Sunday Dinners

Growing up, almost every Sunday dinner was the same. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and dinner rolls. Sometimes instead of beef we would have chicken. My mom got quite tired of this meal as it was what she had weekly growing up, but the rest of us loved it so much that three weeks out of four that's what was on the table. As the years went by my brothers and I learned to cook. All four of us can make this meal without thinking about it. My brother Nate makes the world's most delicious mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, they may also be the world's unhealthiest potatoes. Low-fat is not in his vocabulary. I don't even want to guess at the amount of calories and fat they contain. My brother Mike makes better gravy than I do. To be fair, he tries harder and takes more time. But I am the family champion at making dinner rolls. Out of the kids, I mean. Still can't outdo my dad.

My husband Brent's family liked having waffles for their Sunday dinner. And they all like to put peanut butter on their waffles and pancakes. Crazy, I know. On the plus side, all I have to do to make Brent extra happy is serve breakfast for dinner.

My family still gets together for Sunday dinner almost every week. To this day if Nate is the one cooking Sunday dinner, it will involve roast beef, chicken or a turkey, and have mashed potatoes. If my brother Mike is in charge we are probably having steak or bar-b-qued chicken. I assume my brother Ryan can make something other than fajitas, but that's really all I've ever seen him make. Of course, he is the baby. A 22 year-old baby, to be precise.

I like traditions. They connect us with our past. In my own little family I have carried over a lot of the traditions that I grew up with. We've even added a couple from my husband's side, though there aren't that many he can remember. As mired in tradition as our Sunday dinners have been, changes are seeping in. As the oldest child and the only girl, it usually falls to me to champion traditions, which is why I can't quite understand why I have started serving tacos for Sunday dinners. Almost every time my family comes to my house, we have tacos. Sometimes we have chicken enchiladas, but we mainly have tacos.

I like tacos. They are easy to make as most of the preparation can be done the night before. People put them together themselves and get them just the way they want. And they are cheap. Particularly if you found a deal on taco shells and got them for 10 cents a box. Come to think of it, that is probably why I started serving tacos so often. Everyone loves Taco Sunday, as it's come to be known. Well, maybe not Nate, but everyone else is very excited for Taco Sunday.

It's gotten to the point where my brothers aren't sure if I can cook anything other than tacos. Sure I can, I tell them. I can also make burritos. I think to prove a point next time I'll make something else. Like pot roast or stew, or maybe some tacos.