Sunday Dinner

I'm starting a new feature here at The Southern Stitcher today called simply "Sunday Dinner." I love finding new recipes and really do enjoy cooking for my family. In the past, Sunday Dinner was a family affair where the good china came out and Mom or Grandma spent the entire day in the kitchen cooking a fantastic spread for the whole family. Sometimes it was eaten at noon, sometimes later in the afternoon, but it was a great time for everyone to get together and enjoy each other's company.

We recently had an entire month where, because of either work or travel, we did not sit down to a family dinner even once. Pathetic. So to make up for it, I spent most of the day today cooking. I have gotten a ton of new recipes and wanted to try them and figured I'd share with all of you! Today I tried three new recipes, and based on the reviews of the entire family, am standing somewhere between second and third base. So, here you go!

Sunday Dinner Recipes:

Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken, from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

My Variation of Garden Rice Pilaf, from Pinkapotamus

Cucumber Bread, (yes, you read that right) from Chronicles of a Frugal Gardener

and for dessert (because you can't possibly have a Sunday Dinner without dessert)

Cup-O-Cobbler, from Martha Stewart

First off, the Lemon and Garlic Chicken was TO DIE FOR!!! The Professor wasn't overly thrilled with it, and Mistress Monstress didn't eat it, (I'm fairly certain that she will end up as a vegetarian someday, plus she's got a summer cold right now) but DH, Buggy, and I all loved it. I will seriously make this again soon!

Second, the Garden and Rice Pilaf. Other than the idea, I kind of did my own thing based on the original recipe just because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand. I used garlic infused olive oil to start, changed the water to chicken stock for more flavor, and used only mushrooms and peas as the veggies. It came out really yummy and was a perfect compliment to the chicken.

Third, the Cucumber Bread. My friend gave me a bunch of cucumbers and since I am the only one who likes them in our family, I decided to branch out so they weren't wasted. I stumbled across this recipe and decided to throw caution to the wind and try it. It is kind of like a zucchini bread, but you can definitely taste the cucumber in it. DH, Buggy, Mistress, and I all liked it, The Professor did not. I suppose 4 out of 5 ain't bad though.

Finally, The Cup-O-Cobbler. This is the only recipe I made that wasn't a new one. This is my FAVORITE cobbler recipe, it takes about 15 minutes to make up and is really delicious with vanilla ice cream. The only change that I make is that I just do all of it in a casserole dish rather than individual cups. I almost always make it with peaches, but it is easy to substitute other soft fruits like berries, nectarines, or even plums. I will say though that it is best on the day you make it, so it's best to eat it up right away. (As if you need an excuse, right?)

So there you go! The first Sunday Dinner post. Bon Appetit and check back next week for more recipes!