First "Sunday Family Dinner" & Football

About a month or so ago, we went to some of our very dear friend's Bob & Eddray's house for dinner and during dinner we got to talking about how you really don't hear people saying that they are having a "Sunday Family Dinner".

And why not?

Are we all sooooo busy that we can't make time for each other and for some good food for a couple of hours once a week?

So it got us thinking....let's bring it back.  We decided that every Sunday we would have a "Sunday Family Dinner" at each other's house and rotate every other weekend as to who's house it would take place at.  We also came up with some rules:

1. NO! NO! NO! Electronics!!!  That means no TV on in the background, cellphones are to be dropped in a basket by the front door, not laptops on, no gameboys, NO NOTHING!
2. Formal dining only.  Set out that china that we save for a special occasion.  No plastic/styrofoam.
3. Kids eat at the kitchen table, adults eat at the dining room table.  This rule was not created to make the kids feel excluded by any means.  This rule was created so we all (both adults and children) could enjoy the dinner.  No one is going to have fun if the adults are trying to have adult talk, the kids being kids and being yelled at by the adults.
4. No pizza, fast food, take out, etc.  We are bringing back the 50's folks.  Home cooking all the way.
5. Dress nice.  We aren't talking tuxes and evening gowns, but we are talking no pjs, no lounge wear, no sweats...you get the idea.
6. Dessert & coffee after the meal....to me those kinda things tie it all together.
7. Once the meal is finished and the table cleaned off, the kids can go play and the adults can play a game of monopoly, etc.  Still keeping with the no electronics rule!

We are so very excited about this and hope that it brings us all to a sense of calm and enjoyment.  Ya know, that feeling you sometimes don't get during the week with all the commotion going on.

Well this past Sunday was the first "Sunday Family Dinner" and it was at our house and it was also the Superbowl.  And while I think that the Packers (and my boyfriend Aaron Rodgers) should have been playing, it still ended up being a good game at the end.

We didn't really follow the rules for the this particular night because of the game and we knew that we would be sitting in the living room eating.  And of course because it was a football game, I very well wasn't going to serve a fancy meal...which I guess I could have....but I stuck with more game time type of snacks.

We had:

• Shredded Chicken Tacos-Chicken breasts thrown in the crockpot with some salsa, taco seasoning and a bottle of mexican beer.
• Jalapeno Popper Dip a staple at ever party...believe me, there will not be any of this left over.
• Tortilla chips/pretzels
• Carrots/Celery/Ranch Dressing
• Mexican Corn Bread Muffins stuffed with lil sausages
• Peanuts
• Black Beans
• Fixins' for Tacos

And one of my favorite and easiest things to make for the football season is football cookies.  I've made these a couple of times this past football season for Mikey's team and they were a hit.

I got this brilliant recipe over at Our Best Bites but modified it a lil bit.

 The original recipe calls for shortening.  Now I have made them in the past with shortening but I kinda cringe a lil when I'm scooping it into the measuring cup and into the batter.  Shortening kinda gives me the icks.  So I went with vegetable oil instead with perfect results.

 I scoop the dough out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with my cookie dough scoop (I'm absolutely in love with that thing and don't know what I would do without it!).  I then smushed (technical term of course ;) the dough down a lil bit and then shaped the ball of dough to look more like a football.

Cookies were then baked in a 350 degree oven and boy did they spread.  I was okay with that.  Just meant bigger footballs :)

Once the cookies were cooled, I melted some white candy coating in the microwave, scooped the melted candy in a zip lock bag, snipped the corner, and piped out the laces.  I have made the laces before with icing and it takes SOOOO much longer to dry than the candy coating.

There ya have it.  The perfect treat for the game.  I think these were gobbled up before the rest of the food was.

This Sunday we are having dinner at the our friend's house and we will be holding to those rules.  I just hope that I'm able to at least grab my phone to take a picture :)