Delivering Dinner (Or Any Other Meal)

Home-made Chicken Noodle Soup in Gelato Containers

At some point in time, everyone has some upheaval in their life and could use a little help with meals.  Sometimes the upheaval is good; a new baby or moving into a new house.  Sometimes it’s bad; illness, surgery, a death in the family.  Regardless of the circumstances, bringing someone a meal during a time when something major is going on in their life is a great, practical way of letting them know you care about them.

Delivering a meal to someone doesn’t have to be a major ordeal, and you don’t have to be a gourmet cook in order to do it.  A simple casserole can be enough to let them know that you’re thinking about them, and can go a long way toward making their day a little better. 

My mom has always been really great about taking people a meal during times of need, and she’s really good at it.  I’ve tried to learn from her, and have added a few things of my own over the years, so here are a few suggestions to make it better for everyone involved:

-          Deliver the meal in disposable dishes.  Chances are you’re delivering a meal in the first place because of something major (usually stressful) going on.  Don’t add to that stress by causing someone to worry about getting your dishes back to you, or worry about breaking them.  The bonus for you is that you don’t have to worry about when you’re getting your favorite baking dish back.

-          Find out what they like to eat, and about any food preferences, allergies, styles of eating, etc.  If you’re close to the person you likely already know, but just ask if you don’t, or aren’t sure about the rest of the family.  Some people aren’t comfortable telling you they don’t like a dish you suggest, so I’ve found it helpful to offer several choices.  I usually do something like list five or six different things I can make for them and ask them to choose which one they’d like.   People seem to be more comfortable saying something like “Spaghetti sounds good” than “We don’t eat ham”. 

-          Don’t stay too long when you deliver the meal.  There’s no one good rule here, so you just have to use your best judgment.  Keep in mind that if someone is recovering from surgery or has just had a new baby they’re likely tired, and may not be up for much of a visit.  Be very mindful of any treatments (like chemotherapy) that can compromise someone’s immune system.  It may be better to meet a family member somewhere and deliver the meal to them.  Ask what is most convenient for them.

-          Make sure you bring any necessary additions to the meal.  If you’re delivering a meal to family members in a hospital or hospice, make sure you provide paper plates, utensils, napkins, drinks, etc.  If you’re including salad bring a bottle or two of dressing, etc. 

-          If you’re worried about your culinary skills (or lack thereof) consider teaming up with a friend or co-worker to deliver a meal.  It might seem less overwhelming if the job is divided between two people.

Delivering a meal to someone during a time of need is great way to show you care about them.  Don’t stress out about it.  They will likely appreciate the fact that you care every bit as much as they will enjoy the meal. 

Great Times & Good Food

I realized today that it has been over a week since my last blog post.  I’m not entirely sure how I let that happen!  I guess things have just been a little busier than normal.  I’m back now, and promise to catch up on commenting and responding to comments as soon as possible.

So here’s part of what I’ve been doing while I haven’t been blogging:

At the beginning of the year my husband and I decided that this year we would do better about having people over to our house for dinner, games, snacks, movies, etc.  We’re both homebodies, so are much happier at home, and in this economy no one seems to be able to go out and do much any way.

We vowed to keep the house cleaner (it’s not that we’re slobs, it’s just that there’s a little bit of a difference between “clean” and “company clean”, at least at out house), and invite more people over.  We started off well and had a few people over during the early part of year.  Then things just kind of fizzled.  The house wasn’t perfect, people’s schedules didn’t match up well, someone could only come during the week which meant I wouldn’t be able to make an elaborate dinner, etc, etc. 

We talked about it again and realized those were all just excuses, and not even very good ones.  It seemed that we were constantly talking about inviting people over, or talking with other people about how we needed to get together, but never actually doing it.  We decided enough was enough.  Actions speak louder than words.

So we invited some very good friends (they’re actually more like family) over for dinner.  Because none of the five of us who are still working work exactly the same schedule, we had to plan it about a month in advance to find an evening when everyone was free.  We ended up having them over to dinner on a Wednesday night.  Instead of panicking that I’d have to make something relatively simple since I wouldn’t be getting off until 5:00 and they were coming at 6:00, we just went with it, and were glad we’d get to spend time with our friends.

I ended up making meatloaf, cheesy potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.  I put the meatloaf and casserole together the night before and my husband put them in the oven before I came home.  The macaroni and cheese was homemade, but we had frozen it earlier and just had to defrost it and warm it up.  The green beans were simple.  My husband made a delicious carrot cake since he was off that day. 

It wasn’t a gourmet meal, but the food was good.  At least everyone said it was.  And the company was great; we were able to sit around and talk for hours.  We caught up with our friends.  It was just like old times with them, when we all did a little better at making time to see each other more often.  It was heaven.

So what about you?  Do you invite people over for meals often?  Do you have any good ideas for helping things go smoothly?  Any tips on how to keep the house “company clean”?