Sometimes the best laid plans do not result in the perfect meal.  When this happens don’t get upset or allow the little things to detract from the objective of sharing a meal with people you love. Over Easter my husband’s parents visited on their drive back to Canada after spending the winter in Naples, FL. (Canadians drive long distances!) We had a full house plus our son, daughter in law, and two year old grandson, all joining us for Easter Eve dinner.

That evening, we decided to make a casual dinner and save formality for Easter night. We thought marinated grilled chicken would give Paul a fun job and I would impress the crowd with my small cheese souffles, steamed asparagus with freshly made Bearnaise sauce and dessert of fresh strawberries in yogurt with honey.

Paul grilling chicken

Well, as the wine flowed, and conversations flowered, there was a miscommunication about when the meat should be put onto the grill. So needless to say, the souffles were ready first, hot, glistening, standing tall and proud, along with the asparagus and homemade Bearnaise sauce, while the chicken cooked on. Oops, Paul forgot to check on the chicken, while he entertained guests as he poured more wine, so they got overdone!

Fallen Cheese Souffles

Sound like a disaster? Not at all! Our family and friends loved every bite of their delicious fallen souffles, and even loved the dry, overdone chicken as the marinade taste was spectacular and meat still tender. Even the limp asparagus was awesome with the Bearnaise sauce. And we haven’t even gotten to the dessert!

This goes to show that cooking for love of family and friends does not have to be perfect every time. We all laughed at the imperfections that night, but through those imperfectly cooked foods came a perfect intimate gathering with a room full of love and laughter. As we topped it all off with the tasty dessert, we realized it was perfect after all.