Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Do you speak casserole?

Loved A Little Loveliness' post about making meal deliveries special:

"Pretty details like cloth napkins and fresh flowers add to the presentation and tell the recipient that this task was not a burden but a blessing."

12 comments:

Kathleen Grace said...

This was a beautiful post, thank you for sharing it! My husband and I just began picking up real glass pie plates and casseroles at yard sales for 25-50 cents each. THis makes them cheaper than disposables and I don;t care if I get them back when I take that pie or quiche or casserole for someone. It also cuts down on disposable waste. We realized we were seeing these all the time for really good prices and now we have a small collection for taking meals to others:>)

Anonymous said...

What a delightful post! Thank you for the link. I will go back there for sure! She really does have a lovely touch. I also agree with Kathleen Grace that picking up plates and casserole dishes at yard sales is a great idea - so much better than disposable for appearance when gifting food and for our earth! P

Meredith said...

I do the very same thing!

I didn't realize how expensive those generic Gladware containers are until I needed some in a pinch.

Also, you can continue to use the yard sale casseroles in your own home until you need them for meal delivery.

I have actually depleted my entire supply this summer! I was picking up a friend's son for swimming and planned to drop off her dinner on the return trip.

Rather than make another Kroger trip, I asked if I could take one of her casseroles with me and send it back full of food.

She laughed because it was the same casserole dish I had sent her last time.

The only drawback to this method is that the recipient does have to wash the pan afterward, rather than feeling free to toss it in the trash. Situations like a funeral may demand disposable containers.

Either way, I make it clear that I do not need the casseroles returned.

There is a big church sale tomorrow and I plan to stock up again!

Cindy from Upstate NY said...

Another great post. I often feel too "practical" to bother with trying to make things beautiful but I am continually reminded through blogs like yours that it is such a wonderful way to show someone that you really care. This was really sweet and I also really like the idea of picking up dishes at yard sales for these occasions. EXCELLENT!

An Adventurer in the World said...

Thank you for highlighting this blogger! How beautiful her presentation (esp. the repurposed box lid for tarts).

I have a continual source of lidded disposable containers from my husband's business leftovers. The deep bottoms are black, high lids clear.

Food looks beautiful in them, they interlock and stack for transport, BUT you cannot bake and serve.

So this week I bypassed the black containers and took a juicy hot casserole to a sick friend. UGG! It leaked and slopped all over the basket and cloth and car. We definitely need a system here, i am much too random...

Edi said...

I enjoyed the post you linked to. I haven't done up a new mama meal for some time, but when I did I enjoyed including some nice disposable plates/napkins/cutlery so that they would not have extra to wash. I liked also to include some kind of flavored bottled water or juice and if there are already kids - to make it all a bit fun for the kids too.

Shannon said...

Wasn't that a beautiful quote! This is such an important ministry to me - I was in charge of coordinating food ministry at church for awhile. Unfortunetly now there are only a few women in the church and they are all older or more...career minded. The last time I tried to get several people together to take meals to someone, the response was "let's just take up money and send gift cert for takeout." Ugh. Not only does that cost much more...it defeats the whole purpose in my mind. ANd I'm in the heart of casserole country down here!

DealFinder said...

oh, my, that was beautiful and inspiring! Now I have to be on the lookout for cheap, nice dishes to pass along.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Meredith, I needed that.

Jora

Anonymous said...

I loved her post. Not only are her food presentations a feast for the eyes but I absolutely adore the way she dresses her children - so classic and I love that they often match. Thanks so much for sending her my way!

Tubo Family said...

Wow, very impressive! As a novice speaker of casserole, so far I only try for tasty food that meets the family's dietary requirements and containers that don't need to come back to me. And, unless I know they are counting on it for that night's dinner, the option to eat the meal immediately or put in freezer for later use.

Melissa Lester said...

Thank you so much for linking me! I discovered your site when I got so many lovely comments from your readers. And now I have discovered a lovely site to visit!