Party Dinner

We had an early birthday dinner for Amalie with our great friends, the Winn's family. What Amalie wants for her birthday would be definitely playing friends since she is an only child. After I told Amalie the dinner plan, she kept coming to the kitchen window to see if they are coming. She was so excited, so were we.

I always enjoy making a big meal, but this time, everything went wrong by starting a flu shot I got yesterday. The nurse put the whole length of the needle into my arm. As soon as she shot me, my fingers got cramped, and then the right side of my body went numb. It was even hard to walk. Then, late night after my arm became capable to cook, I couldn't beat egg whites for the cake somehow. After waisting 8 eggs with a third trial, I finally made it by opening a new egg carton. Were the eggs old? I just bought them last weekend. Today, the propane went out middle of the BBQing, and Ryan burnt the roast beef by adding more charcoal. So, he ran to the store to get a new one, but the roast they had was very lean, and not enough marinade time, we made a tasteless+toughest roast beef. Moreover, the computer of the bread machine stopped working. I was panicked at that point. Without thinking, I hand kneed and raised to the roll. The result was all 12 rolls got to a one big flat bread. Yes, it was a recipe for the machine, not for the hand kneed rolls......Anyhow, the Winn's family were the nicest people to eat them. Even the kids said the food was good. How do they raise kids so polite? On the other hand, Amalie took away every toy that Hailey was playing with, and Amalie showed the strongest dragon eyes I've never seen. We had to have a heart to heart.

We really had a great time. It was very fun to hang out with Brad and Amanda while kids were playing, running and laughing. Oh, they are our precious friends.

Tonight's menu was fire burned roast beef, big flat bread, little ball sushi with salmon, avocado and eggs, tofu steak, chayote squash vinaigrette, garden salad and blackberry moose cup cakes.

海璃のちょっと早いお誕生日ディナーをお友達のウィン家としました。一人っ子の海璃は４人兄弟のお友達と遊ぶのが最高の楽しみで、今日の午後は２０分おきにキッチンの窓から

「こない。まだ。」と待ちきれない様子。

この度は、ありとあらゆることが災わって散々なご飯でした。まず、昨日のインフルエンザの注射。80才は下らないだろうと思われる看護婦さんに注射針の根元まで刺されて、打たれている瞬間から指がつり、その後も右半身が麻痺して歩くのもはばかれる程痛く、やっと腕が動かせるようになった夜中に作り出したケーキが、どういうことか卵の白身が泡立たず。8個も無駄にして、新しいパックの卵でやっと成功。先週買った卵は古かったのか？今日は今日で、ローストビーフのバーベキュー最中にプロペンガスがなくなり、炭を足したはいいけど電話中のライアンさんのおかげでお肉もすっかり炭の様に。裏のスーパーに走って新たな肉を仕入れたのはいいけど、健康志向のお店でものすごく赤身なお肉。とっても歯ごたえのあるローストビーフに。そして、何のエラーかブレッドマシーンのコンピューターが停止。もう、すっかりパニックな私は、そのまま手ごねでロールパンを－NO!それはマシーン様の生地であってなんとできたのは30ｃｍｘ40ｃｍぐらいの巨大な平ぺったいパン。まぁ、それでもおいしいと食べてくれたウィン家の一族はなんと優しいのだろう。子供達もどうしたらあんなにいい子達に育つのか・・・それに引き換え主役の海璃ちゃんは１歳２ヶ月のヘイリーが遊んでいるおもちゃを私が見たこともない怖い目で引ったくり返していました。夜、「オモチャはお友達と遊ぶためにあるんだよ。」と言い聞かせたけど、果たして解っているのだろうか。

何はともあれ、子供達が走って笑って遊ぶ傍ら大人も団欒できて、とても楽しいひとときでした。彼らは数少ない大切なお友達であります。

今日のメニューは、おいしくなかったローストビーフ、巨大パン、手毬寿司、お豆腐ステーキ・ラディッシュとチャイブ添え、はやと瓜とサラミの酢の物、ガーデンサラダ、ブラックベリームースのカップケーキでした。