Have you ever fantasize about the 'good old days'of weekly family dinners? You know the kind I am talking about. The entire family gets together at Grandma's house, the same day every week, no matter what is going on in their lives. Grandma prepares, and lays the table with an incredible spread; macaroni and cheese, fluffy mashed potatoes, pot roast or fried chicken, bowls full of garden fresh vegetables, light as a feather home baked biscuits, savory gravy, and chocolate fudge layer cake. For many Americans, it was Sunday Dinner and it was always wonderful. Many thought that it was the glue that held families together. But over time, family members moved away, families split up, and our once simple lives became too complicated to tie us down to one meal a week with the most important people in our lives.

If a weekly ritual is not practical for your family, why not try a family dinner once in month? If you don't have family or friends nearby, prepare a nice meal for yourself. In our household, Roy and I are huge fans of 'Sunday Dinner, although we usually have it on Thursdays. Although I fantasize that we will all sit around the dining table eating like civilized human beings, more often than not, it ends up being 'just the two of us'. Sometimes, my grown up son will grace us with his presence (usually for a grab and go) while my niece will stop the next day, on her way home from school,
looking for leftovers for lunch. Not exactly what I had in mind, or is it?

Well, I do get a chance to prepare a delicious meal that everyone enjoys. I try to create a balance between favorite, tried and true recipes, like my Roast Chicken, and newly created recipes. Even when it is just the two of us, I serve our meal at the table, set with some of my favorite serving pieces. We turn off the evening news and enjoy a leisurely meal. Even when the kids are MIA, we do get to catch up, even if only for a few minutes, when they come into the kitchen later, asking "what's there to eat?"

So, what's in it for me, you might ask? I get the personal pleasure of knowing that everyone has a tummy full of good food at least once a week, that they all know that they are important to me, and that they know that home is always here for them.