rechelle's lifelyrics

This weekend is going to be busy with out of town family guests, a celebration for our youngest son’s graduation from Community College, and Father’s Day on Sunday. In order to have time to enjoy the festivities with everyone, I’m planning ahead with yummy food that can mostly be prepared ahead of time, and finished up with minimal effort in the afternoons.

When planning dinner parties, I imagine what the combination of foods will look like on a plate. Having a variety of colors and textures is important to creating an appetizing meal. I normally plan a protein for the focal point, and make sure to add a starch or bread item, plenty of vegetables, and often add a fruit – especially if my grandkids will be attending the party.

Today, I’m preparing the chicken thighs with lemon pepper and cutting up my squash and fruit for tomorrow night. Ray will smoke & grill the chicken tomorrow afternoon once we get home from the mid-morning ceremony, and I will be able to quickly and easily put together the rest of the menu. I have found it makes things go a lot smoother on the day of a dinner party if a few things are prepped the day before. I plan on getting the membrane removed from the bone of the ribs before bedtime Saturday night and letting them rest with the Memphis seasoning dry rub overnight in the refrigerator so they can absorb the flavoring and be ready to throw on the smoker Sunday morning.

In the next few days, I’m planning to post a couple of the recipes from the menu pictured above on my “Rechelle’s Recipes For Family Gathering” page. The zucchini & tomato bake is my spin on a dish my Mom used to make for get-togethers when I was a girl, and the rice pilaf is from my Grandma. I remember seeing her, on more than one occasion, make a very large batch of that rice in her electric roaster for Christmas singings or special events. It was always a big hit!