Yet again, Beth has more terrific family recipes to share for our upcoming company cookbook. How does she do it? I'll tell you...she's raised and married off FOUR boys. Can you imagine trying to keep all those mouths fed? Whewww. I wouldn't know where to begin.
I'll tell you, I've had some wonderful conversations with Beth about cooking and family. She is an amazing woman and I would love to cook with her anytime. She and her husband have raised four lovely and handsome boys and she is what I consider these days a woman of the past. What I mean by that: She is still a working wife, mother and woman, but still enjoys making delicious and beautiful meals (from scratch) for her family.
In the world we live in today, people are so consumed with fast food and tv they don't have time to relax and just be a family. Hardly ever do families sit around the table and talk about their days around dinner. Mom's are running the kids to football and soccer practices, dad's are home late from the office, kids are busy with school projects and by the time the whole family is settled back at home - Everyone is tired and just want something quick to eat.
So, I pose the question - What happened to sitting down as a family for dinner?
It's fading away, I'm afraid. With the hustle and bustle of the world, families sometimes don't have the time for this important part of being a family. Although I do not have children I know the importance of sitting down as a family and eating dinner. Some of the best meals and conversations with my family were surrounded around my parent's dinner table. We talked about school, weekend plans, day at work, funny things that happened to us...it was a time for the family to gather as one again and have some laughs. I know that sounds corny, but it was true.
Even though I don't have children yet, my husband and I spend at least three nights eating dinner around our dinner table (tvs off) talking about our day at work and what we had planned for the weekend. I love this time with my husband. It's time for us to relax and just be us together. And when I do have a family I will make it a rule that our family MUST sit down for dinner at least three times per week. I think this is an importnat part of being a "close" family and is the building blocks for building a strong family.
Do you have thoughts about this....If so let me hear them, shoot me a comment, I always respond.
Have a wonderful weekend trying some of this week's new recipes and let me know how things turn out.
Until next time...Keep your hands floured and your ovens hot!
Baked Pork Chops and Beans
by Beth Schoeneberg
(Note from Beth: Adjust this recipe per your own quantity. It is so easy and so good. My husband’s favorite.)
1 Can of Pork ‘n Beans
4 Pork Chops
Sliced onion rings
Sliced green pepper rings
Salt
Pepper
Mustard
Ketchup
Brown Sugar
Pour beans in the bottom of a baking dish… Salt & Pepper each pork chops, to taste. Lay the pork chops on top of the beans. Sprinkle each pork chop with brown sugar and top each with mustard and ketchup. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees… Again top/garnish with slices of onion and green pepper. Continue baking until chops are cooked through… perhaps an additional 10 minutes. This will vary depending on the thickness of the pork chops.
Serve with a salad and you have a delicious meal ready in just 30 minutes.
Crock Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake
by Beth Schoeneberg
1 chocolate cake mix (approx. 18oz)
1 large package of instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
1 C. Water
3/4 C. Veg. oil
1C. semisweet chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in bowl about 2 min. Stir in choc. chips. Pour in crockpot that has been coated w/butter or nonstick cooking spray. (I use a crockpot liner instead) Cover and cook 6-7 hours on low. Done when knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Serve w/ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Serves approx 10-12.
Perfect for every chocoholic!!!
DUMP CAKE
by Beth Schoeneberg
1 Box yellow cake mix
1 Can cherry pie filling
1 Can crushed pineapple
1 Stick margarine or butter
½ Cup chopped pecans
In a 9" x 13" pan, begin dumping in this order:
Cherry pie filling
Pineapple
Dump the entire box of yellow cake mix
Dot with slices of butter or margarine
Sprinkle top with the chopped pecans
Bake at 350o for 25 or 30 minutes – until golden brown.
Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.
Variations that are excellent… substitute the Cherry pie filling with either Strawberry or Blueberry pie filling.
October 13, 2006
What happened to sitting down as a family around dinner?
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3 comments:
I guess we buck the trend. We always sit down as a family for every meal. Tonight was spicey black bean soup, first of the batch which is going in the canner to night for many a winter meal.
We don't have TV so I guess that is off. We do read the newspaper as a family around the dinner table, discussing the articles. It is a part of our homeschooling covering geography, politics, society, history and I get the occasional math word problem in there too. Conversations are lively!
Growing up, we always ate around the table. Even breakfasts when I was in high school. I've continued that tradition in our family (as my husband was an only child and raised by a single mom, they were busy a lot). So on the nights either my husband or I are not gone, which is twice a week, we eat together. I love eating with my family. I wouldn't have it any other way. though my kids are 5 and 2, we aren't running around and I hope it stays that way when they're older.
It’s good to hear that I’m not the only one with the same feelings about “family togetherness.” I hope to keep the same traditions of eating at the dinner table, reading discussing newspaper article and spending time together when I do have a family someday. But that will not be for awhile. My husband wants to get a bass fishing boat before we think about starting a family.
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