Here is a great selection of fantastic, easy to make, and fun family sit-down meals for dinner. This post discusses “real” American food. Not “American fast food”, which it seems (to everyone outside of the USA) is what Americans eat all the time. We do not. We eat something else, something all together different. We eat tasty, aromatic and tasty delicious food. Don’t you know.

Hey! It’s true!

In our homes, with our families, we “break bread” with love, happiness, care and concern. We eat healthy, fine and delicious food. We share the events of the day, and we laugh and cry as the day’s events are presented. We are not alone. We are part of a bigger identity.

Fast food does not represent America. It is an off-shoot of the “modern” progressive-reality that was thrust upon the shoulders of America. We have been dealing with it since 1913, and it’s only been recently that we have decided to shake it off.

It's like coffee. Most Americans do not drink Starbucks coffee daily. Many do, but not most. Coffee is a deeply personal thing with most Americans.

American food, like coffee is a very unique and special treat. Something that does NOT resemble the monetized versions available to the rest of the world.

Surprise!

Here we talk about “dinner time”. That most special and sacred time of the day for many (but not all) Americans. It was the time when a family would take off their soiled work clothes, put aside their school book bags, and sit down together for a fine, nutritious meal. One that was (traditionally) cooked with care and love by the woman of the house.

Ah, but times have changed. Oh, maybe so. But not inherently. Americans are still Americans. You cannot change who we are on the inside. We are social beings that value our time together with loved ones. Most especially with our families.

Americans are still capable of love for their families.

Yes. I do know all about the injection of “modern progressiveness” into the American culture back in 1913. I am quite cognizant on how it altered and deformed American cultures and resulted in almost all of the problems that America experiences today.

Yes. I know.

I know, it used to be, back in the days leading up to the 1970’s and the destruction of the American family, everyone would have a “sit down” “typical” American meal. (The link opens up in another tab.)

I also know how this tradition pretty much was under assault, and how the death blow smashed it to pieces in the 1970’s. Ah, yes, you can thank President Wilson for that as well. The Federal Reserve put a death-grip strangle hold on the American family.

This is the world that all that modern progressiveness wrought.

This tradition pretty much ended during the 1970’s when families had to split apart to earn enough to make ends meet. Thus, a progressive (or “enlightened”) reality took hold; also known as “everyone forage for themselves”, or “meals by yellow-sticky notes on the refrigerator”.

It goes by other terms as well, as (the) fast-food television binge, or the creation of “easy and cheap meals”.

It’s what living a “progressive” life is all about. It’s about money. It’s about making ends meet. It’s about keeping up with the Joneses. It’s about living a life that matches the expectations shown in television, movies, and social media.

it’s all one big lie.

If we’re too busy to have dinner as a family regularly, we may want to  re-examine our priorities. 

We probably are too busy. Period. 

While our  smartphones and devices have brought us closer to the rest of humanity, it is the family that will stick with us through thick and thin.
 
It is simply amazing that something as simple as eating together as a  family may bring manifold benefits to all family members. Family meals  are for nourishment, comfort and support. As we nourish our body, we  nourish our family relationships. 

After all, food is better eaten with  the people we love! 

- Eating together helps families bond

It’s sad.

Oh you don’t know what I am talking about, eh? You think it’s an accident that tomatoes today taste like cardboard and are filled with water? You think it was an accident, or just the way it’s always been. Oh no. It’s what happens when modern, progressive scientists re-engineer society to make it “better”.

Click on the link (it opens up in a different tab) for easy browsing…

Here’s a picture of the “modern, progressive lifestyle” that many Americans have had to confront. Sad…

It’s how NOT to raise a family.

All these progressives, with their modern (well meaning intentions) have totally wrecked the world. Look at the pollution. Look at the family life. Look at what it takes to get ahead. It’s not an accident people!

Ahhh!

However, do not be distressed. A rising percentage of Americans are revitalizing the old-fashioned “sit down” formal dinner time meals. It’s making a much needed comeback. And I, I for one, think that this trend is glorious!

What is better than delicious food? What is better than fine tasty drink and friends and family to share the day’s events with? Heck! It sure beats looking that the latest posts on Facebook, watching a cat video on You-tube, or reading the “news” on your Google feed.

Yeppur!

It’s people. It”s feeling. It’s emotions. It’s sharing our life with others, and that is absolutely wonderful.

Family meals done right…

This is great, and people (!) this post discusses what they would be eating during all of this.

My in-laws

It has gradually dawned on me that no one (outside of the United States) has any idea what Americans eat. They think, and they really do believe this, that all that Americans eat are hamburgers and Pizza.

You laugh.

But, it’s true!

While there is a certain degree in truth to that, it’s not actually true. When I was growing up, we rarely had pizza or hamburgers. That was something that was reserved to eat “outside” of the home. Or, alternatively, something we would have at a Cub Scout cookout, or at a baseball game. It wasn’t a formal sit down meal food.

Home cooked food was tastier, healthier, cheaper, and was served in a communal setting where we all faced each other. We weren’t staring into a television set, a laptop, or a cell phone. We faced each other.

Face to face.

With delicious food, with the fine aromas wafting towards us.

Now, I am in China.

My in-laws know nothing about the American household lifestyle. All they know is what they watch on the television show “Friends”, or The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

But, you know, my family was more like Mayberry RFD than Cheers.

This has come down to the point where my father-in-law brought groceries home from the market today. He passed them on to the women folk to cook, and he proudly displayed a McDonalds bag with a cold chicken sandwich and wilted french-fries for me to consume. He beamed with pride. (Obviously “virtue signalling” to me that he cared about me and my culture.)

Ugh!

Ah! Is that how the rest of the world thinks of Americans? As some kind of comic book character. One devoid of emotion, a crisply packaged collection of cheap food in bright colorful plastic wrappings?

He was so proud, and he wanted to show me how he was thinking of me and supportive of me. Thank’s Pop. But, you know, I do like other things…

And thus this post came into being.

The meals

“The table is where we mark milestones, divulge dreams, bury hatchets,  make deals, give thanks, plan vacations and tell jokes. It’s also where  children learn the lessons that families teach: Manners, co-operation,  communication, self-control values. Following directions. Sitting still.  Taking turns. It’s where we make up and make merry. It’s where we live,  between bites.” 

-Eating together helps families bond

So, here’s a list of some fine and delicious American food.

Please take note that different families make things differently. Some will have different sides and fixings, while others might want to add some regional fare. Thus, this list is JUST a guideline, and it is NOT complete.

Finally, one more thing. Eating food is a social event. It is meant to be shared with friends and family. These people are the most important people in our (individual) world. Treat them special. Enjoy a fine meal with them and share the time with a fellowship of togetherness and happy discussion.

My friends Dana and John perfectly practice what the Rev. Jack King referred to as "scruffy hospitality."  Their kitchen is small. The wood cabinets are dark and a few decades  old. Spices and jars for sugar and flour line the countertops because  there's nowhere else to put them. A tall, round table shoved in a corner  has mismatched bar stools crammed around it. 

The sliding glass doors in the kitchen lead to a back deck with a  well-used chiminea, an outdoor table and a large variety of chairs and  cushions, many of them bought at yard sales. We circle the chairs around  the chiminea on weekend nights during all four seasons, whenever Dana  and John put out a simple call out through text or Facebook that says,  "Fire tonight!" 
 
There will always be food, but like the bar stools and deck chairs,  the food is mismatched. Our hosts provide some food; John may have the  urge to make jalapeño poppers or Dana may put together some version of  salsa with whatever's fresh from the garden, but there's not a formally  prepared meal. Everyone just brings something. It's perfectly acceptable  — encouraged even — to bring odds and ends of foods that need to get  used up. I often bring wedges of cheese that have already been cut into  or half a baguette to slice up and toast to dip in hummus. Everyone  brings a little something to drink. And it's a glorious feast. 

This kitchen and deck won't be featured in Better Homes and  Gardens anytime soon, but maybe they should be. They are two of the most  hospitable spaces I know. By opening up their home as-is, Dana and John  are the most gracious hosts I know. I almost wrote "by opening up their  home with its imperfections," but that's not accurate. 

Their home is  perfect — just like it is. 

-Mother Nature Network

Now, to the meals…

Steak

The thing about steak is that you can get it all over the world. From Thailand, to China, to Argentina, to Singapore. It is a global meal. It’s also on the expensive side. So, most American families only eat steak on special occasions.

Typically is it grilled on an outside grill. This will be true if it is hot out like in July, or in the dead of Winter. It will also be cooked to perfection by the Man of the House.

There are all sorts of cuts of steak that can be chosen. My family would often cook porterhouse, T-bone or Filet Minion. Sides would often consist of corn, a salad, (baked) potatoes, and rolls.

American-style Spaghetti Meal

This is one of the most popular American family meals in America. It is cheap, easy to make, and delicious.

It often consists of home-made meatballs, on a spaghetti sauce that is made all day in a big tureen on the stove. Sides include salad, garlic bread, a vegetable (corn, greens, green beans, or broccoli), and (of course) graded Parmesan cheese.

Baked Lasagna

This meal is related to the spaghetti meal in that they both originated from Italian American families. Lasagna takes more work to make, and thus is not as common, though it is always very popular.

It’s a delicious meal that is a cross between wide noodles, meat, cheese and all sorts of spices within a very tasty delicious sauce. Oh, and it does go well with a fine bottle of wine and some nice crunchy Italian bread.

Fried Catfish

This meal is regional to the “Deep South”. It is commonly found in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The fish is cut in fillets, breaded, and deep fried. It is eaten in generous quantities. Along with sides of okra, corn, picked tomatoes, Cole slaw and hush puppies (a kind of deep fried bread).

I had no idea it existed until I moved to Mississippi. Then I immediately fell in love with it. Well, it and the “Southern style” mint sweetened iced tea.

(Baked) Friday Fish

As a Catholic, I was raised to have fish on Fridays. Thus, every Friday, without exception, we would eat fish. This changed in the 1970’s when the Catholic church embraced a more “progressive” rule to keep up with the times. Instead of eating fish, the Catholic church-goes would fill their minds with good happy and positive things.

Yeah. I’m sure it worked… for a week or two.

In general, the fish would be obtained from the frozen section in the local supermarket. Most Americans do not live on the Ocean, and thus have (out of necessity) obtain frozen deep-sea fish. (Or go fishing in the rivers and lakes.)

The fish would be baked in the oven, and served with a lemon squeeze. Sides would often consist of rice, asparagus, broccoli or peas.

One more thing. American fish are usually de-boned. It is a very rare thing to serve fish with the bones still in place.

Pork Roast

This is a fine wonderful meal that is generally common on the weekends because it takes some time to cook. In general, it is cooked for a long time so that the meat is tender and delicious.

It is often served with mashed potatoes, or rice. Sides would include salad, vegetables such as corn, green beans, and cauliflower. Bread and butter would tend to round out the meal.

Pork Chops

Pork chops are a MAJOR American love. Just about every American loves this iconic dish. (Unless you are one of those progressive Marxists that only eat tofu, and avocado milkshakes in Starbucks in the upscale sections of the American metropolis network.)

I started my first love of pork-chops when I was a toddler. My parents would often give me a bone or two to gum while I sat in the highchair. Ah. Good times. Good times.

it is often served with apple sauce, a salad, and some rice or scalloped potatoes. Delicious!

The first time that my Chinese wife tasted American style pork chops was in Pago Pago in American Samoa. She fell in love with the dish. She never tasted anything so absolutely delicious. In many ways it is similar to the Chinese cooked pork, but is cooked thin, almost like bacon. Yum!

Baked Whole Chicken meal

Everyone, all over the world, enjoys eating chicken.

Studies have shown time and again that eating together has many benefits beyond nutritional purposes for everyone concerned, especially for our teens and tweens.
 
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia  University, New York, reported that children who eat at least five times  a week with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating  habits, weight problems or alcohol and substance dependencies, and tend  to perform better academically than their peers who frequently eat alone  or away from home.
 
In addition, the more frequent teens have dinner with their parents, the more likely they are to report talking to their parents about what’s  going on in their lives.
 
According to research by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey,  teens who eat at the family table more often are more likely to show  fewer signs of depression and feel that their family is more supportive,  compared with teens who dine less often at home.
 
You are probably convinced now that having dinner together as a family  is a good thing for your teens and tweens. It is, in fact,  life-changing! 

-Eating together helps families bond

This is a baked whole chicken meal.

It is pretty much common all over the world, though there are regional differences. My father’s mother would cook it with bacon on top in the oven. While my mother’s mother would cook it in a pan of water and cook until all the water evaporated. Leaving it crunchy on the outside but super tender inside.

It can be served with just about anything. In my family it is usually served with apple sauce, a tomato salad, rolls, and rice.

Americans usually remove the head, and the feet before serving. This differs substantially from what you would find, say, in China where everything is served intact.

Turkey Meal

Of course, the Thanksgiving meal is famous around the world. Not so much for the history behind it, or the use during Thanksgiving or Christmas, but rather for the enormous size of the bird that accompanies the meal.

The dinner table is the best place to tell stories, and kids who know  their family stories are more resilient and feel better about  themselves. Most inspiring are lemonade-from-lemon stories, stories  about adversity where a lesson is learned, or negative events that  transform into something good. 

Stories help us make sense of the world,  and they help kids connect to something bigger than themselves. Tell  stories about yourself and other family members when they were the same  age as your children. Tell stories about romance, first jobs,  immigration, how names were chosen, a childhood pet, a favorite recipe  or kitchen disaster. 

-Parenting

Of course, in America we would have a fine central meal that would revolve around the main turkey bird. It would be a baked, roasted or cooked turkey with all the traditional fixings of mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and steamed cabbage and the like.

But, here, we are going to address the “other” turkey meals that the family eats during the rest of the week.

This can be anything from turkey soup, to hot turkey sandwiches, to turkey casseroles. In my family, we would always have hot turkey sandwiches on plain white bread with turkey gravy over everything and the rest of the vegetables as sides.

If you are very busy, a hot chicken sandwich is perhaps the simplest of meals to make. You get some frozen french fries, a bottle or can of instant chicken gravy and some chicken breasts with a loaf of white bread. 

You pop the french fries in the oven.

You cook up the chicken on the skillet or in boiling water.

You microwave the gravy.

Then make sandwiches and pour the gravy over everything. Super simple, and very special. The kids will love it!

Chicken legs

This is a “stand alone meal”. It’s super easy to make, and lends itself for a quick meal for the working man, or friends to enjoy over some icy cold beers.

You just take a package of frozen chicken legs. You put it on a tray and pop it in the oven. Before you know it, you’ve got tons of baked chicken legs that you can eat with just about any side. It’s quick, fast and super easy.

You can add honey, or bread crumbs or any other treatments (such as bacon) to make the taste really “pop” out. Try it.

Chicken wings

You can also cook chicken wings the same way as you cook the chicken legs. Only in America there is an added dip that is often used. It is typically dipped in Ranch or Blue Cheese salad dressing for the most wondrous taste.

Rituals like dinner, which punctuate a world that often feels  frenzied and out of control, are good for adults, too. Knowing that one  part of your day is going to unfold in basically the same way, day after day, is comforting.

So, I'm ringing the dinner bell and inviting you and your family to  come to the table. Dinner is more than a feeding station. Food will  bring the family to the table, but it's the conversation and stories  that keeps us there. In an hour, you can create comfort, fun, play and  meaningful conversation—one meal at a time.

- Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D., author of "Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids," 

Meat Loaf

Dinner is the best indicator of how kids will fare in adolescence. The  more frequently kids eat dinner with their families, the better they do in school, and the less likely they are to become sexually active, suffer depression, get involved with drugs or alcohol, or consider suicide.
 
Why? 

Maybe because families who eat together talk more, which helps them  stay connected and build better relationships. Also, it could be  because parents who show up to eat with their teens and tweens are more  likely to express their love constructively in other ways, in the form  of both attention and supervision.
 
Maybe because families who offer kids more structure are more likely to  keep kids attending to their homework as well as out of trouble. Maybe  because dinner transforms individual family members into a “group”,  which gives parents more clout to rival the power of the peer group.
 
Or maybe because children, even more than the rest of us, need something to count on every day – the tangible security of belonging and being  nurtured that is represented by the ritual of sharing food with those we  love.
 
To quote clinical psychologist and parenting coach Dr Laura Markham:  “Whatever the reason, family dinner is a pretty easy insurance policy to  build into our home life.” 

-Eating together helps families bond

There are few things as iconic as American meatloaf. It’s as American as baseball, apple pie, and keg parties. It is a rare person, indeed, who has never had a meatloaf dinner.

Meatloaf is a very simple meal that is made out of ground beef, eggs, bread and ketchup. You mix the entire mess together and pop it into the oven and let it cook. Then take it out and eat with mashed potatoes, peas and carrots and some bread. Yum!

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwich

Now, this meal isn’t so much a dinner meal as it is an iconic American lunch meal. And, make no mistake. It is iconic.

Among the most lasting and powerful traditions in family life is one that seems to have more influence than almost any other – the family meal. Recalling your favorite family experiences usually leads to thinking of such times as the weekly Sunday meal, family mealtimes during Thanksgiving or other holidays, or a Saturday morning breakfast with Mom or Dad. 

Why are family meals so powerful? 

Sharing a family meal provides an experience that touches all of our senses – sight, touch, taste, smell and listening to warm laughter or good conversation. Family  meals help provide a regular, consistent opportunity to create a shared experience that is meaningful and offers a sense of belonging to all. Research has shown that regular and meaningful family meals offer a large variety of benefits to children and parents. 

- The Big Benefits of Family Meals                   

Eating a nice bowl of tomato soup and dipping a really nice grilled cheese sandwich into the soup is a far wonderful thing to do. My memories of this most fantastic and simple meal have always been pleasant. They have been about friends and family and home.

In general you cannot get a tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich outside of the household environment. So my memories are, of course, about family and friends.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Scruffy hospitality means you’re not waiting for everything in your  house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home.  Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and  serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don’t have. Scruffy  hospitality means you’re more interested in quality conversation than  the impression your home or lawn makes. If we only share meals with  friends when we’re excellent, we aren’t truly sharing life together. 

-MNN

Now, chicken noodle soup is a global food. Heck! You can even find it in China. Though it is made slightly different. I personally like the American version and I particularly like it with chicken breast, fresh celery, and delicious large carrots cut at an angle.

We would make the soup in a large tureen on the stove, and then cook the noodles separately. (Sometimes we would cook rice.) Though, always separately. Egg noodles were always the noodles of choice. In particular Klusky’s noodles.

We would then eat it with white bread and butter.

Eggs and bacon

This meal is actually known as “bacon and eggs”. It’s a (for certain) breakfast meal, but it is so easy to make and cheap that it can be made at any time. It’s just fantastic as a dinner if need be. You just MUST makes sure that the bacon is crunchy crisp. Wimpy and fatty bacon isn’t bacon, it’s something obscene. Ugh!

Family meals offer the opportunity to connect with each other,   communicate about family happenings, and give each other time and   attention. While families are encouraged to share meals, not every   meal has to be a sit-down dinner extravaganza. The most important thing   about family meals is to make them frequent, fun and family-centered.

Couples or families will benefit more from family meals if they occur more frequently during the week. Typically, research suggests that more than half of families with children in the United States share a meal five or more times a week. A concern, however, is that 30 percent to 35 percent of families often eat less than three meals a week together, which means less time for connecting and communicating. Changes in family life, such as the increase in dual-earner families and the rise in single-parent families, may make eating together frequently more  difficult for families. Families, however, should try to set aside  regular and consistent family meal opportunities to eat together as  often as possible.

Fun also is part of the recipe for a happy family mealtime. Parents and other adults should try to avoid making mealtime a disciplinary occasion when children are reprimanded or given lectures. Instead, save such conversations for a time away from the dinner table, and focus instead on being together in a positive way.

A family-centered mealtime means limiting distractions, especially   the TV or computer. Turn such things off at mealtime and use strategies to engage each family member in conversation.

 - The Big Benefits of Family Meals       

Eating “Mexican”

Now, I do hope that no one is offended. But, you know, I didn’t have my first burrito and taco until after I left the Navy.

I had no idea how delicious Mexican food was until later when I was training for my role within MAJestic at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center outside of Ridgecrest, California. There, I fell in love with a restaurant chain known as “Del Taco”. Later on, when in Corpus Christi, Texas I ended up getting my first tastes of authentic Mexican food.

I never looked back.

Now there are so many different kinds of “Mexican food”, that it would take a complete website to even start to list them all. For now, just realize that, for me, we would just (in general) say “let’s eat Mexican”. And we would go procure some refried beans (don’t know how to make ours from scratch), some wraps, salsa, and make up burritos or taquitos.

Tacos and fixins’

In a more traditional Spanish, Mexican or SA (Spanish-American) family, the meals are communal with multiple plates where a person can build and construct their own dinner creations. There might be a plate of cut up tomatoes, one of peppers, a bowl of rice, and one of ground beef, and another bowl of cut up lettuce.

These meals are all very easy to make and fun to eat, not to mention very delicious.

“Families should be encouraged to make the family meal more of a   priority and to try to have at least four family meals per week. It is   often easiest for families to eat dinner together, but other mealtimes work as well. Meals can be simple with shared mealtime responsibility among family members. 

Teaching children  the enjoyment of cooking and having them involved in mealtime preparation develop skills they can use for a lifetime. Shared meals can also be extended to friends and   neighbors to build a stronger sense of community and help with meal   preparation. 

… Regular family meals are key components of family life   that may make a difference in the lives of children and parents.”

-Story, M., and Neumark-Sztainer, D. A perspective on family meals: Do they matter? Nutrition Today, 40 (6), 261-266; 2005 .

Oh, and don’t forget the special corn spread that make eating an ear of corn, super special!!!

“Backyard” Hamburgers

Of course, you can always get a hamburger at any millions of chain fast food restaurants. But we are not talking about that here. We are talking about the family ritual of making home-made hamburgers for family consumption.

Making your own hamburgers is very American. It’s a tradition and it is reserved for special occasions. In other words, it’s not a typical dinner meal. Instead it is a meal that is used to meals with extended-family and friends. Thus, it is usually cooked and takes place on weekends and holidays.

You know, hamburgers are not a typical American dinner meal. They are reserved for lunches or other special occasions. However, when the occasion calls for it, home-made hamburgers just cannot be beat. Go “home style” nothing else ever comes close.

Hotdogs (With Sauerkraut)

This is a very simple but unique meal. You simply buy a package of hotdogs and a can of sauerkraut. You put the hotdogs in the bottom of a pan, and cover them with the can of sauerkraut. They cook easily and quickly. Then for dinner you eat kraut-dogs with mustard and perhaps horseradish.

If you have young kids, nothing will make them happier than a meal of hotdogs. You know, you don’t need to have baked beans with it, but if you wanted to you could add some black beans, and some cut up onions as well. Make it a special meal. Your family will love you for it.

If you’re not into health or family, consider that eating home-cooked  meals is also cheaper. 

A sample estimate finds that a family of 4 could save nearly $40 a week,  per person, by simply shifting meals into the house. You’ll be saving  money while your kid is getting Bs and not picking up a drug habit.  That’s a win all around.
 
But the best part about getting together for dinner is that it  becomes ingrained in a family’s tradition if you start the habit early.  While eating with a little kid may feel chaotic and not very beneficial,  know that every dinner at the table removes you even further from a  dystopian hellscape. And that can only be a good thing. 

-Fatherly

“Home made” Pizza

Yes. Pizza is not a normal dinner meal. That is, of course, except when it is a home-made, home style pizza. Oh yeah baby!

My mother, God bless her soul, bought me a cookbook when I was younger, and one of the first things that I did was learn how to make pizzas from scratch.

I experimented on the bread dough. I experimented on the sauce. I experimented on the cheese and the toppings. I even discovered that broccoli (cut up very fine and added to the sauce) was an amazing complement to a fine well-made home-style pizza.

Oh, do what we do in my family. We make the dough, the sauce and the topping and freeze them. Then pull them out and allow them to defrost and throw together a really quick meal. Delicious.

Roast Mutton

When I first had kids, I ended up entertaining a lot less, partly  because of the mess in the house that I no longer had time to deal with. 

Then one day, a woman I very much admired said something so  simple. She said whenever someone was coming to her home — a home with  five children in it — and she started to worry about how her home  looked, she would stop and think: "Are they coming to see me, or are  they coming to see my home?" It occurred to her that someone who would  have a problem with her home looking like a family of seven lived in it  wasn't really someone's opinion she cared about. 

I'd love to say I embraced that wisdom immediately, but I didn't.  Slowly, though, I have let go of some of the crazy things I believed  must happen before people entered my front door. The first thing I let  go was the upstairs. Over the years, I've became more relaxed. 

Next, I didn't dust. Nobody said a word, and they came back again. 
I didn't plan the entire meal around foods I could prepare ahead  of time so my kitchen could be spotless when my guests arrived. Friends  jumped in the kitchen and helped me finish making dinner, and we had  fun. 

-Mother Nature Network

Mutton? Yes, you bet. No, it’s not an overly common meat in the United States. When I was growing up, we ate i maybe about four times a year. But still, it’s a find meat and lends itself to some very delicious meals.

One of the most important things any dad can do for his kids is to  show up for dinner. It really is that simple. 

Research from the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that the more frequent the family dinners, the higher the positive impact they have. “When clients ask me what the most important aspect of  family meals are I answer, ‘Making them happen!’” says pediatric  dietitian Melanie Silverman. “These meals provide the structure and  sense of community that young children need and crave during their  development.”

The benefits are well documented. 

First, there’s the educational component. Research published in New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development found that mealtime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than books. According to the findings, children between the ages of three and five learned some 1,000 rare words at the dinner table compared to the 143 rare words from parents reading storybooks aloud. 

-Fatherly

Pigs in a blanket (Stuffed Cabbage)

This is a very common “American” food, even though it originated outside of the States. Most American families have learned how to make this tasty and delicious meal. Being from Pittsburgh, everyone made and ate this most wonderful of foods.

 No summer cookout is complete without a tray of stuffed cabbages!  Tender cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, seasoned ground meats and a  rich tomato sauce make this the perfect summer comfort food. Plus these  freeze beautifully!

 This dish, God this dish brings back so many childhood memories that I  literally sat here for 30 minutes in a daze just remembering some of  them. Like there was the time we were harvesting cabbages from our  garden and we each got to pick a single plant that we were in charge of  to take care of. Whoever grew the biggest cabbage won. The prize was Mom  would cook our favorite dessert to go with her famous stuffed cabbages.  That summer I ended up winning. This cabbage was so huge that I  couldn’t lift it. I know I have a picture of me trying to hold it on my  lap. I’ll dig it out to share the pic once my arm is better.

 Then there are the countless memories where our kitchen was  soooooooooooooo hot (we didn’t have AC growing up and we only had window  fans) and Mom had 3 large canning pots on the stove with boiling water  making hundreds of stuffed cabbages. I can still remember that hot  cabbage smell and hot/wet air in the kitchen. Dad would use the tongs to  pull out the leaves, put them in the colander and my Mom, sister and I  would each trim the stems.

-  Mom’s Classic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls 

Pittsburgh, a melting pot of nationalities, drew a large percentage  of its population from Central European, Eastern European, and Balkan  countries, and those influences can be seen in local cuisines that are  still popular today. One traditional dish that has remained popular over  the last century and is still a staple at many Pittsburgh area dinner  tables is the famous stuffed cabbage.
 
The stuffed cabbage roll (also known as pigs in a blanket) is a dish  consisting of a mixture of beef, rice, and seasonings, hand wrapped in  cooked cabbage leaves, and topped with a tomato sauce. Many in the area  still refer to the “hunky handgranades” by their ethinic names: Golabki  (Poland), Holubky (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Golubtsy (Russia)  Balandėliai (Lithuania) , Halubcy (Belarus), Holubtsi (Ukraine). 

-Conrad Catering

Yeah, I know that this is a regional from from Pittsburgh, but this is my blog and I am the one writing this. If you don’t like it, then you can write your own blog.

I happen to like these stuffed cabbage rolls, and yes, they are referred to a “pigs in a blanket”, not the hotdogs wrapped in the Pillsbury instant roll dough.

Hey! And here’s a recipe for you all. See how easy it is to make!

Oh and while I am at it, let’s take a look at how families work… the division of labor and how you can eat delicious meals all the time and not be stressed out over it. Yes, there is a way.

It’s called having a “traditional conservative family“, as opposed to a “progressive modern contemporaneous family”. You can read my propaganda on this issue and the importance in parenting and family budgeting. The link below opens up in a separate tab for later reading for you all.

Hey! If you love your children enough. Spend TIME with them. You can always make more money, but you can never make more time.

Stuffed peppers

This meal is similar to the stuffed cabbage, only they are stuffed in peppers and use a slightly different mix of spices. Never the less, they too are easy to make and super delicious.

One of the cool things with many home-made American foods is that they lend themselves to batch creation, and then freezing for later for a quick and easy delicious healthy family sit-down meal.

 “The truth is that our weeknights are pretty packed with sports  practice, piano lessons, and homework, along with what can seem like the  never-ending demands of my job,” says Sun Basket’s  executive chef, Justine Kelly. 

“It’s challenging, but I make a point to  have dinner with my daughter every night. Also, one thing we always  make time for is Sunday supper at my sister’s house. My parents come and  my daughter gets to spend time with her cousins. It’s a highlight of  our week.” 

-Fatherly

Yes, you definitely can freeze Stuffed Peppers and they are a great make-ahead meal! You will need to bake them first, then you can either freeze them individually or together in a baking dish. To re-heat, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.

City Chicken

City Chicken? What’s that?

It’s pork. Yup. It is.

City chicken is a Polish American entrée consisting of cubes of meat, which have been placed on a wooden skewer, then fried and/or baked. Depending on the recipe, they may be breaded. Despite the name of the dish, city chicken almost never contains chicken. 

-Wikipedia

If you grew up in the North or Midwest regions of the country, you may be familiar with a dish called City Chicken, either as a mainstay in your weeknight supper rotations or a favorite comfort food.

For many people it is a mystery. No one ever really understands what it was, why it had that name, and why they couldn’t find any recipes for it in cookbooks.

You won’t find a recipe for City Chicken in the poultry section of a cookbook because, well, it isn’t poultry.

Known as a Depression Era recipe, cubes of veal and pork are threaded onto a skewer in order to create a faux drumstick. Seasoned and breaded, then fried or baked, this was a popular and delicious way to “fake” a poultry dinner.

But why would you have to fake chicken?

Prior to the 1940’s, everyone wanted a chicken on the dinner table, yet surprisingly it was very expensive, even more so than pork and veal. Thus, we have the invention of “fake” chicken. Also known by the more common name of “city chicken”.

With roots in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland, where Polish and Ukrainian  immigrant communities have strong presences (and found more scarcely in  other Great Lakes-area cities like Detroit and Buffalo), city chicken  got its start in the Depression era, when chicken was scarce and more  expensive. Made then with pork, veal, or a combination of the two, the  meats were cubed and then threaded onto skewers, then breaded to create a  drumstick-like shape to better resemble chicken.  

-Eater

Spend time with friends.

Eat well.

Talk, laugh. Drink.

Enjoy your moments together.

Hygge  is the idea that helps Denmark regularly rate as one of the happiest  countries in the world — Danes have regularly been some of the most  joyful in the world for over 40 years that the U.S. has been studying  them — despite long, dark winters. 

Loosely translated at "togetherness,"  and "coziness," though it's not a physical state, it's a mental one.  According to VisitDenmark  (the country's official tourism site): "The warm glow of candlelight is  hygge. Friends and family — that’s hygge too. And let’s not forget the  eating and drinking — preferably sitting around the table for hours on  end discussing the big and small things in life." Hygge's high season is  winter, and Christmas lights, candles galore, and other manifestations  of warmth and light, including warm alcoholic beverages, are key to the  concept. 

Still a little confused and wondering how you could cultivate hygge in your life? This Danish NPR commenter  sums up some specifics: "Hygge is a deep sense of cosy that can  originate from many different sources. Here is a good example from my  life : a cloudy winter Sunday morning at the country house, fire in the  stove and 20 candles lit to dispel the gloom. My husband, puppy and I  curled up on our sheepskins wearing felt slippers, warm snuggly clothes  and hands clasped around hot mugs of tea. A full day ahead with long  walks on the cold beach, back for pancake lunch, reading, more  snuggling, etc. 

This is a very hyggligt day." Now that sounds do-able,  doesn't it? 

- 7 cultural concepts we don't have in the U.S. 

Chili

Ah. Chili. My mother always would make a big stiff tureen of chili on the stove in the Winter. Then when anyone would come over to visit, we would make up a fresh pot of coffee and give them a bowl of chili and some rice.

Over the years I have developed my very own versions of this simple and delicious food. In fact, it is super easy to make in China. You just use a Hunan spice packet for the Chili mix.

In general, I like to eat it over white rice. Though, I do have friends that prefer Doritos, or other kinds of chips. They also like to add graded yellow or cheddar cheese on top. While I like to crunch up saltines and cheese. I will tell you what, it is fantastic with icy cold beer. It is a fantastic meal.

Oh, and you can also have fresh ears of corn on the side, maybe a salad or even Oreo cookies if you would like.

“When adults are talking, putting their napkins in their laps, and  eating a variety of foods, they are teaching the young children at the  table how to be human,” says Silverman. 

“Meals are a multi-sensory  classroom with emotional, physical, and developmental benefits.” The  most important part of the puzzle? To simply make family meal-time  happen. 

-Fatherly 

Stuffed Pork-chops

You know that pork-chops are great. How about stuffed pork-chops? OMG!

The chops are typically made with pork chops that are 1 1/4- to 2-inches thick. Look for chops that are already secured with twine or toothpicks that prevent the stuffing from falling out. All you have to do is pick them up, bring them home and preheat your oven or grill to cook up delicious stuffed pork chops. Baked or Roasted Stuffed Pork Chops.

-How to Cook Stuffed Pork Chops From a Grocery Store 

It’s exactly like you would expect. It’s a thicker cut of pork chops. Only you slice the chops and in that slice you stuff it with stuff. Usually, right out of the (store bought) box of stuffing.

• Stuffed Pork Chop Recipes
• Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
• Stuffed Pork Chops
• How to Cook Stuffed Pork Chops From a Grocery Store
• Oven Baked Stuffed Pork Chops

Italian Sausages and Rolls

This is a nice little meal that I discovered while I was in High School. A girl that I was handing out with at the time introduced me to a little “hole in the wall” establishment off a side street in Butler, PA. I immediately fell in love with them.

You know the type of place—where the big loud guy behind the counter works fast and furious, takes your order (you better know what you want!) and barks back “Sausage, Peppers, and Onions!” to the guys on the line, and within minutes you have a huge roll in your hands, loaded with more sausage and peppers with onions than you think you can possibly eat.

But eat you do, because that sausage and peppers with onions are so so good. And then you have a food coma for the rest of the afternoon, and you eat steamed broccoli for dinner because after that lunch, you just don’t need much for dinner. Yum!

Funny thing, though. My mother never made them. She did not like sweet Italian sausages. She never could see the point of it. Why buy sweet Italian sausages when you could buy kielbasi instead?

Well, I disagreed. I happen to love this meal.

What Kind of Sausage and Peppers to Use?
This dish is typically made with a several different colors of bell  peppers—usually one green, one red, and one either yellow, orange, or  purple. That said, use whatever color bell peppers you like! If you  don’t like a color, skip it and just use more of another color.

As for sausages, in this recipe we are using a combination of sweet  and hot Italian sausages, but if you want a milder dish, use only the  sweet sausages and reduce the amount of chili pepper flakes in the  recipe. Likewise, if you would like it spicier, use all hot sausages  and/or bump up the amount of chili pepper flakes.

How to Store, Keep, and Freeze
Once cooked, the sausage, peppers, and onions will easily keep for 3  to 4 days in the fridge, but you can also freeze it for up to 3 months.  Just defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat in a saucepan over  low heat, or pop it in a saucepan with a little bit of water or oil,  over low heat, until completely warmed through. 

-simplyrecipes.com

Four Steps to Make the Most of a Meal

Being  there may be the most important part of family meal-time, but there are  still a few things you can do to make the conversation all the more  fruitful.
 
1. Have a ritual.
Answer the same  question every evening when you sit down to eat to give your kid  something to prepare for and see how the answers shift over time with  their changing perspective. A few examples: “What are you thankful for?”  or “What were the peak (best part) and pit (worst part) of your day?”

2. Play games.
Challenge  your kids and encourage fun and creativity by asking them questions  like, “What were the three craziest things you saw today?” or “If you  were an animal, which would you want to be and why?”
 
3. Skip the TV dinner.
Do your best to  turn off the TV, put phones away, and negate any distractions that can  take away from your time to talk. “Family meals should be pleasant, fun,  and technology free to optimize the experience,” Silverman says.

4. Get everyone involved.
This  is a time where the whole family chips in to come together. Ask your  kids to wash veggies or set the table. “I’m a big fan of teaching  children to cook,” Silverman says. “Their own home kitchen is the  perfect place to start learning how to prepare healthy meals.” One of  the easiest ways to teach them skills in the kitchen is for them to try  their hand (with adult supervision) at one of the healthy, ready-to-make  meals from Sun Basket. 

  -Fatherly  

Oh, yes. Do not forget.

Food cooked, is food to eat. Don’t stand there yapping! Make yourself a sandwich and pour yourself a beer. have a good time you all!

Beef Tips and Rice

And no, it’s not Chinese.

This is one of those wonderful meals that I will always treasure. For some reason, and I do not know why, I always remember the relaxing time after I ate this meal. When we are all sitting at the table talking and enjoying our after-dinner coffee in demitasse cups..

Around the south, just about all the local mom-and-pop style restaurants feature Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy on their menu.  It’s an old diner favorite that is also usually one of the cheaper menu choices because it can take a somewhat tougher cut of beef, slow simmer it to make it tender and, then serve it up with a large portion of rice and gray to cut costs.

Its so versatile in that it tastes great when served over rice, over mashed potatoes or, even over noodles. 

Busy family hints...

Here’s a really simple recipe that just needs about an hour to slow  simmer before its ready to serve.  You can take advantage of some  cheaper cuts of beef anytime you find them on sale and, whip up some  great Southern comfort food that can be served with rice, mashed  potatoes or even noodles.  It’s your choice.

Stew beef works very well for this recipe or, you can use eye of  round steak like we did.  You can even go all out and make it with a  finer cut like Ribeye steak.  The really great part is, whatever you  find on sale, can probably be used to make our Beef Tips.  Buy it while  its on sale, freeze it and have it ready for a quick and easy lunch,  dinner or Sunday dinner.  I think you’ll like it about any time of the  day. 

-Taste of Southern

Salisbury steak

For the longest time my mother would make Salisbury steaks and they would be tough. They would be chewy and needed to be cut into tiny cubes to digest.

Then, I met a girl from Zambia.

When we lived together, she was able to make the most delicious Salisbury steaks that I have ever eaten. They were nothing sort of amazing. She said that there was nothing to it, but I disagree. Some people just have a natural affinity and skill at certain things, and she was just amazing in the kitchen.

"One of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens'  lives is by having frequent family dinners," 

- Joseph Califano Jr.,  chairman and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). 

You might wonder just how a family can afford all this. Well, it’s no mystery. You can EASILY afford these meals provided you set your familial household to operate traditionally. It’s not at all what is promoted in the mainstream media, and perhaps it’s time to take a good hard long look at the assumptions that our parents made, and the sacrifices they made to become “progressive” and “enlightened”.

You can click on the link below. It opens up into a new fresh tab so that your browsing in this article will not be interrupted.

Shepard’s Pie

Now my first experience with “Shepard’s Pie” was in the school cafeteria. My mother tended not to make it at home. She felt that it was too simple a dish to make. More plebeian, I would guess.

Shepherd's pie or cottage pie is a meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato. 

The recipe has many variations, but the defining ingredients are minced red meat, cooked in a gravy or sauce with onions and sometimes other vegetables, such as peas, celery or carrots, and topped with a layer of mashed potato before it is baked. 

The pie is sometimes also topped with grated cheese to create a layer of melted cheese on top.

-Wikipedia

Chicken and Dumplings

Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a family favorite meal that is both comforting and delicious! Chicken and dumplings is a dish that consists of a chicken cooked in water, with the resulting chicken broth being used to cook the dumplings by boiling. A dumpling—in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shortening, and liquid. The dumplings are either rolled out flat, dropped or formed into a ball.

This chicken and dumplings recipe is created from scratch including the tender dumplings and juicy chicken in an easy homemade broth. Combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery in a large pot. Season to taste.

EATING AT HOME SAVES MONEY. 

In 2007, the average household spent $3,465 on meals at home,  and $2,668 on meals away from home, according to the national Consumer  Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Per meal, that’s  about $8 per meal outside of the home, and only about $4.50 per each  meal made in your own kitchen. 

 - 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family    

Potatoes with onions and eggs

Eating  family dinners is associated with healthy dietary food patterns. A 2000  survey found that the nine to 14-year-olds who ate dinner with their  families most frequently consumed more fruits and vegetables  and less soda and fried foods. Their diets also had higher amounts of  many key nutrients, like calcium, iron, and fiber. Matthew W. Gillman,  MD, the survey’s lead researcher, noted that family dinners allow for  both "discussions of nutrition [and] provision of healthful foods." 

- 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family  

This meal is representative of a very simple meal that I once cooked for a friend. She had to work and we offered to baby-sit her kids for her. The thing was that the poor kids weren’t eating right. They didn’t eat all day. And there was nothing in the kitchen. I mean, the entire kitchen was empty except for some onions, potatoes and a few eggs.

Here’s what you do.

You cut up the potatoes and the onions. Put in in a skillet with salt, pepper and butter. let it cook. The house will be filled with this wondrous aroma. Then you remove the potatoes and onions. And cook the eggs int he same pan. The kids will love it.

Meals need not be expensive. You just need to be a little creative.

Round Steak

Easy Crock Pot Round Steak recipe is quick to throw together, cooks all day and produces a delicious beef and gravy dinner waiting for you when you get home.

A round steak is a beef steak from the "round", the rear leg of the cow. The round is divided into cuts including the eye round, bottom round, and top round, with or without the "round" bone, and may include the knuckle, depending on how the round is separated from the loin. 

This is a lean cut and it is moderately tough. 

Lack of fat and marbling makes round dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling. Round steak is commonly prepared with slow moist-heat methods including braising, to tenderize the meat and maintain moisture. The cut is often sliced thin, then dried or smoked at low temperature to make jerky. 

-Wikipedia

Perogies

As my parents were partially of Polish decent and from Pittsburgh, the idea of eating perogies was as natural as learning how to put on socks. We all ate this most wonderful of meals.

Though my relatives always made perogies out of meats, vegetables and fruits, personally I never got a chance to eat the sweet versions. My siblings and my cousins always gobbled up the fruit versions. Leaving me with the more “unpopular” perogies.

No worries though. They now have ballooned up to the size of whales. While I have maintained my thin and trim lines. LOL.

Pierogi are filled dumplings of Central and Eastern European origin, made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water, or pan-frying. 

Pierogi which consist of noodle dough and have to be cooked in boiling water are associated with the Central and Eastern European kitchens where they are considered national dishes, especially in Poland. 

Pierogi are popular in West Slavic, Hungarian, East Slavic, some Baltic and other Central and Eastern European...

-Wikipedia

Ravioli

Ravioli is a traditional Italian pasta dish made by stuffing rounds or squares of pasta dough with a filling, creating a sort of pasta “pillow.”.

Ravioli is a traditional Italian pasta dish made by stuffing rounds or squares of pasta dough with a filling, creating a sort of pasta "pillow.". The dish is wildly popular outside of Italy, and can be readily found in fresh and frozen form in most Western supermarkets.

-Wise Geek

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff. My mother used to make this with egg noodles. As did all my aunties. It’s a Pittsburgh thing, I guess.

This wonderful meal consists of juicy beef smothered in a creamy mushroom and onion gravy. Beef Stroganoff is a crowd favourite that tastes like a slow cooked stew but is on the table in 30 minutes! Beef Stroganoff – a timeless retro classic!!

If  you have a demanding job, finding time to eat with your family may  actually leave you feeling less stressed. In 2008, researchers at  Brigham Young University conducted a study of IBM employees and found  that sitting down to a family meal helped working moms reduce the tension and strain from long hours at the office. 

 - 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family   

Cold-cut Spread

This isn’t really a dinner so much as it is a tradition. What we would do at my mother’s family and with her parents and relatives would be to have a “cold cut spread”. It’s just simply a layout allowing the person to make their own sandwiches at will.

This is also known as a “cold platter”. It is a very cheap and easy way to make a meal spread without any cooking.

Sandwich spreads are some of the best make ahead meals. When your family is in and out of the house, eating at different times and with different appetites, having these delicious and nutritious spreads in the fridge is like money in the bank. And make-ahead sandwich spreads are the perfect answer to feeding your family when it’s just too hot to cook.

 The average restaurant meal has as much as 60% more calories than a homemade meal. Combine the fact that portions served in restaurants are continuing to expand  with that fact that when we’re presented with more food, we’re more  likely to eat more food, and it becomes clear that eating at home is  simply healthier. When families eat together, young children are less likely to be overweight or obese because these children are eat regular, nutritious, home cooked meals, and also help in making or serving those meals.  

  - 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family    

Sausage and (Hominy) Grits

A favorite of my mother. She would routinely cook this meal on every Tuesday once she settled into retirement. It’s a thing that she loved to do, but which I had no inking of why.

Research examining 5,000 teenagers has shown that when children eat with their parents regularly, they are more likely to be emotionally strong and have better mental health.  

Teens who ate regular family meals were also more likely to be  adjusted, have good manners and communication skills. 

This effect is not  restricted to the children - mothers who ate with their families often  were also found to be happier and less stressed as compared to mothers who did not. 

  - 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family    

Kielbasa

Nothing says Pittsburgh better than Kielbasa.

Polish kielbasa is traditionally made from ground pork. Some commercial variations of kielbasa are made from ground turkey, but these aren’t authentic. Garlic, along with pimentos and ground cloves, are the predominant seasonings.

Serve kielbasa warm, grilled or boiled, along with other traditional Polish sides such as pierogies — potato dumplings — pickled cucumbers and buckwheat groats. You can also cook kielbasa with eggs, use it for sandwiches, include in soups, stews and casseroles or serve with a side of vegetables.

Gumbo

Nothing says Southern Louisiana food like gumbo: A thick stew-like soup of meat, okra, and Creole and Cajun seasonings. But its history—and even its essential ingredients and method of preparation—is widely disputed.

Historians generally agree that its existence is first documented at the beginning of the 19th century. And the thickeners commonly used in many gumbo recipes (filé powder, okra, and gumbo roux—don’t worry, we explain all of these) give clues to its Choctaw Native American, West African, and French roots.

Regardless of its disputed origins and the myriad ways it’s prepared, it’s an essential, treasured part of New Orleans, Louisiana Creole and Cajun culture, and we’re here to break it down for you: what gumbo is, what ingredients to use, and how to make different types, from sausage to chicken to seafood gumbo.

Gumbo is a stew popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and what Louisianians call the "Holy Trinity" of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, whether okra or filé powder.

-Wikipedia 

While both gumbo and jambalaya are mainstays of Cajun and Creole cooking, they’re both distinct dishes with different methods of prep. While gumbo is typically enjoyed as a rich, flavorful soup, sometimes served spooned over rice, jambalaya is similar to Spanish paella:

The rice is usually cooked with the protein (usually some mix of chicken, seafood, and/or sausage) along with the stock, seasonings, and veggies in one large ready-to-serve skillet. Creole Jambalaya may include tomatoes, while Cajun typically does not.

Studies have proven that there’s a significant link between family dinners and academic performance. 

A report by CASA found that teens who have between five and seven family dinners per week were twice as likely to report receiving mostly A’s and B’s in school,  compared to those teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week. 

In addition, only 9% of teens who ate frequently with their families did poorly in school, according to the report. 

 - 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family   

Many people would eat Gumbo as a stand alone dish, I would prefer to eat it as a soup with a fine sandwich nearby (and an icy beer). I have a write up or post about this. It is below. You can click on it and it will open up in another tab so that this article can be finished.

Hey! Here’s a great bowl of gumbo. Wouldn’t you just love to have one yourself?

Gumbo is usually distinguished by what is used to thicken it—typically okra, filé powder, a roux, or some combination of the three. The name “gumbo” is also speculated to come from the name of the traditional bases: either from the word kingombo, a West African Bantu word for okra, or from kombo, the Choctaw Native American word for filé powder, an essential spice.
 
Filé powder: Filé powder is dried crushed leaves from Sassafras, a plant native to the Southeastern U.S. The powder is usually added at the end of the recipe to thicken and season the gumbo and can usually be found in a well-stocked supermarket or spice store.
 
Okra: Used either fresh or dried, okra is one of the most common thickening agents of gumbo and gives it its distinctive taste and flavor—it’d be difficult to find a recipe for gumbo that doesn’t make copious use of okra. Traditionally, when okra is out of season, dried okra can be used instead.

Roux: Derived from French cooking, gumbo roux is much darker than the mildly toasted roux used in classical French cuisine. It’s made by toasting flour in fat such as butter until it’s golden brown, but many gumbo roux recipes call for a roux that is “chocolate-colored,” “mahogany,” or even “close to burnt”, and they’re typically made with oil instead of butter.

“Holy Trinity”: Similar to mirepoix, (carrot, onion, and celery) the “Holy Trinity” is the base of much of Creole and Cajun cooking—bell pepper, onions, and celery is used to start many gumbo recipes. Depending on the recipe, shallots, garlic, and parsley can also be included in this essential blend.

Oh my Goodness! This is a long post!

I am so, so very sorry. However, I will have to wrap up this post leaving out so many, many delicious dinner suggestions.

For the purposes of brevity, let’s tack on the following as “honorable mentions”. All of which are delicious and deserving of their own place in the spot-light.

• Clam bake
• Cobb Salad
• Baked Ham
• Oyster Stew
• Deviled Crabs
• Deviled eggs
• Pulled Chicken
• Lox and bagels
• Shrimp
• Jambalaya
• Baked Turkey

Conclusion

Talking. Eating. Being together. What’s not to love?

Eating meals together has the potential to strengthen family bonds as it  provides a daily time for the whole family to be together. 

For younger children, routine family meals can provide a sense of security and a feeling of belonging in the family. 

Older children and teenagers, too, prefer eating together as a family. In a recent Columbia University study, 71% of teenagers  said they consider talking, catching-up, and spending time with family members as the best part of family dinners. 

- 9 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family 

Meals are to be shared. Share some food with others. It’s not expensive, but the time and the friendships are the most valuable things that you can have. Share your food. Share your time. Share your life.

With others.

A life lived alone is a life unlived.

Oh, yeah!

A family DOES NOT NEED two incomes. Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, is more important than spending time together. Live cheaper. Live frugally. Spend more time together. One person budgets and tends to the family. The other member labors and gives everything to the family. This system works.

Give it a whirl. You might be surprised how well it works out.

For you other expats out there…

This post is designed for you to show your relatives what “American food” is, and what it is not.

This is NOT American food…

American “fast food” is a progressive invention to assist the “modern enlightened” person to cope in a stress-filled automated reality where the needs of the group come before the needs of the individual.

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