Adult Slumber Party

It was that time again. During the week our friend the Slovak went back and forth saying she wasn’t going to stay, she was going to stay, and she might stay. Well, Saturday came along and she was finally determined to stay the night. Bekah and the Slovak have these biannual sleep overs. Or what I like to call “adult slumber parties.” What is really just an excuse to reminisce on old times while getting completely wasted like 21 year olds. Which they no longer are so the after effect is a god d*** mess. I usually step to the side and watch the train wreck unfold with a mild bit of morbid curiosity. This time I was much more involved with the activities.

I suppose I’m weak. I am easily bribed. All the Slovak has to do is bring me pizza every time they have a party and I’m bought. I became the chaperone for the evening. Is it sad that pizza is such a weakness that I will subject myself to an evening of reckless debauchery? Maybe just a bit. Honestly though, the only time that I get Christoval pizza is when the Slovak comes to stay (party) with us. I’m not driving out that way just for pizza. Doesn’t matter how good it is. Or does it? I might make the drive. I currently don’t have to but if she stopped bringing… I don’t know what I wouldn’t do for a good pizza. Please don’t get any ideas…

So we went out for lunch. It wasn’t 100% a slumber party yet. It took a little convincing on Bekah’s part. Slovak has separation anxiety from her boy until the drinks start to flow. Flow they did. Helped in part by the fact I ran into some high school friends that had just left a funeral. People drink after funerals. This is known. So we drank. We laughed. They cried. They departed in higher spirits. And we needed to go! After also seeing one campus coworker I didn’t want them to see the mess that would be if we stuck around much longer. All I need is to be part of the campus gossip. In no time everyone would know how plastered my company was. “I saw ****** at the bar with his wife & friend. Jesus!” The tab would agree. By this point it was full on “adult slumber party”.

Apparently I laid claim to the leftover pizza because they wanted to go to HEB to find things for me to cook them for dinner. Which I guess was coming up soon considering we were at lunch for 4 hours… Make of that what you will. (BTW, I totally f***ed up dinner). Back at the house the real fun begins. No longer the judgmental/fearful look from the bartender, they were free to consume with blatant disregard from their well-being. Dance, laughs, and some tears. At a point I begin to wonder if the agents of chaos have a thing against the sanctity of my kitchen. A disaster area. And the music… My poor ears. This went on well beyond what normal people would consider possible. Even I was impressed. And towards the end of the night, also inebriated. I laughed a lot and had a rather entertaining evening. A weird night for certain.

Pain. Pain was the word for the following day. A morning of nothing but pain in my house. These ladies hurt and I didn’t feel so hot myself. Mixing so many different types of booze never has a very good result for anyone. Slovak went home. Bekah went to her sisters. I was left alone. I went for a late lunch & had a beer. Fight the beast with a little hair of the dog. I hoped, but nope. Later I asked the Slovak how she felt. “Great!” Me: “What’s the cure?” Slovak: “Nap, vodka shot & beer!” Me: “F***! I’ve been doing it all wrong”

Jalapeño.

Okinawan taco rice. This is something my sister-in-law Connie raves about. When she was stationed in Japan this was a favorite of hers. Sold by street vendors, it was the perfect meal to soak up that booze after a hard night of drinking. Tex-Mex flavors were introduced to Japan shortly after WWII with the arrival of troop’s stations on base. The first taco shop opened in 1954. This meal was first established in 1984. It went on to become a phenomenon across Japan where now it is considered a signature dish. It’s a simple concept. Make sushi rice and top it with your favorite taco toppings. I thought it was a great meal. Talk about easy.

Bekah’s chicken & veggies. It’s been a long time since she has made this. Was always one of our favorites. She thought this batch didn’t turn out all that great. I admit it was a little sub-par than usual, but that didn’t stop me from having the leftovers for lunch the following 3 days.

My mother made her excellent spinach manicotti. We went over to her house for dinner. As always, this is a great dish. Served with some Italian green beans. I ate too much and had a couple glasses of red wine. I really need to get away from these carbs. If you hadn’t noticed, I have been indulging all week.

Alaskan cod seasoned with Best Stop served with some broccolini. Yeah, this looks kind of bad. Thankfully the fish was seasoned just perfectly. I might have overcooked the fish slightly but they can’t all be winners.