rechelle's lifelyrics

My Grandma, Lorena Bertha Smith (1916-2001), was an inspiration to me in many ways, including her love of preparing food as a way to show her love for her family and friends.  I have so many sweet memories of her in the kitchen.  When I was a young girl, I would visit with Granny (she liked to be called Granny by her 12 grandchildren) as she was bustling around in her kitchen, planning and preparing for whoever was there.  We lived with Granny when I was in my late teens, and it was then I observed how she was always busy fixing food for us, and so quick to prepare a meal for anyone she knew who had become ill. 

My fondest memories, though, are in my own tiny kitchen with two or three of my kids under my feet, and “Grandma Reenie” coming to visit me and pitch in to help with whatever work I had to do.  She was a natural teacher, always handy with cooking tips, and wonderful recipes.  She taught me how to thoroughly clean and undress a chicken, make broth, make do with what I had, and experiment with vegetables I had never heard of! 

These skills became essential in my busy life of homeschooling 5 kids, feeding our family of 7 (plus a few friends or family on most nights), and putting on several dinner parties a month on a single income. Her coaching gave me the confidence to create healthy meals from scratch, and her example fostered my attitude of “there’s always room for one more.”

One afternoon, we had out of town guests, and I realized more people would be there for dinner than I had originally planned for. I went into my kitchen to try to figure out what to fix for everyone. One of the girls from Oregon came in and asked, “What are you making for dinner?” I know her much better now, and realize she was getting hungry, but at the time I thought she would be satisfied with my first answer. “Food,” I said, as I was still trying to figure it out for myself. She pressed me, and I finally said, “Dinner Tonight.” I was busy chopping vegetables, cutting up all of the Italian sausage I had, and throwing it into my 14″ everyday pan.

Well, it turned out to be a big hit, and a family favorite that never got a new name. When I would say, “I’m making Dinner Tonight,” my family would be excited, and after the first few times they learned that it really meant Italian sausage cut up and roasted with lots of veggies that varied depending on what I had on hand. I finally wrote down the “recipe” and I’m going to share it on my “Rechelle’s Recipes for Family Gathering” page, but it really is a basic outline for you to have fun with in your own way!