Sunday Night Dinner: Menu and Guide.

Sunday night dinner—and really, dinner in general, no matter what day it is—has always been something I look at in a special way. But there’s something about Sunday night that feels different. It seems like the one night of the week when we can all take a moment to stop, breathe, and make dinner before the workweek begins and full schedules take over.

Growing up, both my mom and Nonnie would almost always make a nice Sunday night dinner during the fall and winter. Most weeknights in our house weren’t spent with everyone sitting down at the dinner table together. We had what I would call a modified version of family dinner, which I think is probably how a lot of families do dinner today.

Everyone is up and down at similar, but still different, times. In and out of the kitchen. Some parents are making multiple dinners for different kids’ preferences. Friends might be eating together while still working or texting, or maybe everyone is gathered around watching their favorite show.

Dinner on the average night looks different for everyone.

But what if, on Sunday, we could go back in time thirty-plus years, when people really sat together around the table? Maybe the table was set and beautiful, or maybe it was simply full, with everyone gathered around for a real sit-down meal. Not a quick, ten-minute, shovel-it-all-in kind of dinner. You know?

What if this season we went back to the basics? Made something nutritious, delicious, and really made with love on Sunday night?

Our original tagline for HBH, all the way back in 2012, was “made with love.” For so many years, I never loved that line. It felt overused, generic, and honestly, a little cheesy. It didn’t feel like me.

But today, I’m realizing that as cheesy as the line might sound, the sentiment behind it is true. I cook for the people I love most—my family and my friends—and now, I cook for all of you too.

Someday, I want to create a reality where I can actually cook for you all and we can come together around the table in real life. But for now, I’m giving you the guide to create this yourself, in your own home, with the people you love most.

I know everyone is busy. So I’m excited to share my menu, my tips, my fall table, and hopefully give you the confidence in the kitchen to make Sunday night feel special again.

Whether it’s a family dinner, date night, or girls’ night, the idea is the same. Slow down, make something good, sit around the table, and enjoy not only the food, but the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with.

Below is my full menu, a lot like my Thanksgiving menus, along with my tips and game plan for pulling dinner together with ease. My hope is that it inspires you to make Sunday night dinner something to look forward to again this fall.

The Menu – A Harvest Sunday Night

Drink

Apple Cider Sangria

with blackberries, apples, and pomegranates

Snacks

Pumpkin Beer Soft Pretzels with Chipotle Queso

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

with:

Cinnamon Maple

Dilly Sour Cream and Onion Seasoning

Dinner

Sunday Night Cider Braised Pot Roast

with carrots, potatoes, cider, white wine, and herbs

Sides

Radicchio Apple Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

Parmesan Roasted Baby Sweet Potatoes

Brown Butter Roasted Garlic Broccoli

with whole cloves of big farmers market garlic

Dessert

Cinnamon Spice Apple Cobbler Cake

with Vanilla Ice Cream

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

with Cinnamon Maple Glazed

Ohio Buckeyes

A Little Reminder: You Don’t Have to Do Everything

This is the full menu, but please make it what YOU need and want it to be.

Buy the premade pretzels. Pick up your favorite apple cake or grab cider doughnuts from the local farmstand. Choose what you want to make, what you want to buy, and what you can ask friends or family to bring.

You do not need to do it all.

Honestly, the only recipe you really need here for a full dinner is the cider-braised pot roast. The beautiful thing about a dish like this is that it’s a meal all on its own. You have the meat, potatoes, carrots, and plenty of additional vegetables that roast right alongside everything else.

If you can, add the salad. Make one dessert. That’s dinner!

What matters most is creating a meal that feels warm, thoughtful, inviting, and stress-free. When you’re frazzled, everyone around you can feel that energy. I want you to enjoy Sunday dinner too.

The Quick Sunday Dinner Checklist

Friday or Saturday

• Decide what you’re making and what you’re buying
• Make your grocery list + shop
• Make the pumpkin seeds, if using

Saturday

• Prep the pot roast + sweet potatoes
• Make the pretzel dough
• Bake the cider doughnuts
• Make the buckeyes
• Make the salad vinaigrette
• Mix the sangria + chill

Sunday

• Get the pot roast cooking
• Set the table + light the candles
• Chill the drinks
• Prep the broccoli
• Assemble the salad
• Bake the pretzels + warm the queso
• Bake the broccoli
• Toss the salad just before serving
• Bake the cobbler during dinner

Then sit down and enjoy!

The Sunday Dinner Game Plan

Friday or Saturday: Create a Plan

Decide what you’re actually making from the menu. For me, this is a harvest dinner focused on the bounty of the season, with Sunday night game day favorites, apples, sweet potatoes, and classic fall desserts.

Make your grocery list and do your shopping.

Then, create a simple schedule. What can you make ahead? What needs to be made on Sunday? And what should happen just before dinner?

Getting organized is really the most important part.

If time allows:

Make the roasted pumpkin seeds and package some up for gifting. You can also make the candied pumpkin seeds for the salad.

The pumpkin seeds are a cute little gift if you’re having friends or out-of-town family over. They’re also a delicious snack to have around all week. But if Friday is too full, move these to Saturday or skip the roasted pumpkin seeds entirely. They’re just a fun little extra!

Saturday: Do What You Can Ahead

Prepare the roast and sweet potatoes. They cook together, so on Sunday, all you have to do is put everything in the oven.

Make the soft pretzel dough. If time is tight, order soft pretzels from a bakery instead. You can even pick up hard pretzel twists from the store and serve them with the queso. Tortilla chips work too, but personally, I would stick with pretzels!

Bake and glaze the apple cider doughnuts, then wrap them well so they stay fresh. Or, have a friend pick up cider doughnuts. Almost every bakery, grocery store, and local farmstand has them this time of year. I know many of you love the Trader Joe’s cider doughnuts too!

Make the buckeyes and keep them in the fridge or freezer. We actually love them frozen. They begin to thaw the second they come out of the freezer, and they’re so good.

Make the vinaigrette for the salad.

Mix the sangria and pop it in the fridge. Or simplify and serve your favorite wines. I’m sharing more about what wines to serve for entertaining season next week!

And remember: If Saturday is busy, you can do all of this on Sunday. Or drop a dessert from the menu, pick something up from the store, or ask someone to bring something.

Another easy dessert idea is roasted apples with butter, maple, and cinnamon, served warm with vanilla ice cream. Almost no prep—just toss, bake, and serve warm.

Sunday: Enjoy the Process

Pop the roast and potatoes in the oven, or cook everything low and slow in the crockpot.

Prep the broccoli so it’s ready to roast just before dinner.

Assemble the salad, but wait to toss it with the vinaigrette until you’re ready to eat.

If you’re making the soft pretzels, bake them just before everyone gathers. I like to serve these in the late afternoon, especially if there’s a game on. Everyone can snack on warm pretzels and queso while they watch. Pour the sangria, open your favorite wines, and enjoy!

Assemble and bake the apple cobbler. I love putting this in the oven just as we sit down for dinner. By the time everyone is ready for dessert, the kitchen smells amazing, and the cobbler is warm and ready for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If waiting to bake it feels stressful or you don’t have the oven space, simply make it ahead of time.

Then sit down.

Dinner is ready. The work is done. Put the phones away if you can, light the candles, pour the wine, and enjoy the food and the people around your table.

Some Tips

If you’re really looking to set the scene, I love to have the candles lit and the drinks ready before anyone arrives. The candles set the mood, the drinks break the ice, and right away, people feel welcome. It’s nice to offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options too, so there’s something for everyone.

I never used to serve appetizers. I didn’t want everyone filling up before the big meal! But on Sundays during the fall and winter, I like having a snack out for anyone watching the game or just hanging around the house before dinner.

It’s definitely not every Sunday, but when I have the extra time, it’s such a nice addition. My brothers, friends, whoever is around, always love a fun snack. That’s why I’ll make the soft pretzels and those pumpkin seeds. The seeds can even be packaged up for everyone to take home.

It’s just something small, yummy, and fun. And a warm, soft pretzel is always so welcoming, especially with a cocktail in hand.

Store-Bought Shortcuts

Please use the store! A few easy swaps can make this entire dinner so much more doable.

• Pretzels: Pick up fresh soft pretzels from a bakery, or simply serve hard pretzel twists with the queso.
• Pumpkin seeds: Buy roasted pumpkin seeds and season them yourself, or skip them entirely.
• Salad: Use washed greens and pre-cut produce to make assembly quick and easy.
• Cider doughnuts: Pick them up from your local farmstand, bakery, grocery store, or Trader Joe’s.
• Dessert: Skip the cobbler and serve a favorite apple cake or pie from a bakery. Or choose just one dessert from the menu.
• Drinks: Skip the sangria and serve your favorite wine, sparkling water, or apple cider.
• And delegate: Ask friends or family to bring the bread, dessert, wine, or anything else you don’t have time to make.

Pick what you really want to make, then take shortcuts everywhere else. The goal isn’t to say you made every single thing from scratch. The goal is to have a delicious dinner, enjoy the people around your table, and actually enjoy the night yourself too.

My Table

For a Sunday dinner with family or friends, I naturally tend to keep the table pretty simple. I love using the season’s prettiest produce to create something that feels special but never fussy.

In the fall, I’ll highlight all the different colors of apples, use candles in shades of yellow, and, if I can, find a few pretty flowers to set out. For a tablescape, I usually stick with a single variety of flower. It feels elegant without looking chaotic or overdone. Simple and effortless, almost like it took no thought at all to pull together.

My plates are simple, from Crate & Barrel, with linens from a local shop in New York that I love to visit whenever I’m in town. For silverware, I almost always use whatever is already in the kitchen. At home, that happens to be my grandma’s silverware from when my dad was a kid. It’s old but so beautiful, and I love that there’s a little history behind it.

Then I’ll find a pretty wooden bowl and fill it with apples. Maybe add a flower or a candle. Just play with what you have and see what feels right.

My water glasses are another Crate & Barrel find, and from there, I just let the table feel easy. It’s not overly set or overly styled. Nothing is too precious or perfect.

A little imperfection is what makes it feel inviting.

The Outfit

Everyone made this special holiday evening come to life!
Photography by Johnny Miller
Props by Sarah Smart
Creative Producer/Styling by Jess Damuck
Wardrobe by Caitlin Harvey