Another Sunday Dinner

I had a dinner planned.... chicken ragu over rice served with tri-colored pepper salad and tandoori bread. Sometimes, the weekend gets away from us. The kid had a last minute birthday party to attend, Michael was working on his homework, and I decided to spend a few hours grooming the dog. As evening rolled around, I knew that cooking dinner was an unlikely event. So I just prepped food for Monday, packed some lunches and dropped by Subway on the way back from the grocery story.

Just a few years ago, Subway was a place I frequented quite a few times a week. That was before Michael and Vizhon. And as I ate my chipotle chicken sub, I realized what Sunday dinner really means. Even on the days when we are exhausted from work, chores, and everyday errands - we find the time to put that extra bit of love in the food we prepare for our families. Somehow, they inspire us to work harder, stay up later, get up earlier and be productive every moment of our day. And only when they aren't there, do we relax and order take out. Because Sunday dinners are just as much about the smells and anticipation as they are about the food itself. Though I doubt Vizhon missed dinner this weekend, I realized how much I had been missing it before I met the two of them. And though Michael and I enjoyed our subs - it just didn't have that touch of wonder and anticipation for the coming week that belongs in a Sunday night.

Sunday Dinner

There is something wonderful about dinners on Sunday, especially when all the work is done - the house is prepared for the busy work week; Monday's dinner is already warm on the stove; laundry is clean and folded; and, in my case, both the goldfish and the tropical fish are swimming around in a freshly scrubbed tank (we found a surprise new housemate this week, a tiny little snail that magically appeared in the tropical tank).

Everyone can sit down, relax, and enjoy supper with an episode of Lost. Since I had been cleaning, prepping and food shopping all day long, I planned a simple meal that would round up the week - vegetable tortilla soup with grilled cheese. The veggies make me happy, the cheese makes them happy.