So last week I invited some friends over for dinner. For tonight.
That’s right, I’m all contra-societal norms and such, and I invited people to dinner on a WORK NIGHT! That, right there, is a rock star move, ain't it? I thought it was at the time - so devil-may-care, so bon vivant! SO far in the future it all seemed totally do-able!
Of course, today is also the day the abscess cat has a follow-up visit with the vet, but that’s at 4:30 so surely that will be over and done with by the slated 6:30 arrival time of our guests, and I can get home by 5 to make a dinner by 6:30 if Biff takes the cat, and I can get the homework part of the day done by 5:30 if the Things are done with it so I can check, and I’ll bet I can find a table cloth to put out for dinner so that we’re not eating off the bare table (because nothing says “I don’t give a crap about hosting niceties” like not having the table dressed at all. Because, we could serve McDonald’s for dinner off a nice set of plates and table linen and it’d be OK, but if we’re putting out filet mignons on paper plates and bare wood then I’m feeling pretty bad about it. It's my issue, I know, and i"m sure most people don't feel the same way, but how hard is it to put out a tablecloth? Not hard. So there. The end.). The only thing I’m wondering is: what are we having for dinner?
That's Right, friends – I invited people over, and as of this time (10:44 a.m.) I have no idea what to serve them. I am maybe not the best party planner ever.
One bright point, we’ll have salad, for sure, because I asked them to bring it.
Beyond that…well. Ahem. I got nothin’.
All right, that’s a little lie. I have about 1.5 pounds of hamburger mix in the fridge (ground beef and chicken mixed with egg, ketchup, S&P, and breadcrumbs) that’s leftover from making “Enormaburgers” (trademark pending) last night, so I could do a meatloaf. There are russet ‘taters in the pantry so I could do an au gratin. There’s that salad coming, so the veg is taken care of. And? AND? There’s most of an apple pie and some homemade brownies left over from small group the other night.
Is that enough? Is it fancy enough? Is it wholesome enough? Should I care, or is a mid-week dinner with friends supposed to be ‘family style’ and not totally over-the-top? Does Rachel Ray do this, or Martha (no last name required), just have a cheery little dinner party in the middle of the workweek? If they do, I’m just betting they don’t have to run to the Target for a tablecloth, but then again they probably KNOW where their tablecloths are at all times and places, and have them organized by fabric, season, and size in wicker baskets that neatly stack inside their backyard accessories warehouse, plus which they probably have a personal forklift driver to fetch the tablecloth and related items (Candlesticks! Charming ceramic figurines! A centerpiece! Napkin rings! Cloth napkins in adorably contrasting colors!) so that with a single phone call (or Tweet!) the minions will be on the move and once Rachtha arrives home from a day at the office she can immediately begin taking advantage of the fully decked-out home and a kitchen full of already-chopped veg.
At the Tiny House? Not so much, what with the vet appointment and homework and the dreadful lack of ceramic figurines...
Question then: if you were invited to someone’s home for dinner on a Wednesday evening, would meatloaf, potatoes au gratin, salad, and 2 desserts (plus coffee!) be appropriate, or would you maybe hope for something fancier from your clearly mental hosts?
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OK – I’m off to online shop the linens at Target to cut my browsing time this afternoon. Time is of the essence!
Y’all have a good one Tiff out.
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