Meals on Minivan Wheels- Part 2

Posted by on May 18, 2012 in Cooking and Recipes, Friendship | 0 comments

I promised I would hop back on and bring you some recipe ideas for meals to take to friends and family in need!  If you missed the first post you can find it here.

*Remember it doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to know if it will be their favorite, just pick something that your family will enjoy and trust that someone in the family will get nourishment from it :) Don’t stress about kids being picky about it, chances are if they don’t want it and are super picky mom and dad are used to accommodating. You can’t anticipate every like or dislike!*

Here are some quick and delicious meals to deliver! They all make a good size batch, heat up well the next day and  are for a variety of seasons! Remember to grad yourself some cheap foil pans and save jars so that your friends don’t have to worry about making any returns!

*rotisserie chicken, salad and bread! (you can cheat on this one and buy it all!!)

*homemade bolognese sauce  . this is our new favorite sauce! (I assumed bolognese was a jar of sauce with a lb of ground beef browned and added, you must try this sauce!!) My sister-in-law and I decided the best way to take pasta is to take a pack of pasta along that your friend can cook!  Pick something that cooks quickly like angel hair! Add a salad and some bread!

*Wegman’s Minestrone …..modify with what you have if you don’t have a Wegman’s close by!  You can prepare this in your crockpot and take it over so they can smell it cooking all day! Just leave out the spinach and beans for them to stir in in the end! My friend Rebecca brought this when Owen arrived. It has become a family favorite!

*Barefoot Contessa’s Macaroni and Cheese! This one is rich but a super yummy comfort food! Ina mixes in a variety of things to make it a main dish so you can toss in bacon or whatever sounds yummy. This heats up well as leftovers. The cheese can be pricey (if you aren’t in the land of gruyere like we are) so maybe split the recipe and take it as a side, keep the other half to feed your family. Add a salad and they are set!

*Tomato Feta Pasta Salad this one is great with grilled chicken, or even by itself with some bread! A good summer salad!

*Tomato Basil Soup, so only glance at this Le Madeline knock off and you will see it isn’t so healthy but so yummy. .I have experimented and you can use half and half and for sure less butter. I do it with half the butter and it is still plenty rich!

*Tomato Basil Pie  you might remember me putting this recipe up last summer during tomato season! This, like all these others goes great with a salad and bread!

*Quiche is another great thing to take. It is a good dinner and can double as breakfast if they have leftovers!  Here is a link for about a dozen recipes for quiche from Southern Living!   You guessed it, add fruit salad or a green salad and some kind of bread or muffins!

*Scalloped Potatoes-this one below I am actually adding the recipe instead of a link because Better Homes and Gardens doesn’t have this recipe on their website. A friend brought this for us when Owen was born and it was wonderful!  I have to mention that this friend, Tiffany, had two tiny twin babies of her own at home and whipped this up!  I was so impressed at how she juggled it all!

SCALLOPED POTATOES
For a main dish, sprinkle 2 cups chopped cooked ham between the layers of potatoes
Prep: 25 mins   Bake: 55 mins   Oven:350 F  Makes: 4 Servings
1/2 c. chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter or margarine
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar, American, or process Gruyere cheese ( 3 ounces)
3 medium round red or white, long white, or yellow potatoes (1 pound), peeled, if desired
1.  Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole; set aside.  For sauce, in a small saucepan cook onion and garlic in butter until tender,  Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.  Add milk all at once.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Add in the shredded cheese to thickened sauce until melted. 2.  Thinly slice potatoes.  Place half the sliced potatoes in the prepared casserole.  Cover with half of the sauce.  Repeat potato and sauce layers. 3.  Bake, covered, in a 350 oven for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. ***I added the chopped ham, as suggested above and I would also suggest doubling this recipe because I am always amazed at how little it makes.  Enjoy!

Oh and you can of course add dessert to any of these meals! But that has to be another post because this is getting to be too long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it! If you get a meal from us someday it may be lacking in surprise as you now know all of our favorites!  But now if you are needing ideas you have a few that have been tried and true!  This weekend when you go grocery shopping or plan your meals think of what meal might be easy to double and do it!! Think of who you can encourage…doesn’t have to be a mom with a new baby, who do you know who is having a really crummy time?!  I forgot to mention in the last post that if you feel too shy, just deliver the meal and put it on the families doorstep and ring the bell, only make sure they are home or that it is an entry way they will find it at! Nothing like surprising them with a rotten meal a few days later when they discover it!

Who do you plan on being a help to this week?? What is your favorite recipe to deliver?

 

 

 


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