Sunday Dinner

when my mother was young her grandmother would make roast beef and potatos every Sunday for family dinner. and although she now hates roast beef, it’s something she likes to do. although we can’t spend with my mom, we still spend many a Sunday with my sister and Heff. we eat lots of food without apologies or fake niceties (”oh no thank you, i couldn’t possibly eat another bite!”). now we have the luxury of relaxing on the deck post dinner enjoying the weather and watching the dogs search for the coolest spot in the yard. i like to lay out a nice spread just because it’s our time to catch up and laugh about what has happened since the last dinner. we don’t do it every weekend, but fairly often.

this weekend’s menu included pesto-veggie sandwiches on fresh rosemary ciabatta bread. i slathered pesto on one side and light spreadable cheeseon the other, then layered the sandwiches with watercress, lettuce, finely sliced cucumbers, vine ripe tomatos (picked up at the Ballard Farmer’s Market this morning) and paper thin slices of portabello mushroom. i had sauteed the mushrooms beforehand in a red wine vinegar and olive oil mixture and my favorite spice, Miracle Blend from a little spice house in Michigan. on the side, we had my sister’s fresh, crispy salad (topped with homemade croutons), fresh salsa and chips, wasabi chips and assorted sesame squares. they had also brought a small watermelon, but we never made it that far! these are times that i truly do savor.

hope you are having a pleasant Sunday as well.