Sunday supper has become a big tradition since David and I moved into our new home a couple of years ago. It’s a tradition I wish my Dad could have gotten to be a part of because he would have loved it. He enjoyed cooking, as I do. However, he is with us always because he is talked of often around the table each Sunday. We are blessed to have my sweet Gram (she is 98) still with us and able to enjoy this new tradition along with David’s parents, my mom and a dear friend who may not be blood but is like my second mom. This is our core group, but on many occasion the table grows to seat a few more we consider family and that makes this even more special.

I have gotten to enjoy cooking old and new recipes. On occasion though–and thankfully not often–there are a few flops. There is a particular cookbook my mom gave me when we moved in, and everything in there is wonderful and easy to make, so I am on a mission to find it to sell in Hermann Emporium. I hope to start sharing a great recipe at least once a month that we have enjoyed at our Sunday dinners. This is a very special time for us and a blessed way to start the week. I hope you might try this Sunday supper tradition, too.

Since the Super Bowl is this Sunday, we had a special Valentine’s Sunday supper a bit early. I made my easy version of homemade lasagna using one of our delicious products in the emporium, the Bella Cucina Sugo all’arrabiata pasta sauce. This is a spicy tomato basil pasta sauce that has chunky bits of vine ripened San Marzano tomatoes, flavored with chile pepper flakes and fresh basil leaves that give it a perfectly balanced spicy finish. Before I found this wonderful sauce, I had to make it from scratch. Of course, you can just keep this secret to yourself and let your guests think you have worked all day to make this lasagna!

Of course Sunday supper isn’t complete without a beautifully set table. Some Sundays it may be set to the nines with China, crystal and linens. Other times it could be dressed in the prettiest paper products we carry at the store, and on some rare occasions it’s dumbed down to the basics. It all depends on the week I’ve had or the week ahead. All that matters is that we are together, so please don’t ever let that stop you from having time with family and friends. It is truly an honor to be invited into someone’s home, and it is the time together that matters. If you ask my husband, he will say I need to remember that–and trust me, I try very hard and have gotten much better about it. I hope this will inspire you to slow down, to enjoy food, friends and family.

Here’s to good food, great company, and unforgetable Sundays!

Cheers! Jennifer