Sunday Night Suppers

Our menus since April, plus recent weeknight favorites

Hello dear ones, 

Sunday night suppers have been our longest running family tradition, starting way back when James and I first moved in together twenty-three years ago (before marriage or kids). Even though we have family dinner most nights, Sundays are special. We whip up cocktails, cook a family-style meal, and eat in the dining room or out on the back deck with candles, linen napkins and all. When the kids came along they joined us, first in a bouncy chairs at our feet, then in high chairs, and now as full-fledged conversationalists (however, during the toddler stage we wouldn’t insist they sit for the full dinner). It’s my very favorite night of the week. (Also, these days the kids are in charge of the Sunday night clean-up and dishes—score!)

Back in our (pre-kid) twenties, James and I would make several courses—the fancier the better—and I’d catalog the meals in a red journal. Once the kids came along the meals became much simpler (and the red journal got buried somewhere), but they’re just as special. We try to make a main course that everybody likes, usually dictated by what’s in season. 

Over the past couple of months I’ve started cataloguing our Sunday menus again so that I’ll have a personal record, and I thought it would be fun to share them here. I’ve had so many of you tell me that you either don’t like menu planning or find it overwhelming, so I hope this provides some inspiration! I included recipe notes and links (and photos) where available, and I’ve also shared at the bottom some weeknight dinners we’ve recently enjoyed.