast and they instantly curdled, turning scrambled before my very eyes. I didn't have enough milk to attempt pudding for a third time. For a split second, I wondered if I could strain the lumps out - seriously, there was less than five minutes before Dick and Lee were to arrive.
Then a miracle occurred! Lee texted me that she had burned the green beans that she was bringing as a side dish.
I believe in divine guidance and I know it when I see it.
Ten minutes later, we were all sitting in a booth at our neighborhood Italian restaurant, ordering dinner.
The food was excellent.
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