Sunday- A Time for Family

Remember back when all the stores shut down on Sundays?  My partner and I were just reminiscing about that a few weeks ago.  You needed to make sure that you had all of your supplies early in the day (or by Saturday night) otherwise you just had to do without until Monday morning.  It didn't kill us.  We managed.  You just make due with what you have in the house.  The kids played outside.  The adults chatted and tried to beat each other at a hand of cards.  (cribbage was the game of choice in my household) 

Then there was Sunday Supper.  Sunday was the time where the family would come together for a slow cooked meal and a delicious dessert.  In our house, we've made Sunday Supper a tradition again.  Each Sunday or Monday, I'll post about our Sunday menu.  In our house, we have some challenges as some folks eat meat and others don't.  Thankfully, there's usually enough food so that everyone is satisfied!  This weeks menu was:

• Baby Back Ribs
• Homemade Potato Salad
• Fresh Green Beans
• Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

So how much time did all of this take?  Not long!  Remember, you're talking to a former Fast Food addict.  I'm all about blending Old Fashioned Goodness with Convenience!  So, let's take the Baby Back Ribs.  Instead of smoking them or grilling them from start, I have the simplest recipe ever.  Fill a stock pot with half water, half beef broth.  Drop in the ribs.  Boil until tender. (usually an hour or more)  Remove carefully as the meat may want to fall apart.  Brush with the BBQ sauce of your choice. (I use a homemade sauce that I cook in large batches, freeze in portions, and thaw as needed) Then, finish them up by browning on a hot grill. The grilling process only takes about 5-10 minutes.  Simple! People will think you've slaved all day, and I promise that you won't be able to tell that they were boiled.

The potato salad was also easy.  Start with about 5 pounds of local red potatoes.  Clean and boil with the skins on.  Cook until tender.  Then, drain and cool.  While cooling, hard boil 6 eggs.  Peel and slice. Combine about 1 and 1/2 cups of mayo, 1 tbsp of mustard, 2 finely chopped stalks of celery, and about 4-6 sliced green onions.  (if you like bacon, you can even add crumbled bacon, but we don't) Gently mix in the sliced eggs to the mayo mixture.  Then, slice the cooled potatoes.  Gently combine the mayo/egg mixture with the sliced potatoes.  Pepper to taste.  This will make a lot of potato salad! 

The green beans are simple.  Just buy local, wash and trim the ends, and boil until they have reached the desired tenderness.

And the best part?  The Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Here is my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in the world!

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees.  Cream 1/2 C of butter, 1/4 C white sugar, 3/4 C packed brown sugar, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 C of flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking power and 1/2 tsp baking soda.  Mix well with the creamed butter mixture.  Add 1 generous cup of chocolate chips.  Roll dough into golf ball sized portions and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  With the palm of your (clean) hand, flatten the dough balls to about 1/4 inch thick.  Bake about 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

These cookies are delicious on their own, but they also make the best ice cream sandwiches when filled with your favorite homemade or store bought ice cream and drizzled with some chocolate sauce.

So, that was our Sunday Supper.  Overall cooking and prep time?  Less than 2 hours. (and a lot of that was unattended boil time)  To me, that is worth it.  It's a time for me to create, socialize, and nourish my family.  When looking back on my week, I don't regret these few hours, and I suspect that you won't either.  What are you having next Sunday? Tweet