As an adult, I’m a big kitchen person.  I love to cook.  I find it relaxing.  I like trying new recipes, tweaking ingredients, and all of the prep that goes with cooking (I also clean as I go, which my wife is a big fan of).  If there would be a camera on me while I work in the kitchen, you’d see that it’s almost like watching a TV show on the Food Network.  I carefully prep all of my ingredients and have them set out, then stay in the kitchen as I sauté, stir, and season my various ingredients (usually while sipping a glass of wine or enjoying a nice cold beer).

I bring this up because I usually do some sort of “big” meal on Sundays, inviting my mother down to join us (and having the kids all around the table when they aren’t off at college).  A real, traditional Sunday dinner.  I’ll look for some hearty recipe that uses my Dutch oven or some other sort of roasting pan and takes a few hours to cook, like a nice beef roast, whole chicken, or big slab of pork (yes, I toss the vegan and vegetarian rules aside for Sunday dinner).  Sometimes, I’ll do a theme.  It might be a “French” inspired meal – or maybe “Italian”.  Then I’ll usually whip up some traditional and seasonal sides (I make some pretty damn good garlic mashed potatoes) and even include rolls and butter for the table.  It’s like going to Grandma’s house, but I’m the Grandma (some of my camping buddies even dubbed me “Mammie” back in the day because of my camping dishes).

Then, it’s time for the table.  I like to use the big table in the dining room.  You know, the one that is “saved” for special occasions and holidays.  Why not?  I pull out the nice placements, make sure all of the cups and plates match (real glassware), add some candles or other center pieces, and then turn on some light background music.  Pop open a nice bottle of wine and at around 6:00 PM on Sunday evening, it’s time to eat in the Snyder household.  Phones off or away from the room, please.

Sitting around that dining room table and enjoying a nice meal with family or friends just can’t be matched.  We talk, laugh, and discuss the past week and upcoming week’s activities.  Conversation is becoming a lost art, but we practice it (at least on Sundays).  If the meal is particularly good, no one says much at all at first, as they are concentrating on their plates (always a good sign for the chef).

No rushing.  No one jumping up from the table to go somewhere else.  There’s time for a second glass of wine, or even another helping of those potatoes.  Relax and enjoy the moment.  There’s nowhere else to be right now.

Since I do all of the prep and cooking, most Sundays my family takes care of the bussing and clean-up duties afterwards (which usually aren’t too bad since I have taken care of all of the prep stuff beforehand).  We then retire to the living room for more talk and some dessert, if we’ve got any – which I’ll admit is a rarity (I’m just not a big dessert guy).

Since I started the “Sunday dinner” thing a few years ago, it’s now something my family plans around and looks forward to every week.  I’m not bragging, but the food is usually pretty good; however, the memories and conversation are even better.

If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend giving it a shot and seeing if you don’t agree that it’s a habit worth getting into.