Food For Thought:
How many nights a week do you sit down at central table and eat with your family? For our clan, it’s tough. We’re always running from one practice to another (soccer, lacrosse, dance, cheer, track) and if we’re not, my husband and I (both real estate agents) are showing houses or working late. We’re busy. Busy. Busy. There’s not a lot of time to just be a family. But as a child, I remember long happy meals around the dinner table with my three siblings and my parents. We hashed through the troubles of the day and celebrated every small victory.
We weren’t rushed.
Over the last year, I’ve gotten into the routine of preparing a Sunday dinner for my husband, Troy, our two teenage children, Cole and Cali, and typically I invite my parents, Sue Sue and Pop Pop. I want my kids to have family dinners, and with them, the memories to build a life upon. As a result, I’ve become possessive of this Sunday ritual and get annoyed if something interferes. Maybe it’s because I recognize that the clock is ticking. I’m in the in-between time—my children are still at home and my parents are still living—and sometimes I feel a flutter of panic as I realize that neither of these realities will last forever. In a way, Sunday dinner helps me freeze time—if only for a meal.
So, welcome to the Bring Back Sunday Dinner revolution. Allow me to introduce the diners:
The Vacuum Cleaner – My husband, Troy, who cleans up whatever is left on your plate.
The Chronic Grazer – My son, Cole, who as a growing teenage boy, is like a newborn baby and needs to eat every two hours.
The Split Personality Eater – My mother, Sue Sue, who is on a diet one minute and the next minute proclaiming, “Life’s too short! Pass the cheesecake!”
The Diabetic Omnivore – My father, Pop Pop, who needs to watch what he eats but has an unrelenting sweet tooth.
The Well-Adjusted Eater – Cali, my daughter, who will try anything and makes pretty healthy choices.
The Cook! – Me. I lean on the healthy side, but believe everything is okay in moderation and we shouldn’t deprive ourselves of a great meal, especially on a Sunday night.
Tonight we’re having Fresh Herb Chicken Thighs, Sugar Peas w/Almonds, and Jasmine Rice (a super easy, extra tasty meal!).
Fresh Herb Chicken Thighs
- 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons crushed/chopped garlic
- Fresh Parsley, Thyme, & Rosemary
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions:
Chop parsley, thyme & rosemary into tiny bits and mix together with garlic.
Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Pour chick broth into pan. Cover chicken with herb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Delish!
Tip: put extra fresh herbs into an ice cube tray, fill with olive oil, and freeze. Use these herby cubes to sauté veggies or add to sauces later in the week.
Sugar Peas w/Almonds
- 1 lb sugar peas
- handful of almonds, chopped
- 2 herby cubes (from above)
Instructions:
Clean sugar peas
Blanch sugar peas in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and plunge into cold water. Sauté 2 herby cubes and almonds until almonds begin to brown, add sugar peas. Cook until tender.
Jasmine Rice
- 2 cups Jasmine Rice
- 3 cups water
Bring water to a boil, add rice, and cook 20 minutes. My kids love when I add and mix some burnt butter and a tablespoon of garlic salt before serving.
I always make more than we need for Sunday dinner. The leftovers make a fast, healthy weekend meal: carve the chicken from the bones, chop it up, mix together with the rice and any leftover peas and microwave for a minute. My fast-growing son loves this as an after-school, before practice meal.
Thought For The Week:
Love the combination of food, family, and fun. What a beautiful way to get the family together, enjoy a meal and make memories!
I will be “following” your Sunday Blog. Looks like great recipes, too!
Best wishes on your new endeavor.
Thank you, Carmella! You are my first subscriber!
This is great Heather! We try to get those family meals in as much as we can too! Can’t wait to read more!
Thanks, Tina!
Love the idea! I am a true believe in the family dinner! Now we can walk and talk about recipes ideas!
Thanks, Sue!
I love the new blog…especially the teenage conversations! The quick and easy recipes/cooking tips will certainly come in handy at our house:)
Thanks, Sandy!
I love that you are doing this. I look forward to following.
Thanks, Linda!
Love this!! Family is the most important thing in life!! I try to spend as much time as possible with all of them. Love your reminder!
Thanks, Marlene! Look for a new post each Sunday!
Looks great! Following!
Thanks!
I miss family suppers. So, now that my kids are grown and out of the house I started a Sunday Supper Club with friends where we take turns having Sunday Supper just to enjoy each other’s company and share a few laughs.
What a wonderful idea, Paula. I hope you’ll follow my blog. Maybe it will give you some ideas for when it’s your turn to host.
Family meals at our house were one of the highlights of my childhood. Inevitable, my brother would have us laughing hysterically or my mom would end up at the butt end of a joke.
I am a firm believer in family meals. My kids are young, so it’s easy, but I already see the introduction of extracurriculars encroaching on the process. I look forward to following your blog as another “family” mom from the Valley. 🙂
The older the kids get, the harder it becomes to keep family meals a priority. I’m holding my ground with Sunday Dinner!
Thanks for following Kristen!
I LOVE the fact that your family gets upset if something interferes with Sunday dinner!! Don’t let anything interfere.
Please say hello to Pop Pop and Sue Sue!
Thank you, Angelo! I hope you’ll follow the blog. Pop Pop and Sue Sue are main characters in the narrative! And sometimes, Jamie, The Terminator Eater, shows up!
I love this idea!!! And, I am always looking for new recipies. Thank you for sharing your personal thoughts and ideas with all of us! I look forward to reading your weekly blog! 😊
Thanks, Andrea! I hope you’ll subscribe to the blog. Thanks!
On Sundays, both sets of my grandparents would come over for dinner. The table was way too full, there was no room in the kitchen, and yet we kept it up for many years. After dinner we played gin rummy. It was very competitive. Sadly my grandparents are now gone and I live 3000 miles from my family, but I will always have the memories of our Sunday family dinners. Enjoy your memories with your family.
Stephanie, thanks for sharing such a wonderful memory of your childhood family dinners. I hope you’ll subscribe to the blog.
You’re an amazing woman, you make your family proud. Look forward to reading more. Best of luck on your new venture.
Thank you, Nancy! Have a wonderful Sunday!
What a great start, Heather! And now I’m hungry….
So glad I subscribed. Enjoy Sunday with your family.
Thank you, Cathy! I look forward to having you at Sunday Dinner soon!
Great menu. I am a big fan of dark meat and love chicken thighs. I am always looking for different ways to prepare them. I know they are not the most healthy part of the chicken , but every now and then you just have to go over to the dark side.
Yummy! I know, white meat is better for us, but I love the dark side! Thanks for reading.
I hope your blog does start a revolution of Sunday dinners with family!!!! You’ve inspired me to invite the in-laws over for Sunday dinner. I look forward to reading more and trying the recipes.
Thanks, Jen! Hope you enjoy your in-laws!
The saddest part is that I grew up around the dinner table EVERY night myself, but my kids and I (while we eat together on the sofa) only sit down to the dinner table together on special occasions! I’m going to start trying to make a Sunday dinner every week now – I’m inspired!
Excellent idea. Make Sunday a little special, not crazy, but a time the kids will remember later. Thanks for reading!
I am all for bringing back the Sunday Dinner! I am going to try your chicken recipe with seitan/tofu.
Geri, the seitan/tofu sounds like a great alternative. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for subscribing to my blog!
Heather,
Hi ! A wonderful idea to share wholesome values and delicious food. I especially love the Susu and PopPop stories since that’s my age bracket. Best of luck with your new venture !!
Cinzi
Thank you, Cindy! I have some good Sue Sue & Pop Pop stories on the horizon. Thank you for subscribing to the blog. Please share it with anyone who you think might have interest.
Heather this is Beautiful.. I always enjoyed family dinners. Now my children are grown like you with children if their own. I love when they all come for dinner. Family time is so important. I enjoy reading your blog. Your parents lived near mine on Water Street. My parents are gone now but always have those treasured memories in my heart. Thanks for this. Mary
Mary, Thank you for your kind words. I am thrilled that you’re following the blog. Please share it with your friends.
Congrats! Love this first entry and looking forward to reading more. You have expressed my thoughts perfectly from your view on family meals to “our” healthy but everything in moderation viewpoint.
Thanks, Alexia! So glad to have you as a subscriber!
A year late- but I’m trying your chicken recipe!
Happy One Year! You are already beating the odds!!!!!
Enjoy! This recipe is a mainstay at our house.
Thank you, sweetheart!
Congratulations, Heather! Please keep writing.