Family Supper Sundays

Back in the summer, Rob and I spent a lot of time talking about how we wanted to bring our extended family together more frequently for shared meals. We see each other at birthdays and other holidays, but we don’t gather often for casual meals with our parents and/or siblings unless there is a special occasion clearly marked on the calendar.

As we were having these discussions, we also noticed that our boys wanted to spend most of their free time on the weekends with their friends, a natural behaviour of most tweens and teens, and Sunday afternoons often came with a request to go to someone’s house to watch football, or to invite a friend over for the day. I was starting to notice how much I disliked having our family divided up at the end of the weekend, and felt that having dinner together was an important way to finish off the fun of the previous two days.

The solution to both situations we were discussing suddenly became obvious, and at the beginning of September we launched what is affectionately known as Family Supper Sundays. The meal is exactly as the name suggests: every Sunday night we have dinner at our house and invite all of the (locally-living) members of our extended family. It’s mandatory that our own boys are here, and they are welcome to invite friends (and, eventually, girlfriends) to come too, but they know and understand that their presence is non-negotiable.

As for everyone else, well, that’s completely their decision. Nobody is required to be here, but the invitation is always open, and I’m thrilled to say we’ve had a great turn out so far. It takes a small amount of planning to make dinner for an unknown number of guests happen, and here’s how we go about planning our supper each Sunday:

• On Tuesday or Wednesday of each week, Rob and I discuss what we might like to make for dinner the following Sunday. We keep things simple, kid-friendly, and mostly make-ahead, so we aren’t in the kitchen all weekend cooking for just one meal.

• On Thursday mornings I email my mom, Rob’s parents, his brother, Dan, (who has a wife and two boys), his brother, Ryan, (who has a wife and four kids), and my sister, Beth, (who has a husband and two-soon-to-be-three daughters) and ask them to let me know who will be coming for dinner that I week. I request a reply by Friday morning so I can do my grocery shopping that afternoon. People are usually quick to respond, and have been quite enthusiastic about the whole thing so far.

• On Friday afternoons I make my meal plan and do the shopping, or sometimes I wait and send Rob out first thing Saturday morning to pick up what we need. I usually start cooking on Saturday (especially if I’m baking something for dessert) and finish the meal off on Sunday afternoon.

• On Sunday we have little to do for our dinner. I set the table, the boys cram a few extra chairs in the dining room and we wait for everyone to arrive. Sometimes we have to work our meal around a hockey schedule, and sometimes it’s a quick visit, with people coming, eating, and then leaving in a short amount of time, but it doesn’t both us at all. I’m just happy that our family members have embraced our idea and everyone looks forward to Sunday suppers almost as much as we do.

So, if you’ve made it this far you must be wondering what we serve when we’re planning meals for a crowd of anywhere between six and twenty-one people. It’s a wide variety of items, and I keep track of each meal in my gatherings journal so that I don’t repeat dishes too frequently. Our meals to date have been:

Week 1:

• Shepherd’s Pie
• Kale Caesar Salad
• Baguette
• Spiced Apple Cake with Maple Mascarpone Frosting

Week 2:

• Roast Chicken and Gravy
• Mashed Potatoes
• Buttered Peas
• French Macarons

Week 3:

• DIY Taco bar with Shredded Chicken and Spicy Steak
• Garden Salad
• Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting and Sprinkles

Week 4:

• Thanksgiving!

Week 5:

• Lazy Lasagna
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Baguette with Boursin Cheese Spread
• Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Week 6:

• Breakfast for dinner!
• Scrambled Eggs
• Roasted Spiced Potatoes
• Bacon
• Breakfast Sausages
• Buttered Toast with Strawberry and Apricot Preserves
• Oranges
• Juice, Coffee and Tea

What do you think - would you, or do you, do something similar? Do you think the time and effort is worth it for a big meal like this each week? How do you gather people together for casual meals? Curious about more of our Sunday suppers? Feel free to follow along with the hashtag #familysupperSundays on my Instagram account.

Comments

[La Torontoise]

Jan, thnak you very much for this well-thought-out concept. I have been struggling with the same issue. My extended family moved from Canada to the location where I am now, in Europe, but get-togethers still take place on a pre-booked basis following birthdays and anniversaries.
I strongly believe that a get-together should not always be monumental in terms of food preparation and styling, and this is why I'm very interested in learning more about your sundays. I'm in a very rainy place (with more rain than Vancouver: -) and a get-togeher on Sunday could well be the only *sunny* moment injected into what otherwise would be a 'just another rainy weekend'.

Have a good weekend! Fortunately, the forecast here is for a sun-shining Saturday: -)

[Anna (Hidden Ponies)]

I love the idea of family supper Sundays. My kids are still young but I already see how hard it is to get time with them as more and more demands are made on everyone's time, I think I need to implement this now and get them used to it early :)

[Laureen Fox]

I just got a new cookbook (Pollan Family Table) that focuses on the tradition of Family Suppers, so this has been on my mind quite a lot lately. When my father-in-law was still alive 20+ years ago, Sunday suppers were a given but the tradition fell away with his passing and I miss it (and him) dearly.

My kids are all grown, one with kids of her own. Time slips by so quickly. We do need to spend more time together as a family!

[Sarah]

So um, I think I have some Scott somewhere in my family. Great great uncle maybe? So...ya...just sayin' :-).

YOU HAVE THE LUCKIEST FAMILY.

If my family lived closer I would definitely do this on a weekly basis. Sadly they are all across the country! Though we have friends that are like family and I have long been meaning to start up some sort of semi-regular thing with them. This is great inspiration. Thanks :-)

[Jan Scott]

You should totally do this with friends! How much fun would that be? It wouldnt even have to be weekly. You could start a monthly supper club, or host dinner yourself. Such a great idea!

[Jan Scott]

I do think its a good idea to start it early. The cousins who come here range in age from 2-10 and they all seem to be on board with the idea. Plus, its fun for them to see each other outside of special occasions. Thanks for commenting!

[Jan Scott]

I saw the Pollan Family Table at Chapters and thought it looked fabulous! Yes, Sunday suppers were definitely a staple for the older generation and I think its time we bring it back, dont you?

[oLIVer thams]

I love food and family and communication and rituals. I'm a heart homebody. I know that Ronald Reagan might have got his razor sharp wit from being around a lot of people. Social skills are a muscle you must flex to stay in shape. I hate feeling like a tard since I've been alone so much. MORE RITUALS.