Category Archives: Family Matters

Parent/Kid Sessions Featured on ‘Kid Baltimore’ Blog

Judging by the popularity of our Parent/Kid sessions, we knew we were onto something. But even we were surprised and delighted to find we’d been “secret shopped” by Joyce Hesselberth of the popular “Kid Baltimore” blog. “Restaurant-quality food”, she wrote after bringing her daughter to dish on July 31st; “directions are super clear, and the ingredients are beautiful and fresh.” And when she invited the extended family to their first meal? “Disappeared before I knew what happened,” she beamed.

As Joyce noted, Let’s Dish! Parent/Kid sessions are a great chance to efficiently combine kid entertainment with household chores. Overall, the meals are “a big hit” she says. And we couldn’t agree more. Check out the complete Kid Baltimore write-up here. Or sign up for your own Parent/Kid experience (one kid, age 8+, per parent please!). Happy dishing!

About Jeremy

RECOMMENDED LINKS
>
1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Bring your kids with you to dish this summer!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Maeve (now 5 1/2) and Charlotte (now 4) cook together.

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More Freedom from Your Freezer

Solutions to Fit Your Busy Lifestyle

Everyone loves meals you can cook straight from frozen.  Schedules change, the dog needs to be walked, you haven’t had your coffee.  Sometime you forget to start thawing a meal in the morning.   Who could blame you?

Not us, that’s for sure.  You’ll now find on our menus a greater selection of meals that cook-from-frozen. 

And for meals we recommend you thaw first?  Well, we are now are providing on our website “alternative cooking methods” — whereby almost all of our meals can be cooked from frozen (with a few minor adjustments in procedures).  Log in to your account and check the My Cookbook page to learn how you can get it onto the table faster – with little to no compromise in taste.   Look for the “Freezer Freedom” newsletter link at the bottom of the page.

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Thank you, Moms

We love moms. They look out for us. They consistently prioritize our needs (and wants) above their own. And they always seem to be there with a Band-Aid and a kiss. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for moms, and now that I have witnessed childbirth, midnight feedings, and tearful preschool drop-offs, that special place has only grown larger.

This Mother’s Day, we’ve talked a lot about how Let’s Dish! can help you thank your mom - Gift Cards, French Toast Peach Cobbler, the nearly 1000 free meals we gave to new moms, etc. But long after the last cobbler-stained plate has been washed, the Gift Card run dry, and the petals have fallen from the bouquet, I think that what moms want most is a little recognition. So to all the moms out there - our staff, our customers, our fans, and especially the world’s best two moms - Judy and Katrina Kugel - thanks for all you do.

Happy Mother’s Day. We love you.

Jeremy’s Signature

I want to join my friend and colleague, Jeremy, in saluting every mom on this special day. We’re delighted that our free-meals-for-new-moms promotion has been so well received and that we’ve been able to be a part of this special annual holiday for so many families.

Let’s Dish! is a proud part of the lives of families of all shapes and sizes, but it comes as no surprise to anyone who has visited our stores that women are really at the center of what we do- over 90% of our customers and staff are women, and most of them are moms. In fact, a lot of our early vision for Let’s Dish! revolved around moms. We wanted to help busy moms with an easier way to put nutritious dinners on the table, encouraging better health AND more family time. And we wanted to design a team and a system with convenient shifts and flexibility that allowed busy moms seeking part-time opportunities to work AND still have time to do all sorts of “mom stuff!” It’s extremely rewarding to know that we’ve largely succeeded on both fronts.

On a more personal note, I want to recognize a few moms who have gone above and beyond to make our vision a reality. My partners — Dawn Brown, Elizabeth Marcotte, Lisa Hardiman, and Alexa Corcoran (who also happens to be my wife and the mother to my two very lucky daughters) — have been the driving forces behind our growth and success. Their effort and passion have been at the center of all we’ve accomplished. And they are just like all the other moms we know– insanely busy, trying to juggle a million commitments, frequently tired, but always there for the ones they love. I, too, have worked pretty darn hard over the last four years, but I am frankly in awe of these amazing women. Thank you all so much for all you do, for Let’s Dish! and for the 9 kids lucky enough to have you as moms.

Finally, I’m biased, so I’d like to send a special shout out to my world’s best moms :) — Karen Corcoran, Kathy Klimas, and Alexa Corcoran. Happy Mother’s Day!

Rick’s Signature

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RELATED LINKS:

> You still have time! Buy Mom a Let’s Dish! Gift Card and print to give to Mom

> Let’s Dish! Celebrates Mother’s Day on WBAL-TV
> Make Your Mom’s Day Even Brighter

Make Your Mom’s Day Even Brighter

The Dish On…Top 5 Ways Let’s Dish! can make your Mom’s Day even brighter:
Buy a Let’s Dish! Gift Card(small space)

5. Cook Mom dinner! With help from Let’s Dish!, anyone can be an expert chef (yes, even your husband)!

4. Get Mom a Gift Card from Let’s Dish!. Guaranteed she’ll eat it up (so to speak).

3. Make your Mother’s Day brunch special (and especially easy). Pick up our popular and delicious French Toast Peach Cobbler (featured on WBAL-TV’s Sunday Brunch) from our Ready Made case. Or, dish up a Florentine Egg BFree Meals for New Moms Iconake, currently on the Let’s Dish! menu.

2. Send your Mom some meals with our new DishDelivery service.

1. If you’re a new mom, stop by our store and get a FREE Ready Made meal! No purchase and no obligation. Offer applies to anyone who became a mom (or became a mom again) in 2008. Click here for more details and be sure to pass it on!

Lisa’s Signature

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Recommended Links:

> FREE Dinner for New Moms: Click to find out more!
> Buy Mom a Let’s Dish! Card
> View the Let’s Dish! menu
> See how you can always save time and money with Let’s Dish!
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Click to become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!
Show the world you’re a fan of Let’s Dish! and enjoy exclusive offers through Facebook, the Internet’s most popular social networking site.

Family Book Club: A Literary & Culinary Adventure

Ever thought of creating a Family Book Club? It’s a great activity for the whole family - and you would be amazed at how you can bring food into it!

As I embarked on this culinary adventure with Let’s Dish!, I had no idea where it would take me. I have spent many hours thinking about food in all different ways, not just in new and exciting flavors but also in how food touches us in our lives and how we can make it a lifetime adventure for ourselves and our children.

One thing you should know about me is that I love to read.

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Plan a weekly “geography” dinner!

Risk-free culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!Are your seatbelts still fastened? Are you still with us? Have you learned anything new so far on your culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!? Speaking of learning something new, here is a great way to get the whole family on board and involved on this little adventure we are taking…

Pick one night each week (”say Tuesdays”) for “Geography” Dinner. This will be a great way to teach your family - and maybe even yourself - a few new things.

To prepare for your dinner, pick a country or a culture for the week (take turns letting different family members pick the country or put a bunch of names in a hat, and draw one out each week).

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The Family Dinner Deconstructed on NPR

In a recent Morning Edition segment on NPR, reporter Alix Spiegal explores the research that seeks to expand on the issue of family dinner and its benefits in a story called, “The Family Dinner Deconstructed.” According to Spiegal, researchers are now pushing further to ask: “Is it the mere act of eating together that counts, or is it that strong families are already more likely to have a family dinner?” And, “what is it in family dinner that can make it an antidote to bad grades and bad habits in kids?”

Family MattersYour Health: The Family Dinner Deconstructed
(by Alix Spiegal, Morning Edition on NPR: February 7, 2008)

I think the segment is important to listen to for all of us who struggle to pull dinner together each night - and especially important for me to recommend as a co-owner of Let’s Dish!.

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Let’s stop calling our kids “picky” eaters.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of being a guest in Mrs. Carlivati’s 5th and 6th grade science classes at Nysmith School in Virginia. Mrs. Carlivati, an amazing teacher, does a unit on nutrition with her classes. In celebration of AHA’s Go Red for Women campaign, I was invited to lead a discussion about heart healthy food choices. My goal was to teach the kids that healthy foods can be yummy too. I was hoping to teach them to try new foods and to start making good choices today.

The formerly “picky” eaters in Nysmith School’s 5th and 6th grade science classThe children were so much fun.

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Introducing Family Matters: The Importance of Family Dinner

We thought we’d switch topics quickly for a moment and introduce our new “Family Matters” category for an important reason.  A story came out yesterday on ABC 7 (WJLA) that focuses family dinners and their importance to healthy eating, particularly among teenage girls. 

The TV news segment discusses a new study that finds teenage girls are less likely to have an eating disorder when they eat their meals with family members.  And, the piece features our Let’s Dish! co-owner, Elizabeth Marcotte, who gives her perspective on quality time during family dinner, and several of our customers in Northern Virgina.  A special thanks to customer Anna Knapp (for letting the WJLA cameras follow her home and watch her family have dinner) and Susan Lippolis (who shares that she brings her teenage daughter to dish for her own important reasons).  We appreciate your insight and enthusiasm for Let’s Dish!.

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