Recently, our church celebrated the retirement of Frieda Lauderdale from driving and coordinating our Meal on Wheels for more than 40 years. For those who do not know what I am talking about, Meals on Wheels (MOW) is a ministry effort organized to deliver hot cooked meals to homebound, often elderly, people in the community. I grew up delivering Meals on Wheels with my mom and I have continued this tradition with my own family. Some of the city’s most needy get a quick visit and a hot cooked meal delivered. Both of these things are something we often take for granted but many (particularly elderly) people rarely get either.
The people, like Frieda Lauderdale, who organize this effort for our church are master technical officers. They help screen recipients, their needs, and provide detailed maps and directions for delivering the food. They also help with the menus and recipe suggestions for our church. We have drivers and cooks, and many volunteers do both. Several times a week, volunteers prepare and deliver a meal for needy recipients in the Jackson area. The cooks are given recipes we can utilize, and they are always designed in the most economical, nutritious, and simple ways. We are asked to keep the main ingredient (i.e. beef, chicken, or fish) the same so we are giving the recipients a variety. Obviously, we would not want anyone to eat tuna casserole every week.
While cooking may seem daunting to some, you are paired with another cook and most meals do not require more than a few hours of prep. Drivers and cooks are always needed, and I know there are many people in the area who would love to receive a hot fresh meal.
If you would like to cook, serve, or have a couple hours to give, consider signing up for Meals on Wheels. In the past, my children would ride along with me to deliver the meals and we still talk about it. I can still remember doing it with my mom. The elderly always love to see a young face and it was a winning activity in the parenting category. Subtle lessons learned and fun achieved.
These are some of the recipes our church utilizes, and I have personally enjoyed many.
Salmon Alfredo
2 bags egg noodles
2 bags frozen broccoli spears or 2 bags chopped spinach
2 10-ounce jars of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons dried dill
3 cans salmon, drained
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, combined with 1 tablespoon butter
Salt, and pepper to taste
Cook egg noodles according to package directions and add broccoli the last few minutes of cooking time. If using spinach, defrost spinach, drain, and add to the drained noodles.
In a large bowl, combine Alfredo sauce, milk, dill, salt, and pepper, and drained salmon. Stir in broccoli or spinach and egg noodles. Pour in a large well-greased casserole dish, and top with breadcrumb mixture.
Bake 350° for about 45 minutes until mixture is heated through and breadcrumbs on top are brown. Serves 12.
Casserole Meatloaf
Making a meatloaf in a casserole dish makes it easier to divide into equal pieces. My MOW partner Locke Barkley and I have always had a difficult time “equally dividing the portions. My large 11 x 15 casserole dishes easily serve 12.
2 1/2 pounds of ground meat
1 1/4 cups oatmeal
2 eggs
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients and mix very well. Press into a well-greased casserole dish and bake one hour at 350°. Serves 12.
Cornbread Chicken Casserole
1 package cornbread dressing mix
2 cups of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 whole chickens
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
Boil chickens for one hour and allowed to cool and then debone. Save the broth and mix the soups with two cups of the reserved broth.
Grease a large casserole dish and layer half the cornbread dressing, half the butter, half the chicken and top with half of the soup broth mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients.
Save a little of the dressing to sprinkle on top. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes at 350°. Serves 12.
Oven Fried Chicken
12 chicken breasts or 12 chicken legs and thighs
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon each, pepper and paprika
Mix all dry ingredients and place in a shallow pan or dish.
Dip each piece of chicken in the melted margarine or butter and roll in the dry mixture, coating well.
Place chicken pieces in a greased baking dish and bake at 375° until brown and completely cooked, or for about one hour. Serves 12.
Potluck Chili Mac
2 pounds ground beef
2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
4 medium onions
2 16-ounce cans, tomato sauce
2 cans, kidney beans
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Cook macaroni and drain well. Brown ground beef in a skillet and add onions. Drain fat if needed. Add tomato sauce to the onions and ground beef and cook for about 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients except cheese. Pour everything into a well-greased casserole dish and sprinkled the cheese on top.
Bake covered at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes.
Chicken Tetrazzini or Chicken Spaghetti
2 whole chickens, cooked, deboned, and diced (Save the broth from the chicken to cook spaghetti)
1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked in pasta water
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
4 10 1/2-ounce cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Sauté vegetables for about five minutes. Mix with cream of mushroom soup, cooked chicken, pasta, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Combine all in a well greased 9 x 13 casserole dishes and top with cheddar cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350°. Serves 12.
Tuna Casserole
3 large cans of tuna, packed in water and drained well
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 small jar chopped pimento
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook macaroni, according to package instructions and drain well.
Mix macaroni, one cup of cheese, and the remaining ingredients and pour into a casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika if desired. Bake 350° for 30 minutes. Serves 12.
Old-Fashioned
Tuna Fish Salad
12 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
1 bunch of celery or about eight stalks, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
12 regular or 6 jumbo cans of tuna, packed in oil or water and well drained
4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt, pepper and seasoned salt, to taste
Mix all ingredients and allow flavors to mingle in the refrigerator overnight. Serve on a bed of lettuce with a side of crackers. Serves 24.
Baked Hashbrown Potatoes
2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 cups cornflakes
2 medium onions, chopped
1 16-ounce container sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick melted butter or margarine
Mix all the ingredients except the cornflakes and margarine. Spoon mixture in a greased casserole dish and top with cornflake/margarine mixture.
Cover and bake 45 minutes at 350°. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Refrigerator Instant Mashed Potatoes
12 ounces instant mashed potatoes
8 ounces sour cream
1 envelope ranch dry dressing or dip mix
2 eggs beaten
1 small onion finely, chopped
3 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon paprika
Prepare potatoes according to the directions on the package.
Add sour cream and ranch mix and beat well. Stir in egg, onion, parsley and paprika. Blend well.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish and dot with pats of butter on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 400°F.
Stewpot Red Beans
and Rice
Our church also cooks and serves red beans and rice several Sundays out of the year. This recipe is equally delicious and economical, and has been used for Meals on Wheels.
5 cans red beans, undrained
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 drops hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into quarter sized slices
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients except the sausage and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least two hours. Add sausage the last 30 minutes of cooking. When ready to serve, cook one pound of rice according to package instructions and combine. The red beans mixture may be a little soupy, but the rice absorbs the extra water. Serves 12.
Butter Pecan Cake
For MOW, I tend to stick with bundt cakes. I have two pans and it is very easy to divide two cakes into 24 pieces. Most of my recipes for bundt cakes are simply a box mix with added various ingredients.
1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 container coconut pecan icing
1 cup oil
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all ingredients and bake in a well-greased (I use Bakers Joy) bundt pan at 350° for about 55 minutes. Allow cake to cool for at least 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.
Strawberry Cake
1 box white cake mix
1 tablespoon flour
1 small box strawberry Jell-O
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup thawed strawberries
4 eggs
Combine cake mix and flour. Add Jell-O, water, oil, and strawberries. Mix thoroughly with electric mixer and then add one egg at a time until all are incorporated.
Pour into a well greased pan and bake at 350° for about 45 to 50 minutes until cake is completely set.
Texas Sheet Cake
While not a bundt cake, this is another easy and delicious option when serving a large group. You bake it into a large 10 x 15 jelly roll pan and it can be easily cut into 24 squares.
2 cups of sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter or margarine
4 tablespoons coco powder
1 cup of water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together sugar and flour. Mix margarine, cocoa, and water in a sauce pan and bring to a rapid boil. Pour this mixture over the sugar and flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well and pour into a well-greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes.
Glaze for Texas Sheet Cake
1 stick butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I omit due to nut allergies)
Mix margarine, cocoa, and milk together in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and sift in powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts, of using.
Pour over the warm cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool and cut into 24 squares.
Lisa can be contacted at LisaIreland2013@gmail.com.
