Please, Will You Come to Dinner?

Sometimes I wish we could all just sit down together and have dinner. Everyone. The whole planet. There's just something about sharing a meal ... I wonder if we could get a few of our collective issues resolved that way, and get to know each other in the process. Wouldn't that be lovely?

But since we can't actually sit down together, here's a little glimpse of what it would be like if I could invite you all to my house for dinner.

The table is all set. (We hope you don't mind that the place mats are wrinkled.)

Candlelight is a must, even though we're down to our last candles and they don't match. A few months ago we started lighting these candles at dinner time to encourage good table manners. If anyone in the family is caught being rude or inconsiderate at the table, one candle gets blown out. If we have any still lit at the end of dinner, we can all have dessert; if they're all blown out, no dessert. It's been working out amazingly well!

Our dining room is also my sewing space ...

... and those baskets are where we keep our napkins (which we use every day) and napkin rings (if we're feeling fancy) and our best silverware. I think it's a shame to let good silverware sit unused in a box, so I've decided we'll use this set every Sunday in addition to holidays and other special days.

Our dining room is also home to part of our library, and all the kids' art supplies ...

... and usually a napping cat or two.

And what's on the menu? Tonight it's Spicy Tofu Bento Bowl from Vegetarian Times magazine. Please make sure to press your tofu first! For dressing, the one in the recipe makes things too spicy for my taste (but my husband prefers it, so it all depends on who's making dinner!) so I use Brianna's Ginger Mandarin to sweeten the deal.

What's for dinner at your house tonight? And if you try the recipe, I'd love to hear what you think of it!