Almost from the moment our family grew in adopting our kids, Sunday dinner was always a future dream. My husband and I, in discussing how we saw family, wholeheartedly agreed we would sit together every night as a family at the dinner table. We have met that goal 99% of time.
One of us, barring travel or a date night, along with our children, sat together for dinner almost every night as the kids grew up. Most times it was just us. But if family or friends were in town, they would join. Most of the time the meal was homemade so we knew what was going into our bodies. When I got more into gardening and baking, even more of our meals were fresh and additive-free.
As the kids grew older, my hope of us all living fairly close, able to have Sunday dinner together started to grow. As with life, things don’t always work out as one would want. Due to a number of factors, mainly distance, those dinners with the kids, and their significant others, and any grandchildren won’t be happening anytime soon. Instead, the dream lives in other ways.
Instead of the kids and such, it is our chosen family that get together. Recently, with Covid more manageable, we decided it was time again to begin inviting friends and neighbors over for Sunday dinner. Our first guests in a long time for dinner, were Tracy and Dale, whom I mentioned in my Tuesday post.
To them, it probably felt like a last minute invitation, and in some ways it was. The want of having them over has been there for a while, but it was a bit of a spontaneous invite. We are so glad Tracy and Dale were able to join us. I already thought they were awesome. The conversation around the table only further confirmed their awesomeness. Hearing the challenges they’ve had to confront and move through in life was both heartbreaking and inspiring. It was delightful to get to know them better.
The menu for the evening was a bit more impromptu. My initial thoughts, from my new cookbook by the Pioneer Woman, was either Stromboli or Beef Noodle Stew. Then a recipe popped up in one of my feeds: Chicken and Orzo Soup with Garlic and Paprika. My mouth watered just from the picture and reading the recipe. The weather was also perfect to roll out soup.
To keep it simple, we would have a simple salad and homemade bread to go with the soup. The salad remained simple, but the bread was less simple. At the last minute I decided, rather than bake one loaf to slice, I’d make eight individual mini rosemary and herb loaves. I’m so glad I did because it looked better on the table, and I’d like to hope, helped everyone feel a little more special in having a loaf just for them.
We weren’t the only ones contributing. The Papas brought Papa Joe’s now signature garlic butter. Tracy and Dale volunteered to bring the dessert. They outdid themselves with a delicious, slightly decadent, strawberry cheesecake from Shapiro’s Delicatessen. The deli is a family owned restaurant with a superb reputation for its food and civic duties.
Let’s just say no one left hungry.!
I hope the group agrees with the following statement. It was a very fine way to end the weekend and to start the week. I’m looking forward to the next Sunday dinner with our next guests, and in having Tracy and Dale over again.
Hope you get to enjoy Sunday dinner with some friends and family. I highly recommend it!
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 