This afternoon I had the pleasure of spending time with my grandmother. I really enjoy our conversations. We have always been close and able to easily just chat away. I am very fortunate to have spent as much time as I have with my grandparents. They have been very present throughout my whole life. My grandfather passed away several years ago. I never had any regrets about not spending enough time with him. For that, I am blessed. Although I don’t have as much free time lately to spend with my Grandma L (I’ll stick to first initial for privacy reasons) now, I still cherish the times we do have. Today was one of those special memories.
We had plans last weekend to visit. But a pesky little fender bender got in the way of that. We rain-checked for today. I offered to bring pizza, one of her favorites. Instead, Grandma said she wanted to make lunch for me. How could I turn that down? I come from a long line of good cooks: my mom, my grandma and my great-grandma. Her mother, my Great-Grandma L, was always in the kitchen. She always had a multitude of options to offer anyone that stopped by to visit. Believe me, there were a lot of visitors back then. Her house was always the place to be and see family. Great Grandma also had a multitude of funny antics and sayings to make you belly laugh. Like Grandma L, Great-Grandma L was full of personality. That is what I love the most.
Growing up we went to my grandparents for dinner often. It was always delicious. Sometimes it was chicken. Many times, it was pot roast. Occasionally it was prime rib. Summers were burgers on the grill with veggies from my grandpa’s garden. Like Grandma L, Great-Grandma L was full of personality, it’s what I love the most. I feel like my kids feel the same way about their grandma, my mom. Again, we are super fortunate for all the amazing moms and grandmas in our family.
Today while the chicken was still in the oven, Grandma showed me the recipe. It was a page from her church cookbook. I noticed the name on it. It wasn’t hers, but I recognized it immediately. It was my Great Grandma L! Grandma recalled a memory of how that came to be. A friend of hers had shared the recipe with her. Grandma didn’t submit it to the cookbook. Instead, her mother, Great-Grandma L did; and she put her own name on it. I laughed at that. I can totally see her doing that. I don’t know why, because she has tons of her own recipes (Rice pudding and Stretch Belly were my favorites). Grandma said at the time, she was mad at her for it. She was so worried that her friend would be upset. I think it’s a cute story. These are the kind of stories I love hearing.
I wanted to share the dinner and the memory with my own family. Tonight, I made her Hawaiian Chicken. To serve alongside it, I made a side salad and parmesan baby potatoes. Lettuce salad was also a staple at every dinner with my grandparents. A simple salad of lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. Cucumbers in the summer. Usually there were potatoes as well. You know I love a good theme! Tonight’s theme was memory lane.
Dinner was a hit. Arden had seconds, of course. He would have had thirds but there wasn’t enough. He’s almost 15 and is in that hollow leg stage. Third servings are common for him right now. Ian loved it also. He said “you tricked me into eating pineapple. And it was actually good.” I didn’t mean to trick him. I just forgot to mention it had pineapple in it. The hubby totally loved it, as he always does. He filled his belly and after a long day of working on the tailgate rig, he’s already in bed.
Side note. If you make this, don’t change anything. Grandma used bone-in chicken thighs today. I used boneless, skinless thighs. Hers was much better. Next time, I will not skip the bone and skin. Because I didn’t have those, I didn’t cook it as long and therefore didn’t caramelize as well. Lesson learned. This is one of those recipes you DO NOT MESS WITH. It was still delicious. Just not as delicious as hers. But then again, is anything ever better than when it’s made by your grandma? Nope!!
Thanks Grandma for a fun afternoon!
