Three Simple Ways to Make Dinner Even Better

Ryan and I had a most excellent  night together last night and part of this excellence was due to our dinner.  It was delicious!  Being the caring person I am, I thought I would enlighten you to a few simple tricks to make your evening meals even better:

1. Make homemade bread.

I make homemade bread once a week (it used to be closer to 2-3x) and it is delicious. Always. I have literally had no complete failures, and in my past year of bread making, only two occasions have arose where something went wrong to the point where I wouldn't feel comfortable giving the bread away. That didn't mean, however, that it wasn't served to our Fargo Sunday night Bible study friends.  Last night's variety was a variation on peasant bread from my beloved Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook. (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/).

  

I make a lot of bread, but this one might have been one of the best loaves yet. I would estimate that about 85% of it was consumed by us last night, eaten with butter or simply dipped in our hearty Mulligatawny (an Indian, curry-chicken-amazingness) soup.

2. Have Ryan make you dinner.

He's really good at cooking.  Unfortunately, this isn't an option for many of you, unless you are me or Jenna, who is also married to a Ryan, but it has really worked well for me lately to have my husband cook.  The bigger piece of advice here, though, is to be aware of the needs of your spouse and/or those around you who are potentially in your family.  I worked nearly 10 hour days the past two days and needed some down time at home before committing myself to the kitchen.  Ryan stepped up to the plate and made the bulk of our meals, and then I made bread and cleaned up.  Results?  I get some pre-dinner rest time, Ryan gets to serve me, and we both eat together and appreciate good food and good company without feeling bitter or overtired.  Eat dinner with a servant's heart and enjoy one another's company.  This was a crucial part to enjoying dinner so much last night. 

3. Eat at an hour that is probably too late for dinner. 

Think about it: If you eat at, say, hypothetically, 9:00 p.m., anything you eat will taste delicious.  You will be hungry, especially if you hold back on the snacking.  Not that we have ever done anything like this.  We always eat promptly at 6:00 p.m. and clean up immediately after, using homemade dish soap and the drying with the towels I sewed and turn in for bed at quarter to nine, after reading the entire book of Psalms out loud and singing a hymn together, of course. 

There you have it, the Aubrey's guide to excellent dinners.  Feel free to give me copious amounts of praise and acknowledgement when your supper times drastically improve as you implement these three simple tips. Good luck and happy eating!