Gather 'Round the Table and Eat Dinner Together on Family Day, Monday, September 26

Sept. 22, 2011 - PRLog -- Whether you’re cooking a gourmet meal, ordering food from your favorite take-out place or eating on the go, rest assured that what kids really want during dinnertime is time with their parents.

That's the idea behind Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM, an annual event that takes place this year on Monday, September 26. Family Day is a national movement launched by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in 2001 to remind parents that frequent family dinners make a difference. While there are no silver bullets, CASA says the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance abuse in kids.

Family Day, now in its 10th year, began as a grassroots initiative and has grown to become a nationwide celebration.

"Family Day is a day that Gooseberry Patch can wholeheartedly support," says Vickie Hutchins, co-founder of Gooseberry Patch, a bestselling publisher of homestyle family-friendly cookbooks headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. "Food brings people together, and family meals are the perfect time gather everyone 'round the table."

"And why not make mealtimes even more meaningful, by bringing your kids into the kitchen and involving them in making dinner?" says Jo Ann Martin, Gooseberry Patch co-founder. "While you're stirring up ingredients and reading recipes together, you'll be creating memories at the same time."

Here's a recipe that families everywhere can enjoy on Family Day, from Gooseberry Patch's Kids in the Kitchen cookbook, a family-friendly favorite written and designed exclusively with kids in mind.

Texas Straw Hats
from Kids in the Kitchen, ©Gooseberry Patch
http://www.gooseberrypatch.com

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 T. taco seasoning mix
1 T. water
15-oz. bag corn chips
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded lettuce
1/2 c. tomato, chopped
1/4 c. sliced black olives.
Garnish: salsa and sour cream

Crumble ground beef in a skillet. Add onion and stir well using a wooden spoon. Cook beef mixture over medium heat until no pink remains and onion is tender. Drain. Return beef mixture to skillet and add seasoning and water. Stir well and simmer for 15 minutes. Cover the bottom of 4 plates with corn chips. This is the bottom of the "hat." Scoop out seasoned beef and onion mixture with a small ice cream scoop and plate one on each plate. This makes the top of the "hat." Divide cheese, lettuce, tomato and olives equally between all 4 servings. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

About Family Day
Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM was launched in 2001 by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Family Day is a national movement that informs parents that the engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. For more information, please visit http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/.

# # #

Back in 1984, Vickie Hutchins and Jo Ann Martin were next-door neighbors raising their families in Delaware, Ohio. They were two moms with small children looking for a way to do what they loved and stay home with the kids too. They shared a love of home cooking and making memories with family & friends. After many a conversation over the backyard fence, Gooseberry Patch was born.

Today, Gooseberry Patch is best known for its homestyle family-friendly cookbooks and line of art calendars. With more than 200 titles and nearly 9 million copies in print, plus a new collection of eBooks, Gooseberry Patch has grown from a kitchen-table operation to a nationally recognized best-selling publisher. Affordably priced from 99 cents to $16.95, the books are themed with today's time-strapped, budget-conscious families in mind. Many recipes include personal stories from contributors, giving the cookbooks a warm community feel that has proven extremely popular among cookbook fans and collectors.