The Lenten Meal Is Only a Penance for the Cook in the Family
I'm the only one in the house who's not looking forward to Ash Wednesday dinner
Unless it involves the grill, I’m the cook in the family.
Unless it involves Costco, I’m the grocery shopper.
This means that normally the meal planning is left to me. Except on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
On those two days, my husband has always requested that I serve the dinner his mom always served on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup.
I’ve got nothing against grilled cheese. If I can find a good tomato (good luck finding a good tomato at this time of year), so much the better. And just the other day I had a little bit of caramelized onions left over from the previous night’s burgers, and I added those into a grilled Swiss on pumpernickel with Koszkiusko mustard … heavenly.
But we’re talking Campbell’s tomato soup (made with milk, in my husband’s ideal world) or Chunky New England clam chowder. Those are the only soup options allowed. Usually I skip the soup and just have a sandwich for dinner.
The Penitential Meal During Lent
If you want to make a meal penitential for me, lock me into a recipe routine. For me, all the fun is in the variety. I’ve been sharing meatless recipes on CatholicMom.com for 12 years now, at least eight times a year … that’s a lot of recipes. Trying new recipes or finding new spins on old favorites makes cooking fun for me, in a way that flipping grilled cheeses and heating up canned soup is … not.
My family, however, thinks this is the Best Dinner Ever.
One Lent, I decided my penance would be serving up soup and grilled cheese every single Friday. I was the Hero of Lent in my house. Everyone looked forward to Friday dinner.
That was humbling. I’m spending an hour in the kitchen every other day of the week and all they want is canned soup and a sandwich?
That Lent was super penitential for me, and I would have done well to pray the Litany of Humility every Friday before getting the griddle out.
What’s for Dinner this Ash Wednesday?
Last night at dinner, the subject of Ash Wednesday came up, and the dinner expectations were made clear.
“Ash Wednesday is next week?! Best dinner! Let’s gooooooooooooooo!”
What’s for dinner this Ash Wednesday? Grilled cheese and canned soup all around, and a slice of humble pie for the cook.
Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photo copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.
What time is dinner? That's a feast of nostalgia for me! Once. And spread out the time between these childhood memories.
I LOVE grilled cheese. I'm with you on the canned soup .