This is the seventeenth installment of Sunday Dinners, a biweekly column from our own Tom Hirschfeld featuring his gorgeous photography, stunning Indiana farm, and mouthwatering family meals.

Today: Tom argues for soup's spot on the table and cooks up a Sunday dinner of Creamy Sorrel Soup, Sunday Roast Chicken, and Black Seeded Simpson with American Farmhouse Vinaigrette.

Today: Tom dreams of sushi with Sashimi Bowls, Spinach with Bottarga, and Salmon Roe Salad.

Today: Come rain or shine, Tom throws a family Shrimp Boil with Remoulade and Cocktail Sauce -- and with just a little bit of planning, you can too.

Today: Tom celebrates and commemorates with a soul food dinner: Smothered Chicken, Succotash, and Mashed Potatoes.

Today: Tom struggles to simplify his cooking life, with a full Sunday menu of Oven Braised Buttermilk Chicken with Za'atar, Middle Eastern Green Beans, and Burnt Okra with Potatoes and Basil.

Today: Tom tells tales of his grandmother's epic Sunday Dinners, with a full menu of Pan Fried Red Snapper with Tarragon Tartar Sauce, Sautéed Zucchini with Basil Leaves, and Fresh Herb Potato Salad.

Today: Tom cooks up Lentil Cakes Tikka Masala to end a perfect Father's Day weekend.

We have a tradition for Father's Day weekend. A few years back, we started going to my brother's cabin in the woods -- a little Walden, really, pond and all. We go with another family: a high school buddy of mine, his wife, and their three daughters.

Today: Tom muses on the raw materials of the kitchen and why he cooks over a plate of Ham-Cured Goose Legs with Butter-Poached Peas and Carrots.

Just the other day, my dad was leaning against the fence watching the chickens do what chickens do while I knelt nearby, weeding some rogue arugula out from around the grapes. All the while, we engaged in a round of small talk.

Soon enough, the conversation turned to the chickens.

Today: Tom gets into a tight spot with some bees -- but makes the most of his situation with a honey granola tart.

"Crazy-drive, dad, crazy-drive," both girls yell in unison from the back seat of the car.

So in the soft yellow light of a warm spring morning, I do. I weave the car back and forth, fishtailing and tossing gravel from the drive into the tall prairie grass all the way up to the bus stop. If it wasn't so fun, it would be an offense to the quiet of first light.

Today: A trip to New Mexico throws Tom off balance in all the best ways -- plus, a recipe for Corn Tamales with Swiss Chard

In New Mexico the sky is bigger than the ground. When every crevice or rise on the long flat plains is your only sense of place, it is easy to feel insignificant. For me in this situation, it is best to find an anchor. Something to tie me to the dirt under my boots. A spiritual weight, so to speak.