Customer Reviews

The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is a Home Run for anyone trying to get their kids to eat better (and with less meat). My teenagers ate the black bean burgers after complaining "it wasn't a burger" and actually asked for seconds! This is so much more than a cookbook, it is a guide about how to have more fun with your kids and make dinners something to look forward to. I personally like the gratitude section in the book where everyone goes around the table and says what they are grateful for. The pet peeve and idiosyncrasy game Laurie suggests can be a real eye opener about the people you know and love! I would highly recommend this book to anyone with kids or grandkids.

This book is one of a kind.... Not the kind that sits on the shelf but the one that will be passed around the table... The one that will get dirty by being around the kitchen.. The one that could finally break the ice and teach that food is not your enemy... Embrace the simplicity of it and have fun with it!!
I know what I'll be giving for Christmas!!! Thanks Kirstin and Laurie.

"The Family Dinner" should be number ONE on any bridal registration list. And, search no further, it is also the best present for a baby shower. You can even give a copy to the grandparents. This cook book works for all ages. It is informative, easy to use, fun to browse, bursting with healthy recipes and original tips. Furthermore, if you are looking for advice on a good divorce, check out page 188.
As the French say: "à table!"...this book will bring everyone to the table...and make them stay there...the family dinner matters.

Laurie and Kristin are really onto something here. A wise woman once told me that if we don't sit down and really listen to our kids one day they'll just stop talking. The Family Dinner offers sound advice on how to set aside time in our busy day to really sit and get the conversation going. Bring some of these games and conversation starters to your dinner table and I think you'll be amazed at how fun and effective they can be.

I had looked at this book twice in the bookstore, and each time put it back thinking it was really for families with younger children (mine are 13 and 15). However, it's such a beautiful book, I finally broke down and bought it, and I'm very glad I did.

This is a wonderful book for families with children of ANY age. I've tried two recipes (Butterfly Pasta with Kale and Nanna's Happy Chocolate Chip Cookies) and both were excellent. But it's not all about the recipes; rather, it's the theme of family togetherness and a reminder that a return to gentler times (no cell phones at the dinner table) is a good thing. I just love the feeling of this book.

One thing I have to share is that the authors talk about drinking water at the dinner table, which we've always done. However, they offered the idea of having a pitcher of water, perhaps with a lemon slice or some berries in it, on the table. Hmmm. So one night I put out a pitcher of water. It was gone so quickly, I refilled it. Throughout the night, everyone returned to table and kept refilling their glasses. Since then, we have a pitcher of ice water on the table almost all day long (it's winter vacation and the kids have been home for 2 weeks), and I think we're all drinking much more water than we ever have before. For that tip alone, I'm grateful!

There isn't a mother I know, who doesn't profit greatly from the ease and access afforded them by technology --but who doesn't fear its overall impact on her children --and herself-- in the future. It has completely destroyed any sense of non-working time and privacy. This book is a reminder that the entire universe exists within our homes when our families are with us. Nothing is more important than cultivating these connections, and this book gives you insightful, creative and effective ways to establish bonds that will endure for generations-all while learning how to cook delicious dinners that are healthy for your family and the planet, as well. The resource guide at the end of the book is worth the purchase alone!

I'm a mom who firmly believes in the family eating together. We sit down at the dinner table together at least four days a week; usually more. Generally speaking dinner is something I can put together in 30 minutes, or it is something from the crockpot. Since I get home at 5:30 on a day when my husband picks up the six year old, complicated recipes are not on the agenda. Since I'm feeding kids, "strange" food is generally not welcomed. I was hoping The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time would have some recipes I could add to my collection. Honestly, I didn't. The food tended toward gourmet ingredients, exotic vegetables, and, a mortal sin at my house, lot of seasonings and sauces. Organic meat is specified,along with fresh herbs and flavored oils and vinegars. However, many of the recipes could be prepared in about thirty minutes.

Even though the recipes from The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time won't get a lot of play here, I still enjoyed reading the book which not only included recipes but also a lot of advice and information on how to make dinner time family time, which, when a family is apart all day like mine is, is important. I enjoyed reading the section about the Shabbat Dinner. A woman who was Jewish, though not necessarily terribly religious, decided that she was going to start the weekly tradition of a Friday Shabbat dinner. The family had to be there; the dinner included Blessings over the candles wine and challah, Gratitudes (everyone says something for which they are grateful), Highs and Lows (everyone shares high and low points of the week) and Tzedaka (everyone throws loose change in a box; when full they decide on a worthy cause to which to contribute it). She even discusses how she has managed to do family dinners even after a divorce.

The book included conversation starters that may even get teens talking. It gives advice about stocking a pantry and about getting kids involved with cooking. It even suggests letting grandparents in on the action. To prolong the evening of togetherness, after dinner games are included. I'd like to than Anna at Hachette for sending me a review copy of this book.

I love this book! It is beautiful and inspiring and the recipes are delicious. Last night I tried out Meatless Mondays and made Oven Grains, Greens and Cheese, Please. I was doubtful anyone else in the house would like this uber healthy meal other than me, as I am a "greens junky". It was delicious! Everybody kind of gave it the eyeball when I pulled the "meatless lasagne" looking dish out of the oven, and then moaned with pleasure as they cleaned their plates!! My mom kept saying "it tastes like there's meat in here. . . where is it?" For her, that is a high compliment. The recipe is simple yet sophisticated in that it is easy to make, but there are little tricks, like mixing the blanched greens with an egg, cheese and lemon juice, that make a big difference with the taste of the finished product. Lori Davis has made an intellegent, inspiring, thoughtful book about family dinner, and Kirstin Uhrenholdt is a fabulous chef whose recipes make family dinners acutally taste gooooood!

As the author of two books on family traditions (latest is The Book of New Family Traditions) and a mother myself, I'm a huge believer in the absolute value of shared family dinners. I give lots of ideas for fun and memorable dinners together in both my books. But The Family Dinner takes this focus much deeper, adding recipes and cool activities. This book is absolutely loaded with really good, often clever, suggestions and ideas. I love and agree with Laurie David's 10 basic rules, and was delighted with her fresh ideas for things like decorating the table and getting kids to help in every stage. A whole other dimension is the emphasis on being environmentally responsible in relation to family meals.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

I love cookbooks and I read them like novels. This one however is one step further with not only great recipes but wonderful tips on what to talk about at the dinner table, games and other neat stuff. Kirstin's recipes are easy and delicious, I have so far tried the kale with tahini, green pesto and the pea nutty noodles... best of all, my kids like all the dishes and are happy to help cooking it. And the photos! Very inspiring. Great job Kirstin and Laurie!