lessons learned

Note to self: do not invite aged invalids to druid labs for dinner during the winter season.

We're expecting snow today, the first of the season. Personally I'd like to see three feet of it or more, what the hell. I'm not going anywhere. But I had invited Aunt Grace and cousin J. to a post-Christmas dinner. Nothing too fancy - cocktails and hors d'oeuvres (spinach balls with mustard sauce and crab/cheese bites, the latter courtesy of Aunt Grace), London broil, roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes, some sort of vegetable dish, cookies and coffee. To that end I've got not one but two large flank steaks marinating in the back fridge. (Because here at druid labs, we're all about sending guests home with leftovers, especially guests who aren't quite able to cook for themselves much anymore.)

I'd worried about getting Aunt Grace home before it got messy, and called to move up the time of our meal to noon. She called back some hours later to ask me to postpone it altogether, since my cousin isn't quite steady on his feet at the moment, either. This meant that even if I didn't postpone the meal she'd be declining to leave home today, which wasn't all that much of a request. Of course I want her to be safe and she got no argument from me, and even my cousin was glad to not worry about driving back home in a snowstorm, however small it may turn out to be.

Yesterday was a lovely activity-free day, and the spinach balls didn't get made, the house didn't get cleaned, the dining room table didn't get cleared off. Now I don't have to rush around here like a maniac. I even have an extra day to get ready for my next-weekend holiday guests, though history has proved that I seem to work better under pressure, and it's unlikely I'll take advantage of this extra prep time.

Still, I have those two flank steaks marinating. I'm not sure but I think 5 days is a bit long to let them sit in the fridge like that, regardless of how much wine they're soaking in.

Guess what we'll be having for dinner?