Dinner a Love Story – by Jenny Rosenstrach

I can relate to this book on so many levels. Jenny Rosenstrach was the Editor for Parenting Magazine and had a coworker that could not get past the guilt she felt about not cooking dinner for her family. Jenny, who was an avid cook, mentored her and decided to create a blog to help others conquer their own fears and guilt over preparing an evening meal for their families. She created the Dinner a Love Story blog which she then turned into a book/cookbook published in 2010. I found this book a year after that and fell in love with it myself – because her goal was mine as well. Even today, all the writing, posting, and picture taking, and sharing I do is to help you, my friends and family, enjoy dinner with your family.

I gave this book to my college friend, Derek Brooks, and it has literally been a “gift that keeps on giving” as she has given it as a wedding gift — complete with a handwritten list of her favorite recipes — to new couples for almost a decade.
Finally, in this crazy COVID world, people have less options available for going out to eat and most have more time to cook then they ever had before. The third section of Jenny’s book is simply titled “Family Dinner or The Year the Angels Began to Sing.” When you are making dinner a routine, there comes a point where dinner is so good that everyone can’t wait to be there. You get texts from your kids at noon asking: “What’s for dinner?” Then they put in weekly requests for their favorites and you all sit around the table for an hour or more — on a regular basis –enjoying the food and the company. It’s magical!
Dinner a Love Story not only features a game plan for dinnertime, it is also filled with lots of tried-and-true, tasty, and healthy recipes. Derek and I met to discuss our favorites and I am sharing several of them with you today.

The BBQ Ribs are super simple.
Rub them with a spice blend, roast for several hours and finish them up with just a few minutes each side on the grill. ANYONE can make this recipe, not to mention its delicious.

You all know I can’t resist a great Bolognese sauce (which usually takes hours to make…)
Jenny has a Lazy Bolognese recipe that comes together in an impressive 35 minutes!
It has great flavor for a quick weeknight meal.
Don’t forget to top it with Mascarpone — you won’t regret it!

Last, but not least, Tony’s Steak!
A nicely priced piece of meat which, when marinated, packs great flavor.
Tony’s Flank Steak marinade includes soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, hot sauce, lime and scallions — a great melding of flavors – give it a try!
MUST MAKE LIST:
Yogurt Chicken