Quote:
Originally posted by Fugee
I don't know if city people do this, but in the country when someone dies the neighbors and friends bring over all kinds of food so the bereaved don't have to cook for awhile.
A friend's mom just died suddenly and I'm going to bring her family a hotdish (casserole for the nonproles) with chicken, french style green beans, Uncle Bens long grain & wild rice, sliced water chestnuts, cream of chicken soup (this is Minnesota -- cream of something soup is a requisite) and lots of cheese. And I'm making a pan of brownies (from a box -- gasp!)
I thought of making a bread pudding because that was one of the most comforting things the neighbors brought over when my Dad died. But I don't know if everyone loves bread puding as much as my family does.
In the past year I've had friends undergoing chemo, back surgery, etc. and need to expand my repetoire of meals and other foods that can be frozen and reheated so the recipient can keep them until they are needed. Any ideas?
tmdiva, I seem to recall you talking about MO funeral potatoes.
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Sorry so late but maybe you can try these to add to your repetoire. I love make ahead meals. I always keep some in the freezer downstairs b/c sometimes friends end up staying late in the afternoon and all of a sudden it's dinnertime. How nice that you bring friends food when they are probably tired and too busy to cook. We give my grandmother small freezer containers filled with meals for her to put in the oven for grandpa.
Italian Style Meatloaf (stuffed with cheese)
1 egg
1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup of your marinara, homemade or jar (Barilla is good)
1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped basil (if you can get it fresh it's much better)
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb hot italian sausage
1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, stir together egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, and the 1/2 cup pasta sauce until well-mixed. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Put into large loaf pan, top/garnish with some more marinara sauce - anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1/2 cup.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Jumbo Vegetable Pasta Shells
You can put put some of these in different freezer containers for a small family or one person (for individual meals) or put them all in one big container to freeze as a casserole.
24 jumbo pasta shells
1 14 ounce can of vegetable broth
1 minced carrot
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
28-oz. jar (or homeade) marinara sauce
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and let cool.
In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Stir in carrots, potatoes and onions and cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender. Drain vegetables well. Combine with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Stir in Italian seasoning. Fill each shell with this cheese mixture.
Pour 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer on the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
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