We’re partnering with Heinen’s Grocery to share a new series of Sunday posts focused on a favorite weekly family ritual, the Sunday Supper. Sunday meals are a cherished way to slow down and reconnect with our children, spouses, family and friends. In the coming weeks, we’ll be celebrating Sunday Suppers at homes around Barrington, thanks to Heinen’s, and right here at 365Barrington.com.
Heinen’s will be offering a gift card to one Barrington family each week to put dinner on their tables with groceries hand picked from Heinen’s. In turn, each participating family will share their photos and thoughts here at 365Barrington about the personal significance of gathering weekly for Sunday Suppers.
We’re starting today with a post shared by Barrington photographer, 365 Barrington contributor and mother-of-four, Sally Roeckell. Not only does Sally love to cook for her family, she created a website all about cooking for her kids, which you’ll find at TableAndDish.com.
Heinen’s Sunday Supper – Week 1
by Sally Roeckell, Barrington photographer and mother of four
Dinners are a coveted time for families these days. Usually gathering as family is an abbreviated, poorly attended event because of the crazy schedule of our young people. Gone are the nightly dinners timed for Dad’s arrival home from work. Now, with sports practices, games, theater, music, studies and peer groups, we are lucky if we are all together for dinner twice a week.
As a child, I fondly remember the long trek to either of my grandparents’ homes for Sunday’s meal. I work hard to keep that tradition alive in my own way and Sundays have become sacred in our house as time for family, church and conversations shared around the dinner table. I look forward to my time spent shopping at Heinen’s for fresh seafood, meats and produce to prepare Sunday’s meal each week for my family.
Taking time to prepare thoughtful dishes is one way I like to show my family just how much they mean to me. When Heinens Grocery and 365 Barrington asked me to write about one of our family Sunday suppers, I was thrilled.
For our family, supper used to be the evening meal. Today it’s whenever we can gather together. Sometimes Sunday supper is even brunch. Whatever it takes to bring our kids to the table and be together.
Because dinners with the whole family don’t happen every day in our home, I have to admit, I’m a bit of a stickler about table manners. When else will I teach them? So I’m not everyone’s favorite when I start with “no elbows”, “take smaller bites”, “chew with your mouth closed” and “sit up straight”. It’s my job. I’m mom!
During our Sunday suppers, I hope I’m giving my kids an appreciation for great food and for dining instead of just eating.
The food is the main attraction but, for me, connecting with each other is the highlight. All of the elements of conversation, sharing, taking our time listening, learning about each other’s lives, this is what I find to be most valuable.
This quality time together gives Dad the opportunity to turn ordinary discussion into teaching moments. It’s a beautiful chance to discuss the day’s Gospel, current events, schoolwork and get to know our kids’ thoughts on the world. We can only hope that whatever topic was turned into a lesson on this day will stay with them. Soon they will be in the world without us and I pray Sunday suppers will bring them back.
This is the reason I make Sunday Suppers a priority. It’s the ones I feed. At the end of the day, when all the wonderful and dirty aspects of parenting are done, no matter what trials we face my heart is filled with gratitude for the blessing they all are to me daily.
This Sunday, we are all here for dinner. The table is set, everyone’s cooking and here’s what’s on our menu, thanks to the very best ingredients from Heinen’s Grocery in Barrington (You’ll find all of our recipes below):
Grilled Bread with Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Fennel Baked Side of Salmon, Tomato & Basil Salad with Anchovy Dressing, Wild Mushroom, Leek & Goat Cheese Tart and Almond Olive Oil Orange Cake with Orange Glaze.
Thank you, Heinen’s, for this opportunity to share how important Sunday Suppers are to our family.
Heinen’s Grocery is located at 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meathead’s) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.
CLICK HERE for Sally’s Recipes…
Grilled Bread with Basil Oil & Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
2 cups basil leaves chopped
1tsp kosher salt
Sliced sourdough bread chargrilled ready to serve
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Directions:
Place the chopped basil and kosher salt in the oil and let steep during the rest of your dinner preparation.
To plate, simply slice or tear the mozzarella onto your serving plate, spoon oil and basil mixture over the cheese and serve with grilled sourdough bread.
Fennel Baked Side of Salmon
Ingredients:
Two large bulbs fresh fennel, trimmed and sliced
two red onions cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
Kosher salt and cracked pepper
one large salmon fillet skin on
1/3 cup chopped flat parsley leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon salted capers rinsed
1/4 cup good olive oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Combine the fennel, onion, oil, tarragon, salt and pepper and place in a large baking dish bake for 20 minutes. Place the salmon on top of the vegetables.
Combine the parsley, lemon rind, capers and olive oil and sprinkle along the length of the salmon. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Garnish with very thinly sliced fresh radishes and carrots.
Tomato and Basil Salad with Anchovy Dressing
Ingredients:
Three vine ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 pound blanched baby green beans.
about one cup of the yellow, grape and cherry tomatoes halved.
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1/3 cup good olive oil
four cloves of garlic thinly sliced
two anchovy fillets chopped or 1 tablespoon of anchovy paste
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 cups Basil leaves
shaved pecorino cheese, to serve.
Directions:
Whisk together oil, garlic, anchovies, vinegar, salt and cracked pepper.
Spoon the dressing over the tomatoes beans and allow to marinate for 30 minutes at the basil and toss to combine top with shaved pecorino.
Wild Mushroom Leek and Goat Cheese Tart
Ingredients:
2 pounds assorted mushrooms
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
one chopped and well cleaned leak
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Your favorite pie crust recipe prepared.
Directions:
Sauté olive oil butter and leaks until tender.
Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme cooking until mushrooms are tender.
Roll out your pie crust and place in sprayed tart pan.
Add mushroom mixture to the crust and top with crumbled goat cheese bake at 350° about 12 minutes.
It will be ready when the pie crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and garnish with additional sprig of thyme.
The rest of the dinner was quite simple: Boiled baby potatoes tossed in fresh chopped dill and roasted baby carrots topped with crushed pistachio nuts.
With the extra pie crust my son Paul made a Galette of Blueberries and Blackberries. He simply rolled out the dough, put it on a piece of parchment and a cookie sheet. In a bowl he stirred a couple tablespoons of sugar with the about 2 cups of fruit added 2 tablespoons of cubed cold butter. He put the mixture in the piecrust, turned over the edges and baked until golden brown. It’s a treat we have quite often and it’s incredibly easy to make with any fruit.
A good meal requires dessert. Right!? We decided to take advantage of the wonderful and abundant citrus at Heinen’s Grocery to make a simple Almond Olive Oil Orange Cake with Orange Glaze.
Almond Olive Oil Orange Cake with Orange Glaze
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup White granulated sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of two oranges
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup extra light olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
For the glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° spray springform pan or 9 x 13 cake pan with nonstick spray and coat with flour.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, milk, orange zest, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, vanilla and eggs.
Beat until combined pour batter onto prepared pan and bake at 325° for 35 to 50 minutes.
My oven cooks this cake in 35 minutes
You wanted the cake to be dark golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
While your cake is in the oven, combine the powdered sugar and remaining orange juice whisk to blend.
Remove the cake from the oven, beat powdered sugar mixture again and carefully spoon half the mixture over the cake evenly.
Reserve the other half for serving. We also like it dusted with powdered sugar.
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About the Author
Sally Roeckell is a professional photographer in Barrington and a regular contributor at 365Barrington.com.
A mother-of-four who loves to cook and create beautiful photographs of elegant dishes made with simple ingredients, Sally created TableAndDish.com to highlight her love for family, food and photography.
Also specializing in commercial, contemporary lifestyle and portrait photography of children, babies, newborns, maternity and families, you can see more of Sally’s work at SallyRoeckellPhotography.com.
