Normally, a weekday meal for guests isn't a big deal given that both kids are in daycare during the day and I work from home which allows me to do some major multi-tasking. Normally I get the kids ready for the day, drop them off and then come home to shower, work and do whatever needs managed around the house. Normally the house would be clean and 90% of dinner made before my guest arrived.
Yesterday was not a normal day. Actually, I suppose it was. There's no such thing as "normal" anymore when you have kids. But let's just say it was not ideal conditions for hosting guests for dinner.
Before I even had a chance to take a shower, daycare called to inform me that Fletcher was throwing up. Poor little guy. Brought him home and prayed it was a fluke and he would be fine. Three changes of clothes later - for him, only 1 change for me - I realized. sadly, that indeed he was sick.
The afternoon quickly approached and I needed to get busy with dinner. Just as I began to get Fletcher settled so that I could prep, he threw up, yet again. This time, right into his car seat! Nice. Stripped him, pulled the cover off the seat (yes, you can do it with one hand while holding a baby with the other) and threw everything into the wash.
Fletcher, having purged again, was feeling better and settled down to sleep. I started to prep dinner - a recipe I had never made before but nothing overly complicated. I won't share the recipe - it is from one of my favorite chefs and I dare not disparage this chef because of my own failures. One day, when I have made it again and redeemed myself, I will share it because I'm convinced that executed properly it will be great.
The chicken was to be sauteed and then put in the oven with a creamy mushroom sauce to finish it off. My gut was telling me to butterfly the chicken and pound it out. Chicken breasts get dried out, rubbery and over-done so easily in the oven. I've NEVER had much luck baking chicken breasts. Tenderizing is the way to go. My gut told me to tenderize, but my head told me I didn't have much time to get everything done so just follow the recipe and hope for the best.
Everything was going well, chicken was browned and I was in the middle of prepping the sauce when Fletcher started having a meltdown. There's no way to stop mid-sauce so I moved him to the swing on the edge of the kitchen and did some sort of awkward aerobic move leaping from him to the stove and back. Needless to say, the sauce over-reduced and got a little too thick.
Fletcher once again settled down, giving me just enough time to do a quick surface clean in the kitchen and get the spit-up free cover back onto his car seat before we had to leave to pick up Sydney. It was at this point I realized A) I still had not showered, and B) never had time for lunch.
Got Sydney home, fed her dinner and a snack for me. I felt like things were looking up. A shower was completely out of the question but that was ok. I was presentable. HA! No sooner had this thought crossed my mind when Fletcher threw up again. All over me. Sigh. I changed again and attempted to mask the spit-up smell.
Back to dinner. The bag of salad mix I bought the day before was wilted and slimy. Thank goodness for frozen broccoli and my fool-proof roasted broccoli recipe! The chicken did, in fact, overcook. It was the worst rubber chicken dinner ever and the sauce was a thick mess. My friend is very gracious. She ate a more-than -respectable amount of that horrible chicken and never looked twice at the pile of unfolded laundry on the counter, dishes and bottles lined up near the sink or toys scattered all over the floor. Thankfully I had some wonderfully fresh Florida strawberries and shortcake for dessert. Saved the meal.
Lessons of the day. Listen to your gut. If a kid is sick, just cancel your plans. Or order take-out. Your true friends won't care. Thank you Sandie!
Side note - I am sitting here writing this and feel eyes on me. I look up and see this precious face smiling back at me. I think he's beginning to feel better.
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