One of the nice things about having my home within my daughter's home is that when relatives are invited for dinner, we can decide which kitchen we want to cook in. Tonight my neice Lauren and her three beautiful children -- ages one-and-a-half, five, and eight -- came for dinner, and Katie and I decided to do the cooking in her part of the house. That way the kids could play and have more room (and my kitchen wouldn't get messed up!). The menu was decided on while I was driving after work to the closest grocery store. I wondered what I could throw together fast that was welcoming, home-made, and that everyone would like. Lauren and the kids would be arriving within the hour. I decided on spaghetti. I remembered that commercial from my childhood, "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day." Well, I didn't have Prince spaghetti. I had an imported Italian buccatini, the long spaghetti shape with a hole down the middle. There was no time to create sauce from scratch, so I bought Paul Newman's marinara and a loaf of french bread, which was later sliced lengthwise down the middle and broiled with butter and garlic for a crunchy, toasty garlic bread. A bag of romaine salad mix and a couple of choices for salad dressing had everyone happy, and some going for more. Lauren, Katie, and I sat long and talked about everything while the kids played. It was a lot of fun and made me realize how much I miss the everyday contact I used to have with Lauren and her family as the kids were growing up, just a few houses apart from each other. We have such terrific and enduring memories of those years living in the same neighborhood.
I'm glad we had dinner together tonight. Wednesday evenings are great for company. Last weekend and next weekend seem equally far away. When weekends do arrive, they are usually so jam-packed of have-to-dos and want-to-dos that I'm hesitant to add any more to them. If I had company coming on a weekend night, I'd spend all day getting ready. That's not possible on a Wednesday night. It's come as you are, come as we are, enjoy what we have to offer, and enjoy the casual comfort of a home that welcomes you in, if not dressed in its Sunday best.
One of my favorite quotes of the evening was when Will, age 5, looked at Katie as she was holding 4-month old Peter and said, "That baby looks like a meatball." I think that was the perfect statement on Wednesday, spaghetti night. Can't wait to do it again.
Photo credit: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_WVu0gJovIxY/TFADFGEM3dI/AAAAAAAAPTA/ZHBwfaP6E5E/DSC_2511%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800
What a sweet post and a very special memory indeed! Its the little things in our lives that really do mean the most in the end! Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious! I love spaghetti with holes through the middle...it reminds me of the "noodles" I used to play with as a kid at the pool.
ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me so much of my mom. She always says: "if you don't have a lot of time, spaghetti are the best way to go!"
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post. Being away at college, I appreciate simple dinners (like the one you described) with my family so much more!
Hi! This is a Skidmore student. I am quickly becoming infatuated with your blog. Being in college definitely takes its toll on getting to eat warm, welcoming food. There's just not enough time! Yet, I seriously made this exact dinner the other night for all my housemates and it was certainly a crowd pleaser.
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