Boy, have I been busy — too busy to post, clearly.  But don’t feel neglected, friends, because I haven’t forgotten you.  One of the things on my agenda for the past week has been working on a little dinner party…for you!

Many of you probably already know that next Monday, October 24, is the first official Food Day in the United States.  It’s a day of awareness, dreamed up by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, promoting the following goals:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

In support of these goals — which I think we can all agree are both lofty and exciting — there are events happening all over the country on Monday.  Naturally, I wanted to celebrate, but I wasn’t sure just what, exactly, to do.  I mean, the idea of throwing a Food Day bash was tempting, but I just had a party to raise awareness and collect contributions to our local food bank…and besides, Food Day’s a Monday.  Monday nights in a household of working parents, with two little boys not yet in grade school, are not the ideal time frame for entertaining.

I thought of doing something in my local community; but there are quite a few advocacy events and other things happening in Rhode Island already, and actually, when I think of my food awareness community…this blog is what comes to mind.  This one,  and all the ones I’ve begun following and enjoying since I started RRG.  And all the bloggers behind those blogs.  And that’s when it occurred to me that we should do something together.

So on Monday, in honor of Food Day, some fellow bloggers and I are kicking off a week-long virtual progressive dinner.  If anyone has ever encountered one of these things in real life, progressive dinners usually involve traveling from one place to the next — whether homes, stations at a fundraising event, community buildings, etc. — to eat one course of the meal at each stop.  Our bloggy progressive dinner will take you all from one amazing food blog to the next throughout the course of next week.

On Monday, the fabulous Bettina Siegel of The Lunch Tray will be graciously hosting the appetizers.  On Tuesday, stop by here for your RRG fix and enjoy the entree; then on Wednesday you can head to Grace Freedman’s thoughtful website, EatDinner.org, for the sides.  We’ll wrap up the dinner with dessert over at the Jolly Tomato, courtesy of Jeanne Fratello.  At each stop along the way, you can expect recipes and giveaways — and of course, some delightful dinner conversation!

So bring a friend; bring as many friends as you’d like, actually.  This is one dinner party where there are no head counts or seating charts, and we won’t even know if you don’t use the right fork.  I’ll be looking for you all on Monday at The Lunch Tray!

Note: In addition to this blogging party, I’ll also be trying to keep up with some of the pertinent Food Day news on Red, Round, or Green’s Facebook page.  If you haven’t already joined us there to keep up with my tips of the day, school lunch roundups, and other family food conversations…what are you waiting for?