What Goes Up Must Come Down (Strike That and Reverse)

This week's adventures in cooking have been something, I'm not quite sure how to begin.  The food poisoning was unintentional, although Sparta has told anyone who will listen that it was my attempt to kill him and I fell into my own trap.  Sparta, Ben and I were the unfortunate recipients of staphylococcus aurea (at least that is the diagnosis I came up with during my 3am Google search which was later confirmed by the 7am Google search).  That happened Tuesday evening, Wednesday is a blur.

Thursday was Leah's birthday and although not eager to jump back into the kitchen, I'm the mom. More dependable than the post office- neither rain, snow, sleet, lack of sleep, fever, or things that should not be mentioned can prevent a birthday dinner from completion.  Leah's special dinner request was for fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, potatoes, and rolls. Nope it wasn't balanced at all.  She didn't want a cake because that is for today when the ten friends sleep over. I could not let her birthday pass without candles so, I thought cupcakes would be perfect. Perfectly easy, perfectly quick, perfectly perfect.  Unfortunately, I was a little less than right. No cupcake liners and Wesley got sick, thus making a simple task virtually impossible to complete.

After I got Wesley situated, inspiration struck and I cut liners out of aluminum foil. How clever was that?  I put the mix, eggs, milk instead of water, and a dash of vanilla in the bowl and mixed away. After pouring the batter into each muffin tin and sticking them in the oven, I realized I didn't put the oil in sooooooo what's a normally competent cook who has poisoned her family earlier in the week to do?  I took the batter out and divvied the oil into the cups 1/4 teaspoon at a time and incorporated it with a toothpick. Twenty minutes later the cupcakes were ready, looked okay and I didn't tell what I'd done.
Since we made it through the night without their reappearance  I don't think I have to let them in on my little secret. The other dishes turned out tasty and also toxin free.

This has been one more week. Certainly not the way it was planned. Between auto trouble, food poisoning, break-ups, the virus that struck Wesley, the birthday gift that arrived inoperable, and the birthday dinner that almost wasn't this week is not one I'll long to repeat. Now that the pity party is over, time to finish the birthday cake for today's gaggle of girls and the real party.  It's gotta' get better.