Food Offered as Condolence
/Yesterday was one of those days when I wish I was a better cook.
Our neighbor across the street lost her 90-year-old mother who lived with her to cancer. The mother was a trip. One of the liveliest and hippest 90-year-olds out there. A couple months ago, my neighbor signed she and her mom up on a cell phone plan of let's say 1000 minutes a month. When the first bill came in, my neighbor had used maybe 80 minutes and her mom had racked up over 800! She had to tell her, "Mom, either you cut down on calling your friends or I'm going to have to take the cell phone away from you." Mind you, this is a 60-some year old woman telling her mother this.
But back to the cooking, I desperately wanted to walk across the street with some casserole-type dish family members who had gathered at the home could pop in the oven for a warm and hearty meal without them having to go to any fuss or bother. I know other neighbors of ours took breakfast over that morning. But I don't have any standby casserole or meatloaf dishes. So we baked a fresh loaf of cheese bread. It's the one unique and really good recipe we have. Tthe spicy red-pepper cheese bread is wonderful toasted for breakfast or with a meal for dinner.
I'd still like to have some standby recipes for occasions such as this. I think bringing food over in times of crisis is a warm gesture. I remember years ago I caught the flu, bad. I was in bed and had chills, aches, fever, couldn't swallow, nausea...the whole nine yards. A neighbor brought over a basket of chamomile tea, a cheery mug to brew it in, light sandwiches and piece of her homemade apple pie. I was instantly cheered up. It was such a lovely and unexpected gesture and that tea felt so good against my raw throat. I remember that as one of the nicest gifts I've ever received.
So here's the call. If any of you have "can be put in the freezer and thawed for a good meal" recipes you'd like to share, now's the time. BEAR IN MIND I am easily confused in the kitchen so please submit nothing complex.
Thanks,
