Years ago I read a book that completely changed the way I viewed cooking and hosting friends in our home. The book’s title is, Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist.

My biggest takeaway from her book is the reminder of the privilege it is to have a messy kitchen to clean up. It’s evidence of a wonderful time shared together around the table.

This week we celebrated another birthday meal in our family for our son-in-love. He didn’t have a preference for dinner, but was craving vanilla cream pie with cherries. This would be a fun one to make.

My husband’s birthday is this Sunday, so I made one of his favorites for the dinner —Chicken Cacciatore over rice.

For the appetizer I chose bruschetta. This is something I’ve wanted to make since our trip to Italy last Spring.

First of all, I must admit I failed in trying to make the vanilla pie dairy free. It was awful. I’m grateful I still had time for plan B, which was homemade A2 whole milk vanilla pudding with cherry topping. The latter would have taken too long to make from scratch, so I opted for cherry pie filling from Duncan Hines. Surprisingly, all the ingredients were good, so I gave it a try.

It was a hit. I have learned to read labels to find products I can use with which I might not be famliar.

The chicken cacciatore comes from a cookbook my Italian mother-in-law gave me. It has been a favorite for as long as I can remember.

I wish I had a plated photo to share, but honestly, we were so hungry and focused on family, I forgot to take it. I guess this is the best reason.

I’ll close with this quote from Shauna:

“Many of the most sacred moments in my life, the ones in which I feel God’s presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place around the table. Something extraordinary happens when we slow down, open our homes, look into one another’s faces, and listen to one another’s stories around the table.

This is my love letter to life around the table.”

Thank you so much for being a part of our vineyard. And a warm welcome to our new friends. We pray our posts help supply your marriage with all it needs to grow strong for a lifetime.

Have a great weekend,

Tom and Debi