Holidays! Need I Say More?!

It's interesting how holidays have a way of wrecking havoc on one's plans. While I wish I could lay full blame on the fact that today is a holiday, I must stand up to the plate and confess that the real problem was that I had no interest in cooking. There! I said it!

Let me rewind before I get myself into even more trouble.

The morning started out late. I mean ... really late. I didn't serve brunch until nearly 11 am. I hadn't even fed the dogs, so if you're a neighbor and heard my Saint Bernard putting up a fuss this morning, I truly apologize. That said, I have to admit that I outdid myself on the brunch front this morning. I made pancakes, biscuits, eggs, and bacon. Now, I'm going to tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell my family. Today was our final big Sunday brunch for a really long time. I used the last of the bacon and biscuit mix, and I have no intentions of replacing either. I love that my daughter enjoys our big family breakfasts, but they're not special anymore. Do you know what I mean? At first, it was a real treat for everyone. Now, it's an expectation that there will be a huge Sunday spread. I'll whip one up once in a while, but from now on, Sunday breakfast will be slimmer and trimmer.

Although we got a late start on the day, my daughter and I surprisingly fulfilled our agreement with the pups and took them for a walk. I don't know where you live, but it's hotter than blazes here in North Carolina. Whew!! We were all shocked at how hot it was on the walk. Snow, our Toy Poodle, looked as if she might pass out. Thankfully, she doesn't weigh much, so my daughter carried her part of the way. Let's just say that we all learned a lesson about waiting to take our walks in the morning. A very sweaty lesson!

Okay, so let me tell you about dinner. I was prepared to make a spiff meal of roasted chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and carrots. I mean, I actually remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer first thing this morning. I had it all planned. But then things happened. First, I kept smelling something fishy in the kitchen. Hmmm ... I hadn't made fish since Friday. What could it be? I poured baking soda down the garbage disposal, emptied the trash, and even lit one of my favorite lemon Yankee Candle tarts. Ugh! I could still smell something not so pleasant. While cleaning the kitchen, I detected that the smell was coming from the potatoes. Blech! I immediately tossed them in the garbage and then realized that I had no potatoes for dinner tonight. Okay, that was the first hitch in my plans. The other real issue was that I really didn't want to cook tonight. I'd made a big breakfast and was pretty much sick of the kitchen. We've all been there, done that. So, we ordered from a nearby Chinese restaurant instead of risking kitchen burn-out. The difference though was that we ordered separate dishes that would be served family style. My husband opted for the Hunan chicken while my daughter asked for chicken lo mein. My mother ordered rice noodles with chicken, and I got the chicken with mixed vegetables. Dinner was sort of like going to a very limited Chinese buffet. Although two of the meals came with egg rolls, I asked that none be sent home. I hate to throw away food, and even more importantly, I hate to be tempted by it! We completed our little buffet with a small bowl of strawberries with whipped cream. A perfect way to celebrate this Easter holiday.

In all, tonight's dinner was a hit. It wasn't exactly as I'd planned, and I'm pretty sure that we all consumed a bit more than we should have. But hey, it's a holiday. Tomorrow is a new day.