The Meals That Bind Us

It's not Thanksgiving, but there are a few things I am thankful for right now.

My mother-in-law made it out of the hospital and home for Christmas. We even visited her in Port Hope yesterday. She is weak and tires easily, but she is back to her old commanding self, which caused The Man to come home with a shoulder stress ache! She is a formidable woman that way.

Despite that, we had a nice visit because The Man loves his mom and I was let loose in the kitchen! At one point, I said to him, "Don't let your mother come into the kitchen. She will suffer great emotional stress if she sees how I am cooking." After dinner, I cleaned up and put everything away. She might have suspected, but she never saw the chaos in her kitchen. Yup, I spared her another hospitalization.

I am thankful for good friends. We had a splendid Boxing Day dinner with good friends. No one complained about the food despite my fudging with the recipes and coming up with dishes I will never be able to replicate. I enjoy the company of these friends, and I especially like how easily the adults talk to the teenagers to make them feel included and at ease. The Boy even managed to get everyone involved in a few games of Scatergories, much to his delight.

I am planning for tomorrow night's dinner with my book club and their families. This group of women and their spouses are a challenge to cook for. We can only serve gluten-free, lactose-free, seafood-free food. And no nuts or peaches. We can only drink sulphite-free wine, which we have determines is Australian wine. So what do you eat, The Boy asked. Meat and vegetables, in their most basic presentations.

But tomorrow, there is an added twist. Two of the guests are vegetarians. You know how difficult it is to cook vegetarian without wheat or dairy? Still, I'm up to the challenge. Wonder what I'll come up with.