All I have to do to remember my grandma is to think about food. A meal does not go by that I don't remember the times that I spent with her. My grandma was a very good cook. She learned everything she knew from my great-grandmother, who I was named after, but never met. My Grandma was the oldest of three girls. It was her duty to help care for the family. I remember my grandma telling me how her father would give her 50 cents and she was to go to the market and get enough food to feed five people. She would purchase a loaf of bread, meat, vegetables and everything she needed to make a delicious meal, all for only 50 cents. Her family was not rich or poor. They always had just enough money to pay for life's necessities.

Throughout her life, my grandma always organized her life around food. She had breakfast every morning around 5 a.m. It almost always consisted of hot tea, buttered toast, bacon and eggs, sunny-side up. Lunch was promptly at noon and dinner was at 6 p.m. every day. The funny thing is, while she was making lunch, she was always thinking about what she was going to make for dinner, or for lunch the next day. She never made a meal without knowing exactly what she would do with the leftovers: today's baked chicken became tomorrow's chicken and rice soup, soft bananas became warm, fresh banana bread and soft apples became home made applesauce.

When I was 12 and my brother was five, we moved to Tennessee and my grandma stayed in Indiana. Whenever we would visit, she would fill her refrigerator with all of our favorite things. For my brother, she would have Jell-O with fruit and for my mother she would have German potato salad. I have tried on many occasions to make this salad, but have never once succeeded. My Grandma would always make me sunny-side up eggs, buttered toast and hot tea for breakfast. Some of my favorite foods that she made were ice cream sandwiches made with homemade cookies, ice cream floats, Waldorf salad and macaroni and cheese made with government cheese. I've never tasted macaroni and cheese so good. Best of all, when it was someone's birthday, she would make the most delicious pineapple upside-down cake that you could ever imagine. Even when she moved to Tennessee, she would always keep her refrigerator stocked for whenever we would drop by.

For as long as I can remember, my grandma would have a ‘candy stash.' Sometimes this stash of candy, usually chocolate, would be in the refrigerator and occasionally, she would hide it in random places. When I was only a few years old, I awoke before anyone else even the dog, and I devoured about 10 chocolate bars. To this day, no one knows how many I ate and how many the dog actually got. Let's just say Grandma was not that pleased. Now that she is gone, my mother wonders if she'll stumble upon a candy stash in some of the boxes that she has yet to go through.

Even though my grandma was definitely a food connoisseur, there were a few things that she had never tried, until I convinced her to. My husband makes a wonderful quiche and talking with my Grandma, I realized she had never tasted it. I bought her one once and cooked it for her and she was absolutely pleased. I had intended to have my husband bake her one, but never got the chance. I once convinced her to try Japanese food. She enjoyed the food, and even liked the sushi; however, when I wasn't looking, she put a marble-sized piece of wasabi in her mouth. It did not go over very well; it made her very sick and put tears in her eyes. She was very angry with me, but she loved me and forgave me- I think.

Lastly, one of my grandma's favorite memories was when my cousin Scott visited her with his new wife and took her to Olive Garden. Though, this occurred in the 1980s, she would always speak of how great the restaurant was. On the day that we found out that my Grandma needed surgery, I took her to Olive Garden as a surprise. I couldn't begin to tell you what entrée we had; however, I can say that we had the Zuppa Toscana soup and a delicious, ice-cold Tiramisu. Grandma was thoroughly amazed. She said it was one of the best things she had ever eaten in her life. This made me very happy and every time I go to the Olive Garden, I will have the Tiramisu and remember the joy that she felt that day, even in the eyes of life's uncertainty.