Last month I finished reading the popular book Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes
It was filled with personal and touching stories of how food draws us together in community and relationships around the table. In the middle of her beautifully and heart filled written essays are mouthwatering recipes. Many of which are now at home in my personal recipe collection.
As I was reading I was reminded of the responsibility we have as parents to bring our children up to not only enjoy good food but also to enjoy the fellowship that takes place at meal time. Dinner is the one time during the day we all of us, including Daddy, gets to sit down and eat together. Breakfast is usually chaotic with the kids eating while I’m cleaning the dishes. Lunch is a bit more calmer, I do sit down and eat with the kids but Daddy is at work. So dinner time is our time.
Every night after I set the table and serve dinner, we all sit down. No T.V. on in the background. No cell phones. Just the four of us. My husband leads us into a short and simple prayer of thanksgiving and despite the never ending lesson of trying to teach my kids to wait to eat until after we have said the prayer, their little mouths are almost always full.
Then we recount our days to one another. I always fill in my husband with our days plans and activities, funny moments, struggles and other stories. Then he shares his day with us. While my kids are only 3 and 1 and might not fully comprehend all of our conversation, I know that seeds are being planted in their hearts.
In fact Silas, who is 3, has even started asking us, “How was your day?” It’s a special time that is consistent each and every day. Our family dinner table is laying a foundation before our children. We are modeling for them community and relationship building. And while we haven’t yet mastered the area of table manners (finger eating is still a constant as they are developing their fine motor skills to hold a fork) little lessons are being taught, especially about not yelling across the table!
One of our favorite family meals (we have a lot!) is Mustard Roasted Chicken Drumsticks. Perfectly tangy and savory, served with potato wedges marinated in the same mustard mixture that the chicken is coated in. This simple and frugal meal is easy enough to whip up for a mid-week family dinner, yet it’s also fancy enough to serve at a dinner party too.
Today I’m sharing our recipe over on The Best Blog Recipes Gallery, where I have been serving as a monthly contributor for the past few months. To read the full recipe and get the list of ingredients, be sure to head here.
I hope you enjoy this simple, frugal and delicious recipe as much as my family does!
What are some traditions that your family has in place to model the importance of the family table?
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