The Fancy Dinner

My creative eleven year old came to me yesterday with a project brewing in her mind.

"Mom...can I make you and dad dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure honey."

"I mean like a special dinner. A fancy dinner. Like one where you can't help me at all. You can't even know what I'm going to make."

(Slight pause.)

"Um...okaaaay." (Hesitation included. Flash forward to images of third degree burns, horrid ambulance rides, fire trucks screeching in our driveway and flames bursting out our kitchen window...deep breath...it'll all be okay.)

And for the following twenty-four hours I was grilled on what ingredients we have. Or don't have. And told not to peek in the freezer. Or fridge. It was a top secret dinner. She brought recipe book after recipe book up to her bedroom, locked herself and her two reluctant younger siblings in. And planned. I'm pretty sure this girl will be the White House party planner when she grows up. Or someones personal assistant. Perhaps a wedding planner. She is all about details. Totally the first child in the birth order.

I proposed that I wear my wedding dress to this dinner. Jillian thought it was a grand idea. The notion was vetoed by the other two. Which was alright, considering I wouldn't be able to squeeze into it and eat comfortably. Or squeeze into it at all, for that matter. Hubs was just glad he could wear his sweat pants and ball cap to the fancy dinner. Remember...we don't do suits and dresses. See yesterday's post in reference...

I was a bit apprehensive about my eleven year old operating an oven, toaster oven and stove top completely on her own. But I determined to remain uninvolved and see what she was capable of. Not once did she ask me how to do something. Not once did I step into the kitchen and supervise. I was pretty proud of her, and of myself as well. It's hard for me to just let go. Especially when high heat, and potentially undercooked/overcooked food is involved. Hubs and I made a pact that we would choke down every blessed thing no matter how they turned out, and rave at how delish it was. It's just what all good parents do. We were pleasantly surprised at just how good she did. The younger two were her kitchen assistants, and served us our dinner and drinks as well. I told Hubs he's all set should I kick the bucket early. Not that I'm planning to, but I know he'll be in good hands. There were no burns, spills, fires or disasters. All that we had was a lovely candle-lit dinner complete with a fabulous desert. Completely unplanned, unsupervised and untouched by me. From the decor all the way through desert...I couldn't have done it better even if I tried.