Sunday, November 12, 2017

Day 12: Italian Sunday Dinners

Sunday dinner prep. Sauce and meatballs! 
(Oh, and lentil soup for the week)

Growing up, Sundays always meant family dinners.

It was usually at our house or my grandmother's house, and nine times out of ten, we ate macaroni.

"Dinner" time was always in the middle of the afternoon. It could start anywhere around 2pm and last until the time when non-Italians eat dinner on Sundays.

And the best part about these dinners, was that everyone showed up. No matter what was going on, they dropped everything and were seated at the kitchen table (no fancy dining rooms here), tearing apart a loaf of Italian bread with their hands.

We'd eat macaroni, meat – such as pork meat, braciola, sausage and meatballs, which had been simmering to ultimate tenderness in the sauce all day, sort of salad and bread. And, of course, red wine. That's it. Nothing fancy.

There were no invitations, besides determining the place where Sunday dinner was to be held, and that destination trickled down through the Sunday morning phone tree. And then you just showed up, grabbed a bowl, and dug in.

Nowadays, it's not so easy to pull off a Sunday dinner. Schedules are busy. Laundry is waiting. Errands need to get done. 

When did life get so busy and complicated? 

I know for us, if we are planning to attend – or even host – a Sunday dinner, I have to plan for that during the week, and pull double duty on Saturdays to get everything done.

Our weekends are sacred: grocery store, errands, laundry, cooking for the week, yard work, catching up on bills, putting away all the stuff that was lying around on the counters all week. And sometimes, finding time to do something fun, like take Little Mister to the park or go out to eat. And when I'm feeling frivolous with time, I try to sneak in a haircut or manicure.

We are fortunate that our 3 year old still naps (I KNOW), and not only that, he's a marathon napper. I use those 3-hour blocks like a pro, accounting for every minute. Downside: when I wrap up doing what needs to get done and I'm ready to sit down and relax for 10 minutes, he wakes up. Mommy time over.

So today, I'm recreating Sunday dinner, even if it's just for the 3 of us. Macaroni, meat sauce, salad. Lots of grated cheese and red wine.



I'd like for LM to have traditions he can remember from his childhood. 

Maybe it's time to bring back Sunday dinners! (Well, maybe once a month...)

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