Dressing for dinner "In"
Now that we are all home together all day long its easy to get into the habit of snack and go meals. Why have family time when that's all you have? But breakfast isn't really the most important meal of the day. Dinner is and we shouldn't lose sight of that now just because we have so much togetherness. We need to stop, focus and really be present with one another.
Years ago my husband and I were invited to join a group of world class chefs for a weekend of cooking. Everyone arrived by Saturday morning having been assigned one of the seven courses for the Saturday night black tie dinner. My job, as a less than world class cook, was to make brownies and gather garden flowers for the table centerpieces. Late in the day, all courses prepped, we took a short nap before dressing to the 9's for dinner at 8:00.
The table was set with fine linens, china and silver, adorned with colorful garden flower centerpieces. We laughed, told stories and drank fine wines until well after midnight. The following morning the apprentices (who had served as sous chefs the night before) were tasked with creating a breakfast buffet out of the left overs. What a wonderful memory!
During this time of isolation why not try something like this for your family. Each family member can create one course and prepare it. Dress up for dinner. Maybe you have a theme. Use your good dishes and glasses. And tell stories.
One of my friends, who is Mormon, introduced me to Family Night Weekly. They rotated through the family and whoever's turn it was picked the menu for dinner and the games to be played. Older children helped the little ones with the cooking if necessary and the choice of games included all age groups so everyone participated. FNW was not optional. Every one was expected to be home for dinner that night. This is another way to use this quarantine to add depth to your relationships.
The Walton family just popped into my head. How they all gathered around the table for dinner and passed the bowls of food from one to another. There's something very spiritual about sharing food with one another like that. And they all helped with the chore of cleaning up. It's not surprising that they called out 'goodnight' to one another as they all fell asleep later.
Don't keep saving those dishes for 'good'. There is no time that's going to get 'gooder' than this one. Celebrate this opportunity to really get to know each other and show appreciation for what each person means to your family. This could turn out to be one of the best times of your life.
Years ago my husband and I were invited to join a group of world class chefs for a weekend of cooking. Everyone arrived by Saturday morning having been assigned one of the seven courses for the Saturday night black tie dinner. My job, as a less than world class cook, was to make brownies and gather garden flowers for the table centerpieces. Late in the day, all courses prepped, we took a short nap before dressing to the 9's for dinner at 8:00.
The table was set with fine linens, china and silver, adorned with colorful garden flower centerpieces. We laughed, told stories and drank fine wines until well after midnight. The following morning the apprentices (who had served as sous chefs the night before) were tasked with creating a breakfast buffet out of the left overs. What a wonderful memory!
During this time of isolation why not try something like this for your family. Each family member can create one course and prepare it. Dress up for dinner. Maybe you have a theme. Use your good dishes and glasses. And tell stories.
One of my friends, who is Mormon, introduced me to Family Night Weekly. They rotated through the family and whoever's turn it was picked the menu for dinner and the games to be played. Older children helped the little ones with the cooking if necessary and the choice of games included all age groups so everyone participated. FNW was not optional. Every one was expected to be home for dinner that night. This is another way to use this quarantine to add depth to your relationships.
The Walton family just popped into my head. How they all gathered around the table for dinner and passed the bowls of food from one to another. There's something very spiritual about sharing food with one another like that. And they all helped with the chore of cleaning up. It's not surprising that they called out 'goodnight' to one another as they all fell asleep later.
Don't keep saving those dishes for 'good'. There is no time that's going to get 'gooder' than this one. Celebrate this opportunity to really get to know each other and show appreciation for what each person means to your family. This could turn out to be one of the best times of your life.
Oh yes! Started using our wedding crystal for everyday! Especially the LARGE wine glasses!
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