For many years a Bible Study Group of young adults met every week at my house and I fed them dinner. Food is ministry. People relax and share and get to know one another over a meal. My difficulty with the meals was that I never knew how many would be showing up and I always wanted to have plenty. I also wanted to fix something that would be good leftover so that if we had a small group one week I wouldn't mind eating the leftovers for days. If anyone out there has thought about trying to provide a meal for a group I thought I'd share some ideas that worked for me.
1. The very favorite meal was White Trash Shepherd's Pie. It is easy to feed anywhere from four to twenty four without too much effort. Here's how it goes....
Start with ground hamburger meat. If you're making a 9 x 13 casserole size, I'd say you could use about 3 pounds of meat. I have a huge lasagna pan that I would fill and I would use 5-6 pounds of meat - just depends on how many people you're planning on feeding.
Brown the meat & drain. Mix in some cream of mushroom soup. O.K. now, here's the truth. I don't honestly cook all that much. I'm capable of cooking. I just don't often choose to. And when I do, I don't always measure. So...mix in enough soup to sort of glue the meat together.
Mix in 2 cans (or more) of drained french cut green beans. Put in casserole dish. Top with grated cheese. Then cover the whole top with Tator Tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or so.
Add a green salad or fruit and you're good to go.
2. Baked Potato Bar was another favorite. I'd wrap the potatoes in foil, bake and then set them out with all kinds of toppings. (Chile, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, salsa, etc.) Everyone just made their own.
3. Spaghetti Bake - I found that serving the pasta and sauce separately was too cumbersome. I really needed stuff that I could do ahead of time. So I cooked the spaghetti, added browned ground meat to some spaghetti sauce, mixed it all together, put it in a large casserole dish, sprinkled Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top and baked it at 350 degrees until hot. It was quick and easy to serve to which was a help.
I bet you're thinking, "What's up? These recipes are not fantastic. What is so special?" And you would be right. So what's my point? The point is simply this - feed people, invite people over, practice hospitality. And do it in a relaxed, flexible fashion that doesn't stress you out. An uptight hostess makes for uptight guests.
For those of you who know me, you know that I've had a tough few years. After my husband left me, the Bible Study dissolved. For a while I've been busy struggling with the emotional issues that come with a 37 year old relationship disintegrating. Add to that the fact that my mom got sick during this time and just died a couple of months ago. I haven't reached out much to people and I recognize that God has me in a place of resting and healing right now. But we need each other. My daughters have also struggled with the changes we've experienced of late. So a few weeks ago, I instituted Family Pot Luck Night.
I invited my daughters and their husbands and kids over for dinner. Everyone brings something. So far, I've done the main dish. Tonight was a Baked Potato Bar. I had washed the potatoes last night and wrapped them in foil so I could easily pop them in the oven after work tonight. My daughters helped organize and we had a fun meal. Afterwards, my son-in-law got out his guitar and played and sang while my grandchildren banged away on his congas. There was a lot of noise and a lot of fun. I loved it. Another son-in-law is working out of town so this family chaos comforted my daughter and her kids as they are not used to being without him during the week. As the kids were being put to bed, my son-in-law continued to play the guitar for my dad. Wonderful! I cleaned up the kitchen accompanied by live entertainment.
I've lived in a hole for a while. It's time to get out. Maybe it is for you, too. Maybe it's time for you to feed someone.
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