So most of you know I am a working mom. I juggle a lot of balls in the air and one of them is getting healthy meals on the table in time for Audrey Anne who starts to melt down like a nuclear power plant by 6pm if you don’t feed her. The evenings I have worked all day at the Kellogg, I try to think of things Ivan can get started or easy meals I can whip up right when I get home.
Tonight was the same as usual. Rushing to get out of the clinic. Quickly disconnect my regular Taxol lady by 5pm, swipe out, grab my many bags, get to my car and try to wager what is the quickest route home. I call Ivan to check in and make sure all in on schedule with dinner. Tonight I had asked him to put a lime/cilantro marinated turkey breast roast in the oven and cut up potatoes to be boiled for mashed potatoes.
I get home and the turkey has been sitting out of the oven for *awhile* looking processed and not so tasty (not Ivan’s fault by any means). And I go to put the potatoes in the pink kitchen aid mixer and they don’t feel right. Kind of slimy. I disregard this after asking Ivan in the other room, “Honey, did you put something in the potatoes?”, thinking maybe he added some *creative* ingredient, trying to help, of course. I plow ahead in my pioneer spirit determined to put a nutritious meal on the table for my family. I add sour cream, a little butter and mix it up. I go to the china cupboard and pull out some nice serving bowls for the potatoes and the asparagus I am steaming. I come back and attempt to put the potatoes in the bowl and it becomes very apparent that is something is very wrong.
I ask Ivan again, “Are you sure you didn’t add anything to these potatoes?” “No,” he says from the office. How long did you cook them? I don’t know; an hour, maybe. Oh dear. How long are you supposed to cook them? Till their soft—usually 10-15min.
He had turned the potatoes in to taffy. I am not joking. I took a spatula to them and they looked like the marshmallow in a jar stuff. What on earth? I just kept shaking my head in dismay and despair.
What am I going to feed my family?
It was the worst meal I have made in a long time and Ivan just kept laughing his funny, quiet chuckle. I was despondent. Remember, come Thursday, I have lost all ability to laugh at things such as this. Potatoes turned into taffy.
Ivan resorted to homemade bread for dinner. Audrey ate a few bites of the turkey which I found too salty and artificial tasting. And I ate a few spears of asparagus and huffed and puffed as I put a pathetic looking potato in the microwave.
So now I sit here in front of my bloggin’ computer and share with you my pathetic story of a meal of nasty turkey, taffy potatoes, and limp asparagus.
Off to go upstairs and drown my heart in another episode of LOST: my normal Thursday evening behavior.
Until tomorrow, when I awake and his mercies are new in the morning.