Dinner: 0 Stars, Would Not Recommend

Tonight’s dinner was, in a word… unsuccessful.

Not because the food was bad.
Everything actually tasted fine.

No… the failure came from the audience.

On the menu:
Baked ham, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and garlic knots.

A solid, respectable dinner.

Or so I thought.

Iyan took one look at his plate and immediately announced he hated everything—except the Brussels sprouts, which feels like a very odd win. Before I could even process that statement, he reminded us he had an online class and made a quick exit from the table.

But not before delivering his final review:
“The garlic knots should just be called ‘nots’… because they don’t taste like garlic.”

To be fair, they were store-bought, so I let that one slide.

Ray wasn’t feeling well and declared the ham made him sick to his stomach.
He also confirmed he is not a fan of the Brussels sprouts… but did like the garlic roll (which apparently had no garlic).

Alyssa didn’t even bother showing up.

And me?

I sat there with a full plate and the slow realization that I had somehow made an entire meal that no one wanted.

I had originally planned dessert.

Something homemade. Something thoughtful.

But after the overwhelming enthusiasm for dinner, I pivoted.

“Dessert is ice cream sandwiches,” I announced.

And just like that—miraculously—everyone was interested again.

Funny how that works.

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Some nights you serve a beautiful, balanced meal… and some nights you get a life lesson with a side of ice cream sandwiches.

“What’s the meal you made that should have been a hit… but absolutely wasn’t?

With love & glitter,
Valerie ✨