Quarantine Day 37……. I have been longing to sit down at a restaurant and have someone else cook for a meal. Don’t get me wrong…I love to cook for my family. I am just running out of ideas that everyone will eat. My meals need to be able to get my crew to break away from their video games, leave their bedrooms, and join us for lunch or dinner.

I told my husband, “When this quarantine is over, we are going to grab our gift cards and go to Texas Roadhouse!” He giggled because he knows my frustration of feeding this crew of teenage boys we have.

So I thought it would be fun to participate in a “Dinner for 5” project. I do this project with my 6th-grade students and they have a blast putting it together.

Here are the instructions:

• Choose 5 people (living or dead) you would like to have dinner with. Tell me why you chose those people.
• What restaurant would you go to? Money is no object.
• What would you order at that restaurant? Describe the restaurant.
• What happened during dinner?

Now I am going to do the first three items on the list. The last one I use with my students so they can be creative with their writing. Here we go.

Melissa McCarthy

I have loved watching Melissa ever since she exploded on the screen in “Bridesmaids”. I am a super fan of hers. I love how she seems so down to earth, pushes herself in her craft, doesn’t care what anyone in the media thinks, and is super funny. She is one of my role models and a beautiful person inside and out.

Tom Hanks

I have been a fan of his ever since “Bosom Buddies”. It was such a great concept and outside of the box for TV back then. He can play any role and it seems whatever movie he creates turns to gold. He has a lot of experience in movies and in life and I would love to pick his brain and learn something from him.

Princess Diana

I was 10 years old when I woke up early to watch the “Wedding of the Century”. It was every girls’ dream to be a princess after that ceremony. I was also glued to the television watching every detail and news story about her life and tragic death. During interviews, she seemed like she needed a friend. I would like to find out what it was like to be in the palace, her passions, and raising her sons in the process.

Jim Carrey

Who doesn’t like to laugh? I have been a huge fan of his and enjoy all the movies he has displayed. It wasn’t until I followed him on Twitter that he is a gifted painter. Who knew? It would be fun to listen to his story and laugh until my sides hurt.

Hilary Farr

She is one half of the duo from the HGTV show “Love It or List It”. She is a brilliant interior design artist on the show. What she creates out of worn-out homes in desperate need of upgrading is nothing but stunning. I would love to visit with her about our house and get ideas from her.

Butter – New York City

This restaurant is owned and operated by Alex Guarnaschelli from Food Network fame. It is a very popular restaurant in New York City. I tried to get a reservation while we were there a couple of years ago, but it was booked solid every day they were there.

My Order

Appetizer: Gnocchi “Mac and Cheese”

Salad: Mixed Chicory and Roasted Apples

Main Course: New York Strip Steak with Black Truffle Butter with Rosemary and Sea Salt Potatoes on the side.

Dessert: Double Chocolate Cake with Rocky Road Whipped Cream

As I was completing this I was thinking, “I cannot possibly have just 5 people!” My list was getting longer thinking about other famous and historical figures I would like to have seated at my table. Joan of Arc, Saint Mother Teresa, Oprah, Ellen Degeneres, Matthew McConnehey, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, and the list goes on and on.

I grew up in the TV age (with only about 4 channels until satellite came out) so I have a broad knowledge of movie and television stars. I am always watching stories about celebrities on the Reelz channel and other entertainment news stories. I am usually the “life-line” people call if they are stuck with a trivia question about celebrities. This dinner would never happen, but it sure is fun to dream what would it be like if it did.

Who would you invite to dinner and what restaurant would you go to? Please comment below and let’s have some fun during this continued quarantine.