Sometimes, you just have to laugh.

Yesterday, I left work with great plans for what to cook for dinner. I’d actually been thinking about it all afternoon and couldn’t wait to get home and make it happen. Once home, I fired up the gas grill (it was beautiful outside if windy) and started compiling the ingredients for the recipe I’d dreamed up in my head.

First, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I’d bought one of those bags of individually frozen ones on  my last  trip to the grocery store and opened it up. FYI, there were 4 chicken breasts inside. Four! FOUR! Really? I mean is that even worth the money I paid? Wow. After getting over that shock, I coated a pan I use on the grill often with olive oil. (Though I’m fairly sure the pan wasn’t meant for grill use. It’s just tiny and  stainless steel and a random purchase at the IKEA in the Dallas area . Sigh. I wish IKEA were closer. ) After the olive oil, in went the frozen chicken, with more olive oil drizzled over the top. To this I added pepper and salt, some garlic. I squeezed the juice of one half of a lemon over the top and stuck some lemon slices and butter on top of the chicken. Onto the grill it went, and I left it there to work it’s magic.

Meanwhile, I was making bowtie pasta because , come on, it’s just FUN.  I cooked it, coated it with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes while still warm. You may think that sounds gross, but I promise you, it’s pretty yummy. It’s light and fresh tasting when you’re in the mood for something not quite as heavy as a tomato or cream sauce. While I was waiting on the chicken to finish, I stuck some broccoli in the steamer and microwaved it. Healthy meal complete. I even took pleasure in arranging it on the plate, like I was going to photograph it or was hosting my own cooking show!

Then, I decided to cut myself some slack and have some actual Dr. Pepper. I’d bought a 2-liter the  night before for a Bible study and no one had even opened it. I thought it was kind of a special, celebratory meal and I’d had minimal caffeine all day. So I set my plate on the counter, walked over to the counter and open the 2-liter.

I turned the lid. Carbonation began building. The lid flew out of my hand, pushed by the fizzy contents. Dr. Pepper was flowing freely. A  fountain of it! I just kind of stood there and watched, laughing, because there really wasn’t that much I could do about it until the fizziness abated. Dr. Pepper was pouring off of the kitchen table, into the chair and onto the floor. Yay!

Finally, the fountain stopped spewing and I set about cleaning up the mess. Which basically meant washing down the table, the chair, and mopping the floor. And I HATE mopping the floor!

After this little scene of domestic bliss was over, I had to reheat my beautiful little meal in the microwave.

Like I said, sometimes, you just have to laugh.