Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Recipes?

I always shy away from taking meals to people because I am not the best cook. However, the time has come where I need to man up and figure this out!

What is your favorite meal to take to someone? What is something I can make that is easy for them to heat up (if I need to take it earlier in the day) and POSSIBLY I can do in a dish they don't need to worry about returning (after I had Kerrigan, people didn't see their dishes for a few months, and it was stressful for me every time I saw the "borrowed" pans).

Tips, please...I know you gotta 'em!

10 comments:

Rock, Paper, Scissors said...

I never take any of my own dishes to someones house. I call them, ask them if they have a crockpot and tell them I am coming over at 9 or 10 AM.

If I know them well, I chop and prepare everything at there house and run a load in the dishwasher.

If I don't know them I show up with preportioned ingredients ready to just throw in the crockpot.

Easiest crock meal?
Chicken
Cream of Chicken
Cream Cheese
Seasonings

Or stew. Stew is the easiest in the crockpot.

Erin said...

I really like CJ's idea... I had never thought of that one, but I'm sure I'll use it in the future.

I really stink at this exact thing. Just a few weeks ago I had to bring dinner to this older lady in my ward. I just whipped up some spaghetti (Heated up some Prego and added some ground beef... nothing fancy) and opened up a can of corn, heated it up and added salt, pepper, and butter. Done! Kind of embarrassing I thought, but it ended up that Spaghetti is her fave, so it was all good.

When I had just had Ellie, a lady in my ward called to see what pizza toppings I liked best. I told her and she showed up with a Pizza Hut Pizza and a 2 liter of soda. I thought it was so funny, but it actually turned out to be my favorite meal that anyone brought me that week.

Good luck! *And sorry my comments are always miles long.

Amy said...

Man up?!?! I wouldn't call it maning up. That's just the begining. I'll email you some stuff.

Erin @ Strawberry Mommycakes said...

Lasagna Soup

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Lasagna-Soup

Only, I don't use onions or zucchini. Super easy and it makes a ton and it's even better when it's left over...seriously, it's delicious!

Brooke said...

I took dinner to someone last night :)

I just bought those metal throw away dishes and cooked the food in those, so they don't have to return anything.

I made baked ziti in a bigger dish, and in an 8x8 made brownies. Grabbed a bag of salad, garlic bread from the bakery, and a small bottle of salad dressing, and I was good to go!

here's the recipe I used
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/04/classic-baked-ziti.html

OR you could also freeze it, and just take that over and tell them how to bake it when they need it.

Someone did that for me this time. Brought me over a frozen lasagna and some Popsicle and said here you go when you want a meal you can heat it up. . .

Kelsey Crowder said...

okay get a disposable 9x13 aluminum pan, and try this out. it is my go to recipe, because it is super easy, and tastes so good, and people always think you're a great cook cuz it tastes way harder than it is.

-cook up some jumbo pasta shells, or manicotti (do the whole box). rinse and drain.

-stuff shells with following mixture...1 16 oz can ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzerella, 1 cup parmesean, 2 eggs, and garlic/basil to taste.

-put about 1/2 to 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of pan so the shells don't stick to it, and then line the shells up in the pan.

-spoon more sauce over the tops of cheesy shells, covering well.

-bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 mins, or until bubbly. can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored covered in the fridge.

try it...it won't disappoint!

Kara said...

I'm with Erin, you do not have to cook a fancy meal (or cook at all, ex: pizza hut) to take something to a person in need. They'll just appreciate the fact that they didn't have to cook! (unless of coure they are high maintainence and then, who cares! ;)
But if you do feel like cooking a meal, I like the easy ones! A favorite of mine is this:
throw 4 frozen chicken breats in the crockpot and pour a jar of salsa over (like pace or something, or storebrand pace-really doesn't matter) and cook on high for like 4 hours or just whenever the chicken shreds easily. Shred chicken and then put back in juices and then throw in a can of rinsed black beans and rinsed canned corn (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn) and heat thru.
When it's all ready you serve it with tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheese. It's so yummy!
Good luck in your new cooking adventures!

Savannah Williamson Photography said...

I once made a big batch of lasagna from a freezer recipe. Then I put in into a couple of those 8x8 metal tin pans that you can just throw away. I put them in my freezer then when someone had a baby, I just pulled it out of my freezer and took it over. Someone gave me a freezer meal when I had a baby. I loved it because I could pull it out whenever i felt really tired or you know not up to cooking. This is my favorite website for freezer dinners.

http://www.momsbudget.com/freezercooking/index.html

Lori said...

I think the easiest thing to do is just make double of what you're having! Whether it's BBQ chicken w/baked potatoes, enchiladas, etc. Just bake a second batch in a disposable pan and voila! And I guess I like to make nicer meals when I give them to people... just because. :) But I really like the crockpot idea, too! Very smart. Umm.. and I need to post more recipes on my recipe blog! Why am I so bad at that? There are at least 5 more that I promised I would post and haven't yet. I need to get on that!

The Arbuckle's said...

I've never been a fan of cooking meat for someone else because it always turns out dry. I'm always stressed and pushed for time.

If I have to take dinner to a large family 4+kids, I get a bucket of KFC chicken. I make my own potatoes, green beans, salad, and gravy.

I put them in the aluminum dishes at the grocery store, they can just throw them away.

Who doesn't like KFC? I've had people THANK me over and over. People tend to get a lot of pasta dishes.

Crock pot dinners are great.