Family dinner

I have 3 beautiful daughters.  My oldest 2 are in college while my youngest who is 20 and going to school close to home.  The older girls  are over 1 hour away but they try to make it home for sunday dinner.
Sundays are lazy around here.  I usually spend saturdays up at the boarding stable riding  my gelding "Cowboy"  and giving my mare "Sweetheart" who is expecting some much pampered time.  Nick my husband then uses sundays for his man time and goes to his shooting/hunting club on sundays.
In decades past, large Sunday dinners with relatives were widespread traditions.  Even when I was young I can remember my grandmother in her apron and my aunts in the kitchen starting the meal in the morning before we went to church and continuing the meal when we got home.  My uncles either was watching the Dallas cowboys on tv, or coming in from a short day of hunting on our farm.  The kids were playing in the backyard, we rarely watched tv and always found a way to occupy ourselves with either hide and seek or just being  on the wood swings in the back yard.  I think today things are just too fast paced we get disconnected.  Kids and adults have too many activities, tv and game playing with the wii or xbox becomes a priority.
  I always make a nice sunday dinner.   My husband was born in pittsburgh and of italian heritage and loves italian food.  I try to incorporate both traditions  down home country girl and Italian city boy and it seems to have worked we have been married for 27 years and our girls still come home for sunday dinner.

 The braciole recipe I have below is really simple but it is the staple of the italian meal.

BRACIOLE

1 package round steak
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
6 cloves garlic peeled.
1 small white onion chopped finely
3 sprigs of parsley leaves finely chopped
1/2 cup romano cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil(best you can afford)
salt and pepper to taste
butcher twine in four pieces.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and set the other 3 cloves aside.  In a mixing bowl combine the italian bread crumbs, 3 minced cloves of garlic, chopped onion, italian parsley, olive oil and romano cheese.
Open the package of round steak and cut into 4 pieces.  Salt and pepper each piece of steak.  Sprinkle mixture on each steak leaving about 1/2 inch free on each side.
Roll tightly jelly roll style each piece with out squeezing any breadcrumb mixture.  Now  with the butcher twine,wrap tightly and tye.   I usually do 3 times each side width of the steak and then length of each steak.
Now with some more olive oil about 4 tablespoon brown each braciole in a pan, turning on all sides in pan and browning slightly.  I usually use the same pot I plan on making my italian sauce with, or another skillet.  Be sure to save the drippings though for your sauce.  When your sauce is prepared place braciole and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Enjoy!