Welcome to our table. Here, we celebrate slow living recipes through seasonal recipes and the art of mindful dining. Pull up a chair, there’s always room for one more to join the conversation, the laughter, and the meal.
There’s a rhythm to life that hums quietly around the table.
Ours is worn smooth from years of living. Its surface etched with faint scratches and the gentle scorch marks of well loved meals. It’s where we gather twice a day to share meals that feed far more than hunger.
The table is the quiet heartbeat of our home. It holds our stories. Around it, we remember that food is only ever part of the meal. The rest is presence, intention, and love passed hand to hand. Here, we follow a few simple principles:
We show up. We listen. We give thanks. We slow down enough to taste. We make room for connection.
By incorporating slow living recipes into our meals, we enhance our experience and deepen our appreciation for each dish.
Once a week, the table transforms. The plates are cleared, the dice come out, and laughter changes tune. Board gameshave become our family’s love language a return to imagination, to play, to the joy of creating little worlds together.
The Table is where we share these moment and the meals that shape us, the rituals that ground us, and the laughter that fills the quiet spaces between days. It’s a chronicle of the simple and the sacred: the art of coming together, again and again.
If you understand the principles of our table, you’ll understand the kind of recipes and reflections shared here on Frolic & Fare. Between work, family, and all that life demands, we can’t spend hours cooking every day. That time and energy are saved for when it truly matters special gatherings, holidays, or the slow, sweet weekends when the table itself becomes a celebration.
Meals Don’t Have to Be Difficult
Dinner in our home isn’t always an elegant affair. Some nights it’s a cheese board, a handful of beautiful leftovers, or a few fresh vegetables and bread. These meals humble and easy are every bit as loved as anything slow-cooked or styled.
Breakfast is simple, too: eggs, yogurt, fruit, and a good cup of coffee shared before the day begins.
Our food culture lives somewhere in the middle — not fast and processed, but not always slow and from scratch either. We don’t turn our noses up at a quality premade dish. This week’s dinners included a canned tomato basil soup and a store-bought quiche that could easily pass for homemade. What matters is knowing what’s in our food, choosing carefully, and finding peace in the balance between convenience and care.
? Explore our simple dinner recipes and slow weekend meals inspired by our family table.
Set the Table Beautifully
Use the excellent dishes. The linen napkins. The napkin rings you thought were only for holidays. Polish the silver. Set out flowers, from the garden or the market, simply because they make you smile.
Buy pieces meant to last, ones you’d be proud to pass down. Life itself is a fine occasion.
We’ve become a culture of disposables — trendy, cheap, and fleeting. But meals deserve beauty.
A table set with intention honors the meal, the company, and the home that holds it all.
? See our entertaining essentials and seasonal table styling ideas.
Shop Often, Buy Less
In the U.S., we tend to shop big and infrequently — filling carts to save time. But that habit breeds waste and encourages food producers to prioritize shelf life over quality.
When we lived overseas, I learned the joy of shopping small and often: a loaf from the baker, produce from the market, meat from the butcher. It’s not always convenient, but it’s deeply rewarding — fresh food, less waste, and real connection to the people who feed your community.
Skip the rigid meal plan and buy what inspires you that day. You’ll save money, waste less, and eat more beautifully.
? Read: How to build a more mindful shopping routine.
Eat with Etiquette
We teach our children table manners because they still matter.
Bring your best self to the meal. Hold utensils correctly. Use your napkin. Wait your turn. Ask to be excused. Sit tall. Be present. Show respect for the shared experience of eating together.
These small courtesies — practiced daily — become lifelong grace.
? Try our conversation cards for family dinners.
Eat with Focus and Gratitude
Dinner is our ritual of gratitude. No phones, no books, no screens — just each other.
Sometimes we use conversation cards to keep curiosity alive:
What made you laugh today? What did you learn? What surprised you?
It’s remarkable how much connection unfolds from sitting, chewing slowly, and listening fully.
Always Save Room for Dessert
There’s always something sweet to close the meal — our favorite being vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt with fresh berries and granola. A simple ending, but a happy one.
Because the table, after all, is where joy lingers.