Family Dinner

(Photos public domain)

 I love it when we all get together for family dinner night.  Our D-i-L's have February birthdays.  We had a family dinner night to honor their birthdays.  Getting together as a family is one of my favorite things.  

I love the time spent catching up, laughing, playing games, spending time with the grandchildren, and so on.  Towards the end of the evening, I normally will put a movie on for the kids.  They all gather in the living room, me too, and it's a way to bring the busy down to a calmer pace.  By the time the movie is coming to a close their parents are starting to talk about heading home.  

I am always on the lookout for clean, cute, family movies.  Last night it was Matilda. I also purchased The Wizard of Oz, but we have some young ones that I think it would be a bit scary for yet. (Five and six are still a bit young for those flying monkeys!)

Our dinner was simple home cooked fare.  

Farm cooking is my husband's favorite. His Mom is a great farm cook.  So, meat and potatoes are always a big hit with him.

Since fresh is hard to come by right now in our area, our relish tray was home canned or fermented foods.

Dilly beans, pickled onions, pickled beets, sauerkraut, cheese and crackers, etc.

Dessert was Gluten Free Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce and Coconut Macaroons.

One of our D-i-L's is unable to have gluten, so these desserts worked out great.

I used the normal bread pudding recipe but used gluten free bread.

The lemon sauce I thickened with arrowroot powder.

Lemon Sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

Mix all together, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.

This is a tart and fresh flavored sauce.

Drizzle a little over your warm pudding and enjoy!

And the Coconut Macaroons are gluten free as well.

2 egg whites, dash salt, 1/2 t. vanilla beaten to soft peaks

slowly add 2/3 cup sugar and beat to stiff peaks

fold in 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut

Drop by the teaspoon onto your parchment lined baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

It was a yummy dinner, and the family time was delicious!

~a little bird