Sunday Supper Month
January is National Sunday Supper Month! Whether or not you've ever heard of it before, take the opportunity to renew your family's commitment to connecting over a meal.
The official Sunday Supper Movement was founded by Isabel Laessig in 2012. Two years prior, Isabel's daughter went off to college and commented that the thing she missed most about home were family dinners. This inspired Isabel to send her daughter recipes she could make to feel like she was at home, creating a connection to the family dinner table even when separated from her family. This led Isabel to create an entire movement encouraging families to pledge to share Sunday suppers together, which she supports by providing recipes they can use as they prepare for their family meal. You can read more about the movement on Isabel's website.
Your family can be part of the movement by eating together each Sunday evening during January. It might be hard to find the time – do your best! And if you're separated from some of those you love, you can expand your dinner table by eating the same thing on the same night.
We know that the ritual of the family dinner brings a sense of sacredness to your meal, so we also encourage you to deepen this connection by finding – or creating – recipes that use Biblical foods! On the Learn Religions website, you can find a list of all the foods referenced in the Bible, along with the scripture passage for each one. We assure you that there are plenty of delicious things on the list, from meats and cheeses to fruits, vegetables, nuts, and yummy spices like cinnamon, garlic, and mint. There is also a category for "unusual and supernatural 'foods'" that you can read about but are unlikely to want to include in your meal (locusts, anyone?).
Once you've committed to your month of Biblical Sunday dinners, you have two paths available. If the chefs in your family like a challenge, create your menu using ONLY ingredients from the list. If you'd like to take a slightly more accessible path, look for recipes that center Biblical foods – things like pomegranate, lentils, or figs. You can even look up the Biblical reference for each ingredient you've chosen from the list and read about it as you prepare your meal!
We hope you'll give Sunday Supper Month a try over the next four weeks. Maybe you'll even decide this is a movement you'd like to be a part of all year long. And if you find or create any interesting new recipes along the way, please share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
