Goodness!  It’s been a week since I last took a picture of dinner!  Yes, we’ve been eating, but the meals have been a bit different.  Victor’s mom has been staying with us as she recuperates from a bit of a hospital stay.

Fortunately all is swell, she’s feeling great, getting around fine on her own, and familiarizing herself with the HD channels of our remote control, but we thought it prudent to have her stay here for a while just to make sure everything was okay.  Everything is, and she’s heading home on Wednesday.

It’s funny how one more person in the house changes the routine.  Dinner is still at the same time, but there’s a bit of pressure to make sure it really is at the same time because of medications.  And while we will eat just about anything, an 86 year old has slightly different taste buds.   Chicken cutlets, pasta, and more familiar foods have taken precedence over our more exotic fare.  She’s not a fussy eater and she would eta anything I made, but it’s about having her enjoy the food – not just eat it.

So it’s been fun and it’s been a bit of a challenge, but none of us have lost any weight this week, so something must have been working.

I actually made a huge batch of macaroni and cheese last night and baked off a separate casserole for her.  Victor made stuffed peppers and we froze some of those for her to take home.

Actually, they went over today before I did her shopping.  Unbeknownst to Mom, Victor gussied up her kitchen a bit this week – new kitchen towels, dish drainer, canisters… I went in today and got rid of all the old condiments and a few other things that had seen better days, so she now has a sparkling refrigerator/freezer with all new goodies.  And a few home-cooked meals for good measure.

And cheesecake.  She’s diabetic and supposed to watch her desserts, but I make them for her, anyway.  Small slices and made with just a bit of sugar.

At 86, quality of life  is more important than quantity.