Family meal night

For this post, I'm taking a break from business topics and back to food. As in past musings about food, it’s more about the experience than the recipe.

We have always made a point to eat as a family for dinner. Breakfasts and lunches are trickier, doing our best when we can. Call us old-fashioned, but it was something that we tried to instill in our children. Having meals together is one of the best times to really talk to each other. Find out what’s happening in each other’s lives. Getting all the schedules to align wasn’t and isn’t always easy. Sometimes meals are early or late to accommodate a family member. Rather than skip or exclude we have tried to make it work.

Most days the conversation is nothing more than the usual “How was your day?” banter. But it is still conversation and usually evolves into something more serious, and sometimes not so serious. It may be only for the duration of the meal, but it allows everyone to take a breath, catch up, and recharge.

The focus on dining together has morphed into special meals and “days”. Sundays have now become family breakfast days. And although some have moved out on their own, they occasionally return for the Sunday specialties. While we each will try a unique breakfast, Sundays have become my wife’s chance to show off and make some special meals.

Pizza night

Friday’s have turned into Pizza night. Having a hankering for cast iron deep-dish pizza I set out making one. It was a hit so the next week I tried a different version of a pizza by making my own dough. The sensation caught on and now we have homemade pizza every Friday we’re home. Each of us takes a different week and comes up with our own creations, from traditional versions to exotic.

Deconstructed meals

The “bowl” options at many fast-casual restaurants have inspired us to make our own bowls at home. Mediterranean, Mexican, Japanese, even Italian, we have deconstructed just about any dish normally served in a wrap or other type of containment. It has become a happy challenge for me and anticipation for the family to see what we can break down. To add to the enjoyment the ingredients are set up in a build your own, assembly line, fashion along the kitchen counter. This allows everyone to get even more creative and adjust the meal to his or her taste.

Burrito bowls have been commercially prepared for years. Nothing new here, just a fun meal in a bowl at home. Shawarma isn’t really “deconstructed” but it is one of our favorites and still fun to build and eat with warm naan bread.

One of our all-time favorites is a deconstructed California roll, which is the bowl featured as the post picture. Made with everything you’d find in the roll such as imitation crabmeat, avocado, cucumber strips, carrots, sesame seeds, and seaweed “chips” as a garnish. I used jasmine rice for its aroma and stickiness.

Nothing here is going to end up on Food Network. This isn’t a panacea that fixes all family problems. It is a family tradition that harkens to childhoods and playing outside until called to supper. Or you heard the dinner bell. Funny thing is, my wife and I both grew up in the same state but in different parts. Not so different that both our families did, in fact, have dinner bells. And we ran when we heard them. Because you had meals as a family. That was that. At that moment in time, you know where everyone is. That everyone is safe.

Check the blog archive for other posts relating to food, meals, and recipes.

Omelet station observations July 2018

Recipe for history December 2017