SevenSenses

When I think of my childhood, some of the warmest and fondest memories I have are our Sunday breakfasts. There were grits and sausage and fried eggs- and if we were really lucky even Eggs Benedict! And nobody made hollandaise like my mama. We ate and laughed and made a mess of the kitchen table. We were together, sharing in something as a family. But we didn’t consistently eat dinner together. To be fair, I  absolutely loved TV dinners. The tin tray with soggy corn, liquid mashed potatoes and Salisbury steak with that thin plastic-y film of gravy. I’d set myself down into the comfort of those couch cushion, fill up my fork and enjoy every second of Gilligan’s adventures. But we really only had family dinners on holidays. That time each night where we could share about what happened during our day, our successes and trials. That might have been the time to reset and keep the trials in perspective. To re-energize as a team and reassure that this too shall pass. And guess what – the family became a broken one. Sure there were many other contributors but the fact remains that there wasn’t a tradition that enabled us to define who we were as a family.

Nourishment is a critical element of our ability to survive.  So it’s no wonder that building traditions around that which supports our life would be important to survival. What brings us from surviving to thriving is the added dimension of togetherness. Food not only powers our physical body, but the tradition and experience of breaking bread together creates community and tribe; that group of individual beings who together are greater than the sum of their parts.

With my own kids launching their own lives we certainly don’t eat as a family every Sunday, but we do try to do it at least once a month. And it’s not burdensome either, rather it’s welcomed by all of us. When the family was young, this tradition was incredibly important to my husband. He grew up in a home where they gathered for Sunday dinner with grandparents, cousins and music in abundance.  So this was something he wanted his family to experience also. In fact, he was somehow able to have our family eat together almost every night at the kitchen table with Sundays just a little more special in the dining room. I seamlessly adopted and embraced the tradition. It was not hard, the time was filled with conversation, most of the time laughter and of course the occasional healthy debate turned full on argument. But it defined who we were and continue to be as a family.

Our menus have evolved over the years to healthier options; but there are so many recipes that have been passed down from Nana Sullivan’s cheese pasta or beef stew to Gram’s Gumbo and Grambea potatoes – none of ‘em healthy but all of them wonderful!  I created a recipe for each of the kids and it was fun to be able to say we were having their special dinner when we made it. Now, we want to share those recipes with you ️ through our website. Keep an eye out for more posts about all the delicious foods that shaped our family’s traditions. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!