Pass the taters please!

I LOVE family "style" dinners! I was raised to believe a family sat down together for dinner no matter what. We would all gather to the table, with the food ready to be served in their own separate dishes in front of us. We would pass the food around taking just what we wanted. When we wanted seconds it was customary to say please and thank you. I loved listening to my parents have conversations about their day while we ate. It was one of the only times during our long days growing up that our family was actually at peace with each other. Most of the other times it was a war zone. Given this fact I really want my girls to experience the "pass the potatoes" dinner routine.

Of course we have dinner together every night around our kitchen table. But family "style" is so much different from dishing it out in the kitchen. Family style dinners promote manners and memories, both being so important to adolescence.

Last night we had our first "real" family style dinner. We try to have family style meals during the holidays and we have had family style meals when people come over but we have never done it just for us. Miriam is a grabby girl, she doesn't realize a plate full of meatloaf is not "her" meatloaf, Georgia and Sophia were just too small to get it, so they would grab as well. But last night it seems they are all old enough to understand because our dinner went GREAT. I made BBQ Swiss stuffed meatloaf (my husband will not eat traditional meat loaf) with garlic mashed potatoes , stewed greens and sweet rolls. It was delicious and we enjoyed every minute of it! I also enjoyed hearing Georgia say "more greens please!" Between the "please" and the fact she was asking for greens made this family dinner worth the wait! From now on, all dinners will be family "Style"!

Want to see the grub? I tried to take pics of the girls but as usual my camera didn't want to work. Boy do I need a new camera!

Our table set and ready for us to dig in!


BBQ Swiss stuffed meatloaf...YUMMO! Everything is better stuffed with cheese!


Garlic Mashed potatoes & yummy Southern style Stewed Greens!


And what good southern mommy would leave out the bread?