Dinner Time

My least favorite time of day is dinnertime. Everyone is tired and sometimes even “hangery” (angry and hungry). The girls walk in the door and immediately head for the pantry for a snack. Jarrod did the same, until I got smart and took a lesson from one of my aunts. I put out some snacks and his choice beverage at the bar before he even walks in the door. This relieves some of the pressure from me. I am able to take my time getting dinner ready and it also allows him time to just sit and decompress without searching through the cabinets for a bite to eat. However, even with that, the process of dinnertime is not enjoyable to me.

I am not a chef, actually, I am not even a cook. I can make a great Salmon but that is about it. I love to entertain – the planning of the night, the beverage (sangria, margaritas or wine), the décor, what I will serve, the dishes and wine glasses, candles, the music , even the napkins are thought out.  I rely on wonderful homemade food options from our local grocery store or my husband.  This week however was a different story. We started Saturday off heading to our local farmer’s market. The idea was to buy a few local, fresh items and come up with the weekly menu using these items.  I am proud to say, we did it! And I loved the whole planning process of how to incorporate these items in each meal throughout the week.

We purchased a bundle of bok choy, two varieties of mushrooms, gluten free pizza pie crust, and a multi grain loaf of fresh bread. Here is what we made:

• A gourmet Asian-flare dinner prepared by both Jarrod and I. I,as the sous chef cutting and prepping; he as the chef, cooking the meal.
• Two homemade pizzas with fresh veggies
• A crock of Veggie soup
• Omelets with mushrooms, bok choy and tomato
• Salads for lunch

Just changing where and how we bought some key food items for the week changed the entire feeling of dinner time in our house.  The food was fresh, the choices were not our normal boring dinners, and we actually enjoyed the process.  If you can relate to how I feel about dinner, think of ways to change the process.