Sunday Dinner

When I was a little girl my grandma would cook a Sunday meal and invite her family to share it with her. Roast beef, mashed potatoes swimming in gravy and home made rolls with melted butter. All these years later I can still smell and taste the delicious offering.

When we moved away my mom would cook a roast or chicken every Sunday. My other grandparents would come visit and I have many happy memories of our family lingering over a good meal with pleasant conversations.

When my sweetheart and I were married we shared Sunday dinner with my parents at their house for the first few years. Later, after my parents moved, I started cooking Sunday dinner at our house and have done so for over 30 years now.

Today I was excited to fix Sunday dinner for my family in my renovated kitchen. I read the instructions for the new stove and set the timer to cook the roast while we were at church. We returned home and were greeted by the smell of roast beef. The rolls were raising on the counter and ready to put in the oven. I started the water boiling for the mashed potatoes and vegetables. Put the drippings on the burner to make the gravy then realized that the burners were not heating.

OH, NO!! What is this?? I got out the manual and read the instructions. Looked for safety features that might be causing this phenomenon. Found the hot plate from the original remodel 10 years ago to finish the gravy. Put the veggies in the microwave.

When I have a hungry family to feed, I will figure out how to do it. One year we lost electricity just as I was cooking Christmas dinner--my sweet husband got out the camp stove for that meal. Today I am thankful for alternative cooking methods inside the house and grateful I do not need to build a fire and get out the dutch oven.

Today we had a meal to remember. It tasted delicious, not cooked with conventional methods, but a hungry family was fed and an enjoyable conversation enjoyed. Tomorrow I will make telephone calls. What will the answer be????