Chapter 17
Lily
It had to be perfect. Lily wasn't going to allow this meal to be messed up in anyway. Not this time. She'd already screwed up three dinners and wouldn't allow herself to do the same to another. Especially since this would be the last dinner she'd get to make for Wyatt and Maggie. One more chance to do it right. One more opportunity to show them that she wasn't a complete imbecile in the kitchen.
Maggie was busy downstairs, playing with her Lego set. Since she was occupied, Lily h
ad the free time to take on dinner preparations. It was nearly two in the afternoon, which gave her plenty of time to get things right before Wyatt got home from work.
Lily opened the pantry and stood in front of it. She gazed up and down the shelves, like an artist trying to choose the perfect color for a painting.
Let's see, what are we working with here? She thought.
Her eyes scanned the rice and the potatoes, then went upward toward the canned food and boxes of pasta.
“Hmm,” she whispered. “Nothing catching my eye here.”
She spun around and went to the fridge, digging through the drawers and pulling out every kind of meat that they had purchased on their shopping spree. There was salmon, steak, ground beef, pork chops and even some Italian spiced meatballs.
Lily knew that the perfect meal would have to check all of the right boxes. It had to be something that Maggie would like and that Wyatt would enjoy as well. It needed to be seasoned just right and cooked for the correct amount of time. It had to be complex enough to be elegant, but simple enough so that she wouldn't mess it up somehow.
“Steak,” she whispered. “Everybody loves steak.”
Does Maggie love steak, though? She asked herself. She definitely likes meat, but I don't think I've ever seen her eat steak before.
She knew that Wyatt would love steak, though, especially if it was cooked just right. She went back to the refrigerator and pulled out three cuts of filet mignon from the drawer. They were individually wrapped and cost twenty bucks each. She had never cooked such a fine cut of meat before, but knew that if she did it right, then they could turn out to be pretty amazing.
So she pulled out her cell phone and went online, scouring the Internet for every recipe she could find. She finally stumbled upon a French recipe that sounded amazing. In it, it said to just quickly sear the meat in a frying pan for a minute or so, then serve it with a pad of butter on top.
I can do that, she thought. Sounds easy enough.
It wasn't the first time Lily had thought a meal would be easy to cook, though. In fact, she had thought the eggplant Parmesan would be simple. Same with the chicken and the pizza. However, every single one of them had turned out to be anything but simple and easy. Still, she had faith that she could cook a damn piece of steak and not over do it. She just had to watch the clock and make sure she didn't get distracted too much.
“Alright, good,” she said, putting the other meats back into the fridge. “Steak it is.”
Now what about sides? She thought, making her way back to the pantry.
At first, she considered rice. Then she remembered that this meal had to be good for Maggie as well. Maggie hated rice. Lily's eyes scanned the shelves until they landed on a box of macaroni and cheese.
No, no way, she thought, then stopped herself. Or maybe that wouldn't be so bad?
It was unique, that was for sure. Serving a twenty dollar steak with five cents worth of macaroni and cheese. At the very least, it would get a laugh out of Wyatt. He'd find it hilarious.
“I guess we could try it,” she whispered, hesitantly taking the box off of the shelf and setting it down onto the counter next to the steaks.
I mean, I know for a fact I can make good mac and cheese, she thought. I've already done it once this week. It was the one thing that Wyatt and Maggie actually enjoyed eating.
She had one side for the dinner picked out, but wanted one more.
A vegetable would be good, she thought. Maybe a salad. Or better yet, I could grill some asparagus. My mom used to make that all the time in the summers. I could call her and ask her how she did it.
Lily had a plan. She laid everything out on the counter. She quickly seasoned the steaks with a dry rub, then put them back in the fridge to sit. They wouldn't take long to cook.
It took less time than she thought it would to get ready. Now, all she had to do was to wait until about six o'clock. Then she'd be able to test her cooking ability one last time.
Chapter 18
Lily