Take Them a Meal

 

Our church does a magnificent job of caring for those who are sick or recovering, and it’s one of the things I love most about our people and their big hearts. We have meal trains running often, but until recently, I’ve not been good about hopping on the train. There have been a million reasons why – some valid, some excuses. But in my new role, I’m trying to do a better job about participating in at least some of the meal trains, because it’s an additional way to meet with and care for our congregation.

                It can be a complicated adventure, to be sure, because so many people have dietary restrictions, allergies, aversions, etc. But a couple of weeks ago, I took a meal to a family that didn’t have any of the aforementioned limitations, so I wanted to share what I took in case you need an idea for a meal to share, too.

                This menu idea was inspired close to 15 years ago by a meal I took to friends in another church after they had a baby. They told me later that in all the meals people brought in, no one brought breakfast except me, and they really loved it. So every now and then, I do a breakfast meal when I am cooking for others.

Menu:

Amish Breakfast Casserole
Cinnamon Quick Bread
Honeycrisp Apples

                I have made (and still make) a variety of versions of a breakfast casserole, but this is the one I took to them. I utterly failed to take a photo of it before we left, because we were in a hurry, but the link takes you back to vintage-blogging-Bekah and a recipe I shared in 2009. Do enjoy the sketchy photography skills and the neon pink plastic mixing bowl.

                That particular recipe is one I found in a magazine, and I still love making it for company/carry-in dinners/meal trains, because it’s pretty filling. It has a hash brown base with sausage and lots of cheese. It’s easy to put together the day before if you need to, and you can either bake it before you take it (we did) or take it unbaked and let them bake it when they are ready. The nice thing about this one is that the unbaked version isn’t runny, like some breakfast casseroles can be, so it transports well.

                To this, I added a cinnamon nut quick bread (minus the nuts, since not everyone likes them) I found on Pinterest. I didn’t taste it, but it sure smelled good when it was baking! (I’ve made other recipes from that site and liked them. The blogger runs a Bed and Breakfast!)

                I also sent along some Honeycrisp apples to round out the meal – or to be saved for a snack later.

                The week I took the meal was a busy one for me, and I wasn’t home much. That’s not a problem unless you need to make a meal, right? I was thankful I could bake the quick bread the night before, and Ryan actually put together the casserole for me the night before. (Bless him!) I baked it the next day, right before we delivered it.

                (Note: I made the casserole in a disposable 9x13 pan and cut up the bread and put it on a disposable plate before we took everything. No need to return dishes!)