I'm a slow learner. Last year, when my birthday fell on a D&D night, I decided that I'd make one of my favorite meals to share with the group. I made jaegerschnitzel, standing over a hot stove, frying cornmeal-breaded pork cutlets that I had spent all my energy pounding flat that afternoon. I was exhausted by the time I sat down to eat, and my knees and back hurt for the rest of the night. I made my own cake too, although I'm pretty sure I didn't write on it or put candles on it.
Here we are a year later. D&D fell on the night before my birthday, and when my kids asked what I wanted to do, I said that I didn't want to make my own dinner again. I didn't want to plan it and I distinctly did not want to cook. I tried so hard to stick with it. But a week ago, I told my daughter, hey, how about chicken fried steak? That's one of my absolute favorites, because I am a born and bred Okie. We learned years ago that using chickpea flour does a far better job than wheat ever did for me, so it was a perfect gluten free conversion, plus the Beyond meat vegetarian option was a stellar substitution as well. I gave her the rest of my menu suggestions (mashed potatoes, green beans, and Pamela's brand chocolate cake). I kind of wanted the kids to be able to show up with the stuff, to cook, and hand me a plate. But then the kids had too much going on, working too many hours, and trying to do art commissions on the side. So I did the shopping with my daughter this afternoon (although I at least made her drive, since my car decided it wouldn't start). She bought some of the stuff, and I bought the rest. She was still a little wiped out from everything she has going on, so I got the cake baking. I was able to walk away at the time to make the actual meal, so it was kind of awesome not to have to stand over the fryer, or to deal with the potatoes. I did have to make the gravy, as I failed as a mother to pass that knowledge on to my daughter (apparently). I got the first serving, carried all my stuff down to the basement, and once seated, I stayed put.
After everyone had filled themselves with heavy fried foods and gravy, and played an hour or so of D&D, my daughter and my neighbor went upstairs to prepare the cake. I have never been a fan of frosting, so I selected whipped cream as a topping. They whipped the entire quart bottle of cream, almost double what they needed for a cake. I guess tomorrow will be sweet cream in our coffee, which is not a bad thing. T found a bottle of candy star sprinkles, and put them on the cake. When they came back, my daughter asked whether I needed candles. I was happy to assure her I did not.
So I guess I'm halfway to learning my lesson. I am either a hopeless control freak (a possibility) or I've just trained the friends too well to expect me to provide Wednesday dinner. I am not displeased by how this turned out. Food was delicious, friends are dear, and game night was a whole lot of fun. Let's do this again next year. But maybe with frozen pizzas.
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