Thursday Thirteen

THIRTEEN THINGS TO DO

TO MAKE YOUR

DINNER EXPERIENCE MORE ENJOYABLE

1. Eat on your "good stuff" even if it's not a special occasion! Life is too short not to use beautiful things every day.

2. Drink your beverages out of a gorgeous goblet... every day. Water tastes so much better when it's coming out of a beautiful goblet. It just feels chic.

3. Don't answer the phone during dinner hour and turn off the TV.

4. Buy the best cooking utensils you can afford. If you like what you use, you will use it more often, saving money down the road.

5. Listen to great music while cooking or eating. It just makes everything more enjoyable.

6. Never refuse help in the kitchen. Many hands make light work, and kids really learn a whole lot when cooking and serving and setting the table.

7. Adopt the "cook once, eat twice" mantra. If you are cooking chicken or ground beef for a meal, cook up some extra and refrigerate for a meal later in the week.

8. Set aside 1 hour a week to do all your prep work. Chop carrots, onion, herbs, cook meats, make dressings in that hour and use them for dinner during the week. The restaurant and fast food places won't be so tempting if you pre plan just a little bit.

9. Buy your bread fresh if you can. I had lunch with Andi yesterday at Panera Bread, and I will always buy my bread fresh from now on, from there. It's the same price as other stores and the variety is phenomenol!

I had a lovely time Andi, thank you!

10. If you ever have leftovers and don't know what to do with them... package them up nicely and give them to a neighbor you know lives alone, or you know doesn't cook for themselves. It shows love... share it.

11. Make sitting at the table with your family a priority. In my business, I hear that a lot of families take their food into different rooms of the house and eat separated. I was shocked. Eating together is the basis for many happy memories, and we learn a lot about each other, and would be a much happier society if we just slowed down a little and enjoyed the people we love so much. Dinner is the perfect time for this.

12. Instead of having a sugary dessert after dinner, put out a huge bowl of fruit on the table. It is a great way to end a meal on a sweet note without feeling weighed down with by a sugar spike.

13. The most important... compliment the person that made the food, whether you liked it or not. Time, thought and care went into the preparation, the taste is important, but the act was most important. Mom's love a hug and a kiss and a heartfelt "Thanks for dinner mom." as payment.

I would love other ideas for future Thursday Thirteens... please comment on some ideas for me!

Grazie!

Thank you!