It's February, so I guess another story about dinner is fine

But first an Elena story. A few days ago Elena goes to her mother and says, "I'm going to sleep over Matt's." Now I'm getting this story second hand and will try to stay as close to the truth as I heard it but I will embellish where necessary to get the humor and feelings across. Her mother says something like," oh really?" "Mom" Elena replies, "I'm twenty-two years old, I'm staying downstairs in the grandmother's room and I'm twenty-two years old!" Tell me does it seem sweet or weird to think that Elena maybe having a normal life, if you know what I mean? She made a joke one day about where guy think it is and I asked her how she knew that? I later told her I was sorry and I Shouldn't have said that. I'm just so used to Nastia keeping nothing secret. Teri played with her for a little while and I’m sure she’ll be allowed to stay over Matt’s. Nastia has wanted Sean to taste Cajuin meatloaf for a while now. She’d wanted to make it one night during the week recently and Teri said it takes too long. (Cat out of the bag, we made it recently and it took two hours to make, not a weeknight meal.)

I told Nastia we’d make it on a Sunday afternoon about 4PM and have it the next day for dinner. I text her a little after4 and receive no reply. She is upstairs with Sean and I’ve decided to give her the space Al Galan gave me and his daughter, so I don’t go up there. I start doing the spices and. Teri yells up to Nastia to come down and help. She starts in on the cutting of the onions, celery and bell peppers. I leave for a while to get some stuff at the grocery. After I return, Nastia mans (wo-mans?) the stove. She melts the butter, adds the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and spices I put together. Everything is going well. I hand Nastia the ketchup and condensed milk. I tell her a ½ cup of each. The can of milk has been opened like you’d open a can of corn, not like a can of soda. She puts the ketchup in correctly and while I’m not watching the full can of condensed milk goes in. I go a little overboard when I tell her, she needs to read the recipe. I try to soften it, not wanting to ruin the fun we’re having. I apologize to her and it does pass. I pour out most of the milk. Unfortunately a lot of other things go with it. She cooks down what remains and it gets mixed into the meat. When I make this meatloaf, even though reheated is not as good as fresh, I always make two. So I tell her to start from the beginning and do it again. I guess that’s why it takes two hours. The second time making it goes quickly. Everything is cut and ready and she has made one and it is fresh in her mind. She adds the correct amount of milk and we put both into the oven to cook. I take five minutes off both meatloaf’s time in the oven so they don’t get over cooked when they are reheated. When we take them out Nastia says to serve the one she didn’t mess up on tomorrow. I tell her to not admit failure when you cook unless someone complains first and then to say, “Yes, this didn’t come out as well as it could have.” or something to that effect. Never admit to cooking a lousy meal first. Everything gets cleaned up. Teri, who made none of the mess, gets into the middle of cleaning up as she usually does. She is told a couple of times she doesn’t have to, but as usual she does help. It is 7:30 when the meatloafs come out of the oven. We are in the middle of having leftovers on this Sunday night. It’s cajun meatloaf Monday tomorrow. MONDAY I get home around 5:20 (still luvin that end of work time) I start preparing dinner. Water on the stove for Macaroni and cheese. Remove the meatloaf from the refrigerator and cover the pan in foil after putting some water in the pan. Nastia comes down and requests fried pierogies. I think fine, I’m not going to cook them. She goes down and gets two boxes. Sean who’s arrived questions two boxes. I assure him they'll be needed. Cooking dinner is easy, except if you are Sean. As you all know Nastia is deathly afraid of heat and getting burned.So to no one's surprise somehow Nastia making pierogies becomes Nastia handing Sean the pierogies to cook to Sean cooking the pierogies. He gets wounded in action when a splatter of hot oil catches him in the eyebrow. Everyone sits down for dinner. I see most of the meatloaf disappears, but Sean doesn’t go for seconds. Did he not like it? Am I getting too concerned about what other people are eating? Does this mean I’m starting to care?? Nah, let's get real. I cook what I like to eat, case closed. If you like it all for the good.

Clean up was easy and again Teri , even though she didn’t make the mess, was right in the middle cleaning it up. Meatloaf was very good. Mac and cheese with cream cheese in it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Even Elena commented about it. Was a fun night. Sean got to see Nastia cook using oil, always a treat and he finally tried cajun meatloaf.