Family Dinner

Remember the dining table?  At my house right now it is cluttered with papers and books and opened mail. But a couple of nights a week, my hubby and I push the clutter down a few inches and find a spot to put a dinner plate on to share a meal together. It has become more important now that time is more limited for us than ever.



July 2010 Dress Down Dinners fundraiser for Team in Training

 Dinner together is an important part of our lives.  As children, we both had regular family meal time with no television, telephone, or other distractions. We believe family dinner was an important part of our raising.  Now, when we have John's son, we try to continue this tradition because it is not a part of his regular home life with his mom.  We've taught him table manners, how to hold a fork and knife, the importance of wiping your mouth, and how to not push food off the plate and onto the table.  But, we believe the family dinner, even if we only get to do it occasionally with him, will instill other values as well.

Time Magazine wrote in its article about The Magic of the Family Meal:

Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html#ixzz1GCt6Y8re

They call the family dinner "civilizing children" and I tend to agree.  At dinner with John's son, we also talk about movies we've seen recently and not just the fight scenes, as boys like to do.  But, we exercise critical thinking skills to break down what was good or bad about movies, tv shows, and music. We talk about money and how to spend wisely.  We talk about nutrition, especially since he has several food sensitivities.

But, our family dinner goes beyond just the days when John's son is here.  My family has had a long-standing tradition of Sunday dinner as long as I can remember.  Growing up, all of my uncles, aunt, cousins, grandmothers, and maybe a few people we didn't even know, would come over to our house after church on Sundays for lunch.  When possible, we'd watch the Cowboys play, cheer for the team, and fall into a nap with our bellies full.  These Sunday lunches also played a role in shaping who I've become. Usually the lunches were pot-luck and everyone would bring something.  My mom enjoyed cooking so much that we always had too much food.  John and I continue the Sunday lunch tradition, even though it's down to just us and my dad most of the time.

We've also shared our family's dinner tradition with our friends.  When John decided last year to run a triathlon for Team in Training to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we held Dress Down Dinners with 10-12 friends each of 4 nights to raise money for the cause.  John prepared a 6-course gourmet dinner, leaving everyone full and happy.  We raised over $6,000 for charity during that time.

So, I encourage each of you to bring back the family dinner.  DVR your favorite show, turn off the tv, and share time together at the dinner table a couple of nights a week.  Talking about the events of the day or whatever is on your mind, and listening to your family talk about what's on their mind, can only strengthen the family relationship.

I love soup!

I love soup!  Soup is such comfort food to me.  I'm not sure why -- my Mother hated soup and almost never made it.  I love how soup warms you up from the inside.  When I had my stomach surgery, my hubby made me sweet potato and squash soup and they were so yummy.



So, I was especially happy today when I read this article on Customizable Soups in the New York Times by Mark Bitman.  He says there are 4 types of soups: creamy (vegetables puréed with dairy); brothy (a strained vegetable stock, with quick-cooking ingredients added); earthy (with beans); and hearty (the vegetables sautéed first, to deepen their flavor). He believes that you can work through the recipes in the article and at the end you will know how to make soup without a recipe.

Here's a creamy soup recipe from Mark Bitman:

Creamy Spinach Soup Put 1 chopped onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves, 3 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 10 ounces chopped spinach and 1/2 cup parsley leaves; cook until the spinach is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup Greek-style yogurt and purée. Garnish: A spoonful of Greek-style yogurt and chopped parsley.

Here's a brothy soup recipe:

Vegetable Broth With Toast
Put 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped onions, 1 small chopped potato, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 garlic cloves, 10 sliced mushrooms, 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine), 10 parsley sprigs, 1/2 ounce dried porcini, 8 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, 30 minutes or longer. Strain and serve over toasted good bread. Garnish: Chopped celery leaves.

Here's an earthy soup recipe:

Bean Soup
Put 1 1/2 cup dried beans, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and 6 cups water in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the beans are soft, at least 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish: A drizzle of olive oil.

And, last, a hearty soup recipe:

Minestrone
Sauté 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery rib and 1 teaspoon minced garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups cubed potatoes and salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine) and 5 cups water. Boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped green beans; simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish: Chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

If you are a soup lover you really should read the full article.  I can't wait to try them.