Sunday Dinner Project

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a monthly Sunday Dinner. It started in 2010 and has gone continuously since. September will be 15 years of Sunday dinners. 

Each Sunday dinner, with the exception to the first one, we take a group photo. It started as a "normal" photo where we're all sitting and smiling like normal people. Then we take a "goofy" photo where everyone makes a funny face. I love this so much. 

I decided that I wanted to document the Sunday dinners and their photos. So, I made the decision to scrap all the Sunday dinner photos. 

My original thought was to use up a bunch of kits I have from the Hip Kit Club. I get monthly kits from them and as you can imagine, they start to pile up. So I grabbed 4 of the most basic kits and decided I would use those up. Along the way, I used other of their kits that had more themes to them, like October and Summer themes. 

Well my friends, today I finished this project! I'm all caught up with Sunday dinners, with the exception to July's of this year. But since that just happened I feel like that's ok. 

Stats:

• 3 months effort; my best guess is over 40 hours of work
• 122 pages

This project was a ton of fun. To go back and look through all the photos, I found myself smiling from ear to ear.

The first years of Sunday dinner I was WAY more into it. I wouldn't let anyone bring anything to dinner. I did it all, from appetizer to dessert. And I was way more energetic about the meals. Making them masterpieces in a way.

I also had a lot more people attending. The biggest Sunday dinner was 18 people. The house I was in was bigger so it could contain 18 hungry souls. The house I'm in now, 10 max really. 

It was interesting to see the people who have come and gone over the years too. Some we've lost. Some moved. Some just stopped coming (or being invited). Some are still here. I have now what I consider my core tribe. Each month a combination of the same 10 people. 

We have some annual themes we do for Sunday dinner too. It started as Pumpkin carving being the first "annual" theme. Then I added the December theme of "Cookie Exchange". Now we have two more fun ones to go along with those: Low Country Boil month and Paella month. 

We've celebrated birthdays along the way and had several with themes beyond the ones above. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since the first Sunday dinner. So much has happened in those 15 years and I'm thrilled we're still going strong. Will we go another  15? Hard to say. But I'll keep doing these until I can no longer do them.

Sunday Dinners H1

I didn't do so well this year so far tracking Sunday dinners here on the blog. My intent was to post one a month as they happened. And, well, life. 

I started out strong in January. Then nothing. So let me catch you up. 

February - Italian

February was a wroaming Sunday dinner. We all gathered at Chez Levi out in West Seattle. She's got a beautiful house that has a killer view. It's always weird for me to have Sunday dinner some place else. I both love and hate it. Love it because we get to change it up and I don't have to do dishes. Hate it because I love hosting. 

Dinner was stuffed shells. So delicious. We also had Italian Salad, Deconstructed Tiramasu, and appetizers. It was a small group that was the Braspirs, Claudia/Bob, Janet and I. I like small groups sometimes. 

The view from Chez Pantry Goat

That's not one of my cats, that's Frey.

March - Burger Bar

Mmm burgers. I do love a good burger. I blame my mom for that. She LOVED cheeseburgers. The drippier the better. Homemade burgers are one of my favorite things to make. So easy, so inexpensive and so yummy. 

I did the burgers and cheese. Claudia brought all the veggies, including amazing grilled onions. The Braspirs brought baked beans, Janet brought a beautiful lemon cake, Rose and Graeme brough arancini (risotto balls). So much food. I also provided the condiments that included BBQ sauce and fried onions. 

Poor Graeme. Lucy only wanted to sit on his lap. Poor guy is allergic to cats, and that stinkin' cat kept coming back for more. 

This cake was amazing.

April - Thai

Thai themed is officially not my favorite theme. I like Thai food, but I like Thai food in a restaurant. It's a tricky theme because it requires ingredients most of us don't use (kinda like Indian last year). Still everyone played along. 

I made Thai Beef curry in the crock pot. Mark and Jo made spring rolls. Kathy did Chicken Satay. And Janet did Thai Lettuce Wraps. 

I discovered too late that no one signed up to bring dessert. So I brought out some Cresta bars, and Nutella cookies. Worked like a charm. 

Spring Rolls. It took a couple to get the hang of the rolling.

May - Burrito Bowls

I love me a good burrito bowl. And this dinner was spot on. I made carne asada and Charro beans (so good). Mark and Jo brought guac. Graeme and Rose brough Mexican corn. Janet brought sides for the burrito bowls (sour cream, cheese, onions, salsa, etc). The Braspirs brought Flan. 

We had way too much food again, but we were happy and full. As we always are on Sunday dinner nights.

Kathy made flan.

June - Spanish / Portuguese

Oh boy! What a Sunday dinner. Mark and Jo hosted it at their new house in Gig Harbor. We moved this Sunday dinner to Saturday to make it a little easier to get to Gig Harbor and home again without Monday looming. 

Mark made Paella. He and Jo had taken a class and so they knew the right way to make it. Plus he has this massive Paella pan - so it seemed like we had to break it in. 

We started with appetizers, of course. Rose and Graeme brought jamon and cheese; there was smoked salmon; marinated olives, and I made Garlic Shrimp. 

Making Paella is a process, but it's not difficult. There's a lot of components, but if you're an organized chef, this part is easy. Mark did an excellent job and the Paella was some of the best I've had. 

Best part of the night was when Mark was going to take the Paella pan into the house and we'd serve ourselves from there, only the pan wouldn't fit through the back door. That's one large pan. We ate our paella with a yummy El Senior Caesar Salado (it was just a Caesar salad, but we had to make it Spanish.)

We finished the night with a chocolate tort brought by Janet. 

Our next two Sunday dinners will also be wroaming ones. Next month is our annual Low Country Boil at Janet's. Then August is being hosted by the Pantry Goat. 

March Sunday Dinner

March Sunday dinner's theme is "Burger Bar".  The idea being I'll provide the burgers and buns, and everyone else brings what they like to put on their burgers. Have I mentioned I love these themes?

And since we're having burgers, I'm making Mom's Macaroni Salad. I went to put it in my recipe blog and realized I had already put it in there, but sans photos. And then I forgot to take a photo of it when it was done. Some day I'll get a phot of it, but not today. 

Tonight's guests are Graeme/Rose, Kathy/Rowland, Claudia, Janet, Sherrie and I. Small groups are best these days. These are some fun, fun peeps. We laughed all night long. 

The food:

So the theme for this month's dinner was "Burger Bar." I wasn't completely sure what we were going to do with regards to appetizer and desserts being something around burger bar. So we did what we do best, we ignored it. 

I bought some high quality burgers and grilled those bad boys up. American cheese topped each one. I had cheese options, but everyone wanted American. And why not? It's the best. 

Burger toppings were en point too. All the condiments (mayo, mustard, ketchup, and BBQ sauce), a gallon of grilled onions, bacon, crispy onions, lettuce/tomato, and pickles. I mean, come on? That makes one righteous burger. 

Our side dishes were, of course Mom's mac salad and Kathy's Calico beans. 

Photo from Noshing
 in the Nolands

Appetizer was from Graeme and Rose which were these little risotto balls of goodness. Risotto with cheese, basil and then covered in panko and deep fried, called Arancini. These things were amaze-balls.  Those two really raise the bar for appetizers. 

Then there was dessert. Janet raised the bar there too. She made this wonderfully, delicious lemon pound cake and then decorated it all up with berries. So gorgeous and, let me tell you, so delicious. 

The best story of the night was Lucy being in love with Graeme. Graeme is allergic to cats and for some reason Lucy just wanted to be on his lap. She was determined. At one point, she just sat down not taking no for an answer. Poor Graeme. We had to have Claudia go get some allergy stuff from her car to save him. I think I'm going to have to buy some to have on hand just for Graeme. I can't control Lucy. It's easier to just feed him pills. 

This was a funny photo. The two nutballs in the background thought we were doing the "funny" photo. Fooled them. I love their spirit though and I love all these people. Every one of them brings something special to my life and I can't imagine what life would be without them. 

Next month our theme is Thai. Not even sure what that will be like. I'd be willing to bet most these folks have never made Thai food before. 

January Sunday Dinner - Family Favorite theme

Last night was the first of the 2023 themed Sunday dinners. It was a smashing success, as all of them were in 2022. 

Let me back up. In December of 2021 I decided to spice things up with Sunday dinner. I had my December Sunday dinner guests put their suggested themes in bowl and then each guest got to pick one out of the bowl and those ended up being our 2022 themes.

I had so much fun with the themes last year, and everyone played along splendidly, that I decided to do it again this year. The rule this year was we couldn't use any themes from 2022. My "plan" is a theme can return after a year. Otherwise, we'll run out of themes quickly. 

There are a couple on this list that will get tricky for some guests. Many haven't cooked Peruvian food or German food much. Myself included. But in true Jenn insanity, I've already started researching. 

Sunday we kicked off 2023 with Family favorites. The idea here was you'd bring a long standing family favorite, or a recently one. It didn't matter. It just had to be a family recipe that every one enjoys. We had a small group this month so I opted to make my Famous ribs. These really are the bomb. In fact, during dinner, Rowland leaned over and said to me, "Your dad would be proud of these ribs." Makes me tear up just thinking about it. 

Doesn't that look lovely?

I made three racks of ribs. We had enough for everyone to have leftovers. 

Also included in the family favorite menu:

Onion dip from Mark and Vanessa

This dip has shown up at every friend gathering we had in the 90's. Then it became Mark's signature dip for their Ground Hog's day party. It's a dip I associate to him whenever I see it or make it. And it was yummy. 

Janet's Mom's potato salad

This recipe has shown up many times at Wraspir family gatherings. You can't make this in small amounts so we all got leftovers. 

Kathy's Famous Corn Bread

Kathy has a special touch with corn bread. We've had it for years. It always turns out moist and delicious. She says the trick is this small loaf pan so each one is an individual serving. The pan makes great little corn bread loaf and it's delicious. Funny story. Janet wanted Kathy's corn bread recipe one time so she called and asked if she'd share it with her. To which Kathy replied, "Yes. It's a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix." We laughed and laughed at how we thought it was a "family recipe" only to find out it's from a box. 

Sherrie's Kick Ass Salad

Sherrie made this amazing salad many years ago and it's has to be my favorite salad of all time. I don't know what exactly it is about this salad, but everything balances perfectly. And it's brought all together by this amazing poppy seed dressing. 

Sex in a Pan

When is sex in a pan not a family favorite? 

The ribs were so tender that when cutting them they fell off the bone. So I have a pile of rib meat instead of actual bones. See, the rib rule in this house is ... I get the butts. You know? The ends of the rack... mmmm. My favorite.

Sherrie, Rowland, Kathy, Vanessa, Janet, Mark and my big noggin right up front.

All in all it was a family favorite fun night. Lots of chatter. Lots of laughter. Lots of napkins. And lots of dishes (not really). 

Looking forward to month's dinner when we travel to West Seattle for The Pantry Goat to host Viva Italia. 

Sunday Funday Dinners

In Aug 2010,  I started this "Sunday dinner" thing. I invited a handful of friends to dinner and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Here we are at the end of 2022 and I'm proud to say my Sunday dinners are going strong. The guest list has certainly changed over the years. Added some new folks. Tossed other folks aside (for reasons I won't mention). Lost a few, sadly. And have what I call the "standard gang". My main peeps. They are invited every time and show up almost every time.

The "dinner" portion has changed over the years too. In the beginning I did the whole dinner. Everything from appetizers to desserts. And I liked that. I controlled the meal. I could plan accordingly and I could, of course, make sure everything "went together". 

But over the years the family wore me down. They kept offering to bring things. They wanted to participate. And a couple of them felt bad that I was forking out all the dough for the dinner. Even though I was ok with that. So I started allowing people to bring things. I tried to contain them though by assigning a list of "what was needed." So then every Sunday dinner, I'd make the "main dish" and I'd put the list out of Appetizer, salad, side, bread, and dessert. Or a combination of that. It's worked. 

I'd like to also add I got less "controlly" about Sunday dinner and begin to just enjoy how it turned out every time. 

This year I introduced themes. I LOVED the theme idea. It was a ton of fun to branch out of our norm and try new things. The "rule" was that if you were contributing to Sunday dinner it had to be in that theme. And surprisingly everyone followed the rules.  

We had this year's last Sunday dinner on this last Sunday. Mexican was the theme! The additional bonus of the December Sunday dinner is it's also a cookie exchange. Mexican food AND treats? Whoa!

The "standard" gang

The new "tradition" is to pick the next year's themes. And am I here to tell you next year theme's are going to be WOW! 

So if you want an invite, you gotta let me know. We might be able to squeeze you in.

I often wondered if Sunday dinners would run it's course at some point. The thing is, though, I think they might be here to stay. And I'm ok with that. 

All Day Cooking...it's my fave!

Today is Sunday, the second Sunday of the month at that. If you pay attention, or have been lucky enough to earn an invite to, today is Sunday dinner! 

Sunday dinners started in 2010! I cannot believe what started as a way for me to see my friends more often has turned into a monthly event that includes traveling Sunday Dinners. It started with just a handful of friends, then grew from there. I kept adding people to the list. 

Sunday dinner started with me cooking, and only me. I wouldn't let anyone bring anything. Each dinner was a well planned meal in which everything "went" together. I loved doing this. I loved spending the day cooking and preparing something delicious that I knew everyone would enjoy. 

The first Sunday dinner menu was Spaghetti Bolognese, olive cheese bread, Caesar salad, and dipped brownie bites. It takes a day to cook and it's worth every minute. The kitchen was an absolute disaster after, but it was worth every bit of it. 

I'll admit that at the time I figured I'd do a handful of these and then get bored with it and move on. Turned out everyone loved it. Each person I invited commented how nice it was and felt very old fashion. And could we keep doing this? Who am I to disappoint my friends? 

As the years progressed, I was convinced to let others bring something. I'd cook the main "meat" and then everyone signed up for an appetizer, salad, side, and dessert. Most brought wine along with whatever they brought. 

This got to be more fun and allowed everyone to contribute to the meal. Some were feeling guilty that I was taking the brunt of the cost - which I didn't mind. Most bring something they've not made before. Some get into ruts and bring the same thing every time. What I learned is, it's ok. Whatever. I learned to chill out about it. 

This year for Sunday dinners, I decided to mix it up some. At the December Sunday dinner I had everyone put themes into a bowl and then we selected 10 out of it (10 because we'd not have one in May, and we already knew the Low Country Boil was planned for July). The group got creative. They could put in as many or as few that they want. 

The result was a list of pretty darn good themes. We started the year with a fondue party. Learned that if you're doing fondue, that you should use oil and you should have extras to eat cuz it takes so long to cook the meat. The cheese and chocolate was the highlight by far. 

Indian was a fun one. Most of the group hadn't every cooked Indian food. I made Butter Chicken which is my favorite thing ever in Indian food. 

The favorite appetizer/dessert/cocktail/wine was an interesting one. Since it was all appetizers, we were "done" with Sunday dinner by about 6:30. Full of food and happy as ever. 

Tonight is French. We'll see what everyone brings. For me? I couldn't decide what to make so I'm making Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon! This house smells amazing! What's interesting about these two recipes, they both have a lot of the same ingredients: bacon, wine, chicken stock, mushrooms, onions, thyme. Biggest difference is coq au vin has one more aromatic - celery. I've got the beef cooking away in the slow cooker and coq au vin in the Dutch oven in the oven on a low heat. We're going to have more food than you can imagine, but that's what being a Wraspir is all about. 

When covid hit we had to put a stop to the dinner. Or did we? No, we did not! We did zoom dinners and it was great to continue to stay connected to these people. It was odd at first, but by mid 2020 we were in the grove and spoke frequently about how we couldn't wait to get back together again. 

The other thing that has come out of these Sunday dinners are the group photos. I can't remember why I started doing it (I mean, it was probably because of scrapbooking) it just started. We'd all gather around and SNAP a photo. Then one night I had everyone do a goofy face. Now we hardly ever take a "normal" shot. Only the goofy will do. 

But beyond the food and the photo what I love the most are the people. The attendees vary a little month over month. I average about 10 people each dinner (it used to be 12 before I moved) and all those people I love. I consider them all family. I know, without a doubt, that any of them would be at my side with a hug, a meal, a smile or money. They're just amazing people and I'm so glad to call them all family. I'm not sure they realize their family. And I didn't really ask them if they wanted to be in my family, but I also don't care. Too bad! You're in! 

October Stuff

Fall is my favorite time of year. I swear this year the colors were more vibrant than ever. I suspect it had to do with several days of sunshine. It sure has been nice. We had a heck of a storm roll through last night and I'm glad I got my fall photos earlier because many of the trees are naked.

Last night the "dinner club" met at a fantastic restaurant tucked away in an office park of all things. Russell's. Its an old white barn that's been converted into this magnificent restaurant. A bit pricey, but OMG the food was so good.

I started the night with a glass of wine from Avennia winery. Their GSM blend, "Justine" is so amazing. I couldn't put my finger on why it was so good so I searched this morning on it.

2013 Avennia 'Justine' GSM Blend- Grenache dominant wine with 47% Grenache, 38% Mouvedre and 15% Syrah. Lovely aromatics of rose petals, provencale herbs, raspberry and smoked meats. Lovely mouthfeel with flavors of black cherry, tar, raspberry and raspberry ganache flavors. A feminine Rhone blend that finishes long with vanilla cherry.  Nice viscosity, and ripeness reminiscent of a hot vintage.

None of that is what I would have said. It certainly did have "tar" flavor. Wine writers remind me of the same people who create "colors" for clothing. It's not "gray" it's "Oatmeal".

At any rate, it was good. It went well with the NY Strip steak I had. This steak is the reason I wanted the group to go here. About a month ago we had a leadership dinner here for work. We had to "pre order" our meal so they could prepare and plan. I ordered the NY steak. I figured if you're cooking for 35 people the steak wasn't going to be great. I figured it'd be overdone.

It was completely the opposite. It was about 2 inches thick and cooked perfectly. The peppercorn gravy on it wasn't too peppery which made it perfect.

I started my meal last night with their spinach salad. Being on blood thinners, if I drink I should eat my dark greens...at least that what I'm told. What makes this spinach salad so darn delicious is their vinaigrette. The spinach salad has its normal suspects: spinach, almonds, dried cranberries, Parmesan cheese. But their vinaigrette is a house made Pancetta Vinaigrette. Y'all I cannot tell you how good this dressing was. I wanted to lick the plate. Naturally, I'm not on the looking for a recipe for it. They wouldn't share.

I did the NY steak again with the house-made peppercorn demi glace...mmmm... Blueberry did their pork chop and said it was delicious. Mr. Landlord did their scallops, Mrs. Landlord did their salmon and Blueberry's sister who crashed our party did their fettuccine with shrimp. Not a bad one of the bunch.

We finished our meal with dessert...of course. I was so stuffed when we were done I swore I wouldn't eat again. Which is a lie of course.

Last weekend was the annual pumpkin carving Sunday dinner. We had a large group again...we always do. I made Mom's cabbage rolls. It was nice to have some comfort food for dinner around so many comfortable people. They turned out good and I felt like she was with us all night.

I totally cheated in my carving this year. I wanted to get this gray/blue pumpkin and knew it couldn't be carved...been down that road before. Super tough and thick, so instead I bought these little pegs to be used. I couldn't cut the darn thing straight to save my soul...which made it more interesting. Yah, that's it.

Since my friend who appreciates good beer joined us I decided to pull out the Dark Island Reserve from our Scotland trip. I purchased this on the Orkney Islands at the Orkney Brewery. This beer was so good. Super dark, super chocolatey, super delicious. I must go back and get some.

And the traditional goofy shot from Sunday dinner. I didn't get photos of the actual pumpkins this year...oh well. Thank god I made all of them pick up their own pumpkins. I have a cat instead of a pumpkin.