Comments on: Dinner party gone bad? Roberta Isleib asks us to share.

By: Hélène

Hélène — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:24:21 +0000

I can’t stop myself from coming back and reading your stories. I just ordered a copy of that novel, thanks.

By: Chez US

Chez US — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:34:53 +0000

Great story! Cupcakes, even the big guy, looked great! By the way, check it out .. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku5521752/index.cfm?pkey=ccake-pans-cupcake-pans&ckey=cake-pans-cupcake-pans

for next time! Have a great trip you two

By: John

John — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:15:39 +0000

Hi Roberta,
Just wanted to say that I love the dysfunctional dinner scenes in your books! The one in ASKING FOR MURDER is hysterical, as was the church dinner in PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. I’m still chuckling over that one!
John

By: grace

grace — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:10:23 +0000

the next time you have a “disaster” like that, i’ll be happy to help you dispose of the wreckage.

By: Helen K.

Helen K. — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:44:23 +0000

My disaster occured when I offered to bring the dessert for a holiday dinner given by the family of my daughter’s boy friend. I baked a 3 layer chocolate cake with whipped cream filling & super chocolate icing. I had made this cake many times & my husband always did the icing using a hand beater with the icing mixture in a bowl over a larger bowl of ice. The cake is then put into the refrigerator over night to set. When I got to the dinner party the hostess told me that she did not have any room in the refrigerator. The turkey was taking much longer than they expected to finish baking. After a delicious meal my cake was brought out to the table. I knew that I was in trouble when I saw how much the cake had collapsed & appeared to be sliding off of the cake plate. The hostess kindly handed me the cake knife & trying my best the first slice slid off onto her beautiful antique table cloth. I was happy that my daughter ended up marrying someone else so I did not have to suffer the jokes at all future holiday dinners.

By: Roberta Isleib

Roberta Isleib — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:05:16 +0000

Thanks for all the wonderful stories! The Julia Child story reminded me of dinner at a friend’s house many years ago. Let us just say there were quite a few beverages consumed before the meal. My friend opened the oven, pulled out the chicken breasts bathed in some sort of white sauce, and promptly dropped it face-down on the floor. We all stood around looking at our supper.
“Thank God,” she said, “that I just washed the floor this morning.”
And she forked the chicken back into the pan.
And we ate it!

By: Helen Ginger

Helen Ginger — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:12:14 +0000

Oh, I’ve done the usual — cooked the turkey with the plastic wrapped innards still inside. Problem is, I’ve done it twice.

But I learned. I really did.

Now I make ham.

By: Food Woolf

Food Woolf — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:14:38 +0000

Thanks introducing us to Roberta and your dinner party nightmare! The giant cupcake idea is hysterical! Too bad it was too top heavy! You two are such rock stars I’m sure the guests quickly forgot that mishap.

Brooke

By: Chris Redding

Chris Redding — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:45:28 +0000

I’ve never had a whole dinner party go bad, but I did once set a cheesecake on fire.
I left it under the broiler. When I opened the door the top was in flames. Thankfully hubster (a firefighter) was just in the back yard. I walked with it to the kitchen door and asked if he could help me with it.
He put it out, then suggested maybe I needed a torch to do cheesecakes. I looked at him in horror and said, “You want me to use open flame? Look what I do with a broiler.”
cmr

By: Gayle

Gayle — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:19:54 +0000

Cooking disasters – where do I begin?
When I was young, I made a grilled cheese sandwich for my brother… in bacon grease. It was beautifully browned and completely sodden with bacon fat.
Then there was the time I misread the directions for a chocolate cake and put 3/4 cup of flour instead of 1-3/4 cups of flour. It looked like a torte, only not so tasty.
And once, my boyfriend and I had another couple over for dinner and decided to make a souffle de Grand Marnier for dessert, which we had made before. He asked me to preheat the oven in such a way that I thought he was saying he would preheat the oven and no one preheated the oven. The damn souffle didn’t rise, but we served it anyway.
Years later, I still have my moments. I’ve burned so much meat that we have a priest on call just to give it last rites. Crockpot dinners have been underdone, veggies have been overdone, but my family doesn’t complain. They just order a pizza.