Getting back to Sunday dinner

This is the post I've been most excited about writing since day one. But I've been trying to write it on a Sunday and I never have time. So you get it a day early! One thing I have noticed since moving to Springfield, is how much this town eats out. Especially Sunday lunch! Ever tried to go to Cheddar's or Zio's after church? The wait can be up to two hours! It can cost a fortune and is not very relaxing with a passle of sleepy, cranky, starving kids and if you try to go with another family...well you might as well plan on lunner (lunch and dinner).

As I have mentioned before, this book " A Return to Sunday Dinner" is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. Not just for the recipes, but for the wonderful reading material. I would like to read you an excerpt or two from this book. Then I recommend you going on ebay and buying it yourself.

"In years gone by, life slowed for one day a week: a day for worship and quiet reflection, a day for family and friends, a day apart from the everyday bustle.

It was also a day of celebration- a time to delight in the company of loved ones, to rebuild the unwritten customs of our past, and to enjoy together a bounty of wholesome foods.

It can be that way again."

Poetic isn't it? How bout this:

"It's time to revive the Sunday table-a place where food is the foundation of a rich and meaningful gathering."

Here's some more:

"Remember Sunday dinner?Just hearing the words can take you back- perhaps to a well-loved dining room in your grandparent's house, where a stately oak table is laid with lace and hand-painted china. The table overflows with its Sunday bounty...bowls of steaming, garden-fresh vegetables, crocks of sweet butter and homeade jam, and the succulent Sunday roast, juicy and brown. Incomparable aromas fill the house, laden with the promise of freshly-baked, light-as-a-feather biscuits or warm-from-the-oven peach cobbler."

That's all I'm going to give you, to read the rest of this tantalizing book, you have to get your own.

I have found for myself and my family, that nothing makes me feel more cozy and at home, than walking in from Sunday service to the smell of something in the oven and the table set to perfection, complete with fresh flowers and the nice china. I love inviting people over and then sitting around with dessert and coffee and just chatting.

Try and make this as easy as possible for yourself. Cook as much as you can the day before, or do the ever popular crock-pot idea. Set the table on Saturday, make the tea that morning, have your dessert ready to pop in the oven. I invite you to give it a try. I truly believe that this is a lost art, and one we should get back to for the sake of ourselves, our kids, and our wallets.

Have a good weekend friends and I'm still waiting for some casserole recipes on the previous post:~)