Disaster In The Kitchen!

                   Let me tell you about yesterday!

Big emergency but I know it's something that will be talked and laughed about for years to come.

The staff here at the apartment complex wanted to treat us all to Thanksgiving dinner at noon on Tuesday. We were so excited. 55 residents signed up to attend. The staff had ordered the entire meal for us. 

Shirley had popped in the community room to check on 'the girls' (the staff) and found out that the food which had been ordered from a local grocery store was delivered frozen! At noon when we were due to eat ! 

Talk about scrambling around. The side dishes were all in those heat and eat trays for say 4 people. Only you can't feed 55 people frozen food. 

Michael took over the microwave in the community room trying to thaw out cornbread dressing 3 trays at a time. 

Deb and Jan took the sweet potato casserole in all those small trays to Deb's apartment and used her microwave to began thawing all that out. I joined Carolyn in her apartment to take care of the green bean casserole. It took over 2 1/2 hours. 

Once thawed, all the individual sidedishes were scooped into large aluminum pans and shoved into the ovens to heat so we could 'heat and eat' them, like they were supposed to be to begin with. As soon as Michael was finished with the dressing, he started carving 4 turkeys. 

The ham was already sliced but not cut away from the bone so that had to be done, as well. 

Shirley had thawed out all the mashed potatoes and gravy. 

Three and 1/2 hours later all 55 of us sat down to eat. I have to say it was great food. I had kept licking my fingers when I was thawing out that green bean casserole so I at least knew that would be outstanding and it turned out, it all was. 

I am not sure what the staff would have done, had not my two kids, myself, Carolyn, Deb and Jan helped out. We still probably would be waiting on that food... 24 hours later. hehe.