Exacting Expectations

Posted byKatie SullivanPosted inThe DialogueTags:, , , ,
These orchids have defied my expectations - mostly because they thrive on my neglect!
These orchids have defied my expectations. They bloom every year – mostly because they thrive on my neglect!

A: The WordPress challenge-of-the-week is all about expectations. What they are, how we achieve them, and how they can sometimes go terribly, horribly wrong.

D: Pessimist. They can also be exceeded.

A: Indeed, they can. But when I saw the challenge, my first thought immediately went to my expectations for the blog. What do I expect with each post? Something humorous, usually. But what do I get?

D: Bunnies?

A: (Sigh) Something humorous, but not always in the way I had intended. My conversations with D are, more often than not, off-the-cuff. When I started, I scripted a few, and I still have bits and bobs tacked all over my Google Drive, but for the most part, what you see is what I wrote 10 minutes before posting. Because they’re a conversation–

D: Are you quite done chatting up the internet? This is boring.

A: See what I mean? I wasn’t even done with the thought before he interrupted. Now, it could be argued that because I’m the one typing, he really shouldn’t be allowed to interrupt, but when I get the snark, I have to type, for fear I’ll lose it.

D: You already lost it, woman.

A: Oi! Watch it, Druid! This is about expectations, and frankly, you match up to my expectation of you almost all the time.

D: In that I’m wonderfully dashing?

A: Nope.

D: What about a sparkling conversationalist?

A: Uh, no.

D: Fine, what about my stunning sense of the epic?

A: . . . D, we’re talking about my expectations… not your over inflated sense of self.

D: Well, obviously there is no accounting for taste.

A: (Eye roll) This is, of course, exactly what I mean – I expect you to be exasperating and somewhat arrogant. And you deliver every time.

D: Every time? What about that time I made you cry?

A: Time? Don’t you mean times? And are we talking about sad crying or the weeping of abject frustration?

D: . . . both.

A: Point taken. Every once in a while, you exceed and even alter my expectations–

D: But of course I do – what else could you expect from a warrior – nay, a mastermind – of my caliber?

A: Briefly alter. Oh, so very briefly.

You know what else exceeds my expectations every single time? The following recipe. It is my father’s Easter casserole, which we make but once a year. It’s Italian in origin, but given that we’re Irish, I call it the …

Sullivan Family Italian Easter Egg Bake

The Sullivan Family Italian Easter Egg Bake in all its glory.
The Sullivan Family Italian Easter Egg Bake in all its glory.

Italian Cooking with Irish Flair

Preheat oven to 350F

  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 4 c. mozzarella cheese
  • 16 oz ricotta cheese
  • 12 oz parmesan cheeses
  • 1.5 lbs sweet Italian sausage – crumbled and cooked
  • 1 stick pepperoni, sliced

Whip eggs until frothy. Add cheeses and mix gently until incorporated. Add cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and mix to combine. Pour ingredients into a greased baking dish (9×13) and dot with pepperoni to own satisfaction.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes at a 350F oven, or until the top is set.

Enjoy – I hope it meets with your expectations, too!

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Published by Katie Sullivan

Descended of pirates and revolutionaries, Katie Sullivan is a lover and student of all things Irish. Born in the States, she is a dual US/Irish citizen, and studied history and politics at University College, Dublin – although, at the time, she seriously considered switching to law, if only so she could attend lectures at the castle on campus. She lives in Milwaukee with her daughter, two cats and a pesky character in her head named D (but you can call him Dubh). Her first series, The Changelings Saga, a young adult historical fantasy trilogy is available on Amazon. She can be found writing with said character at her blog, The D/A Dialogues.

18 thoughts on “Exacting Expectations”

  1. That bake looks so yummy, Katie, and yes, not at all low-cal 😉 I love your dialogues with D. I think it’s a wonderful way to run your blog. Sort of like Gracie and Allen sketches 😉

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    1. I will admit that i had to look that up, but you’re right! That’s been my type of funny for a long time, and D just loves to play right along with it! 🙂

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  2. Your Sullivan Family Italian Easter Egg Bake sounds incredibly. Myself, being Italian, I can say all the ingredients are there to blow away anyone who may have a doubt of its authenticity. Love the cheese! I’ll have to hold the sausage though, does all kinds of strange things with my digestion! TMI??? LOL Anywho, love my Katie blog post for the evening. It was a fun read! 😉

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  3. Now I’m laughing and terribly hungry! I always enjoy the “snark!” And the recipe sounds fantastic!!

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    1. Yay! Any plant that comes into my home has to do the same. And those Orchids have gotten bigger and more beautiful with each bloom. I won them, and I’m so happy I did!

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  7. That looks so yummy!

    D, you shouldn’t make Katie cry. 😦

    It’s interesting you chose dialogues for your blog, as that is a very ancient Greek thing. I believe they thought (I could be very wrong about this) that the best method for um oh I forget, I think I want.. nope, but I’m sure they had a very good reason for doing it, lol.

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    1. I think they thought it was the best way to examine a thought – examine it from a variety of angles, or something. I vaguely remember it being a thing (which is sad – I should remember more, I was a Greek & Roman Civ minor at university!)

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