5 Great Reasons to Start a Family Dinner Tradition

If you follow “Call Me Grandma!” you know that our family has a standing date for family dinner every Friday night. We have been doing this for the past 11 years, since Miss T was born.

Of course, there are occasional calendar conflicts. But we try to maintain the schedule. And mostly, we do. Here are five great reasons to start a family dinner tradition and some recipes to kick it off.

1. Builds Relationships

Especially when they are babies, kids change and grow remarkably, from week to week. Family dinner means we get to be a regular part of baby’s life and witness their important milestones.

2. A Way to Touch Base

As they grow older, Friday family dinners keep us up on the latest news. N scored goals at ice hockey; Miss T is rehearsing for a school play. You can learn so much about your grandkids at the dinner table.

3. Provides Teaching Opportunities

At family dinners, we teach basic table manners. For more formal etiquette training, we had a fancy dinner that was both fun and instructive, prepared just for the grandkids.

Our grandkids may be called on to set the table which teaches responsibility. And, they learn conversational skills when we sit down to dinner.

4. Parents Get a Vacation from Cooking

Friday night dinners are a boon to busy parents who are free from cooking at least one night a week.

5. Simplifies Family Birthday Parties

We use Friday night dinner to celebrate birthdays, selecting the closest Friday to the actual day. This means we aren’t having to juggle schedules to find mutually agreeable dates every time someone has a birthday. The birthday person picks the cuisine of their choice, and we order in. So, we might have Burmese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, or southern barbecue, for example.

We order the birthday honoree’s favorite cake or pastries, or I will bake the dessert, upon request.

For the children, I do a fancier themed party, as we did for N’s Star Wars birthday, with decorations and a themed dessert. Of course, the children also have their own birthday party with their friends, and a family birthday dinner with their parents on the actual day.

Friday Night Dinner Recipes

When you’re committed to cooking for the family every Friday, it has to be simple, or the routine will become a drag. I’m always looking for new quick and easy recipes.

Recently, I rediscovered a recipe from Chef Andrew Hunter, a leading research and development chef, for that retro American classic, Sloppy Joes. Andrew, a friend of many years, used to make this dish when his sons were young. It’s still a kid-pleasing dinner option.

Classic Sloppy Joes

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of chopped basil
2 cups ketchup
¼ cup mustard, any kind in the fridge
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 hamburger buns, toasted

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add crumbles of ground beef evenly across the bottom of the skillet – do this in two batches if you need to. Allow the meat to cook for 5 minutes before stirring. Continue cooking the meat until the juices cook away and no red pieces remain. Transfer cooked meat to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and tomato. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and basil and cook just until fragrant; do not burn the garlic. Next, add the meat back to the skillet. Add the ketchup and mustard and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper and serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Chef Andrew’s Tips and Variations:

• Mix some barbecue, enchilada or hoisin sauce into the ketchup for a different flavor.
• Use the lowest-fat ground beef you can find and make sure to cook it until well done. Ground turkey and chicken are great alternatives to beef.
• Cook the meat on high enough heat without stirring so it gets golden brown.
• Add grated Cheddar, red onion slices, and pickle wedges to the sandwich for more flavor and crunch.

Recipe by Chef Andrew Hunter, slightly adapted.

Grandma Sandy’s Tips:

• The ground beef mixture makes 5 1/2 to 6 cups, and although this recipe divides it generously among four hamburger buns, because the mixture is so highly seasoned with ketchup and mustard, I used just 1/2 cup of filling per bun.

Old School Tacos

This taco recipe is another easy recipe from Chef Andrew that we make often for Friday night dinner.

Make-Ahead Meatloaf

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe developed by Ben Mims, a cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and another long-time friend.

I prepare the meatloaf Friday morning, to bake off before the family arrives Friday night.

Hoisin Spare Ribs

This ribs recipe is easy to make. You just marinate the ribs and bake. Stir-fry some vegetables as a side dish and serve with rice.

The Future of Friday Night Dinners

As the grandkids get older, I expect there will be more scheduling conflicts and fewer get-togethers, as they embark on their own social lives. In the meantime, we savor our Friday night family dinners, hoping to enjoy them for as long as we can.

Sign Up to Get Grandma’s Favorite Recipes–Free!

Sign up here for my email newsletter. Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life. And once you subscribe, I’ll send you a link so you can download your set of quick and easy recipes as my thanks to you.