Food is ...

 Food is nourishing, sustaining, refreshing,,,, and comforting. This week our town of Eureka had another tornado hit, the second in 2 years. Again our Community LinC organization pulled together with an amazing group of volunteers to provide meals for those whose homes were destroyed as well as the hundreds of volunteers and workers who poured into town to help with clean up efforts.




Community LinC serves meals, but the food is donated and supplied by many. Yesterday (Friday,) 1,790 meals were served. In the first two days after the tornado (Wednesday and Thursday), when many people in town did not have electricity, over 1,335 meals were served.  Restaurants and individuals from surrounding towns send bagged sandwich and fruit meals, boxes of pizzas, crates of biscuits and gravy, and scores of cookies and brownies. When the need for fresh fruit was mentioned, several boxes of bananas, apples, watermelons, and pineapple came.

It is heartwarming to see this generous spirit of sharing and helping. This week we're sharing love and concern with community meals, but throughout the year we all share that love and concern with our families through meals. Just a reminder that food is more than substance.

The stacks of snack food, bottled water and drinks made the
Community Building look like a grocery store - supplies
for those who need them, all donated. 

Donated desserts of cookies, brownies, and cakes
provide comfort food and energy. 

This sign posted by a business says it all. 

Easy Lasagna

Are you tired of turkey? Yesterday I made this Easy Lasagna for a warm and filling lunch. This is the family size version of a favorite we make at Community LinC for 200. Photos following the recipe show the crowd size preparations. 

Easy Lasagna 

for a 9"x13" pan:

6-8  ounces egg noodles

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 pound ground beef

1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles (oil in the water helps keep them from sticking). Layer cooked noodles over the bottom of a greased baking dish.

Brown hamburger, drain fat and mix with sauce.

Mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream with parsley, basil and pepper. Pour over noodles.

Put hamburger and sauce mixture on top of cheese mixture .

Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

When we prepare this favorite for Community LinC's Eureka meal site, we plan for 200 servings. We make 8 pans, so we do 8 times everything! 

8 bowls of cheese mixture

8 bowls of meat and sauce

8 pans with noodles

Layer: noodles + cheeses + meat + mozzarella 

Greens from the community garden for salad

Ready to serve! 

everyone helps - garlic bread to go with
the lasagna is buttered.

Winter Food Favorites

When it is cold and gloomy outside we seem to crave down-home comfort foods. There is even scientific basis of why us want to eat these heavier and richer foods in the winter. Substantial foods like mashed potatoes, hearty stews, and rich desserts are often higher in fat and calories and break down slower in the body to give us a slower infusion of energy. That can actually raise the body temperature. Of course they can also build up insulation against the cold for us in the form of body fat - not too desirable unless you're a hibernating bear or a squirrel that has to use that energy to survive the winter months. So the trick is balance - find the comforting warm foods that can be lower in calories, eat smaller portions, and/or exercise more.
One of the local comfort foods is cinnamon rolls and chili - an odd combination, but a popular one in Kansas school lunchrooms before the new Dietary Guidelines changed school lunch menus. Those not from Kansas find this odd, but never the less, are more than willing add it to their winter fare. This winter we served that menu for a Community LinC meal, and it was a good dinner as volunteers served up about 180 bowls of chili and many, many cinnamon rolls.
I made my favorite recipe for Cinnamon rolls (blog of March 11, 2014). I made extra, of course, so we would have some at home, and we enjoyed them with an Easy Breakfast Casserole that makes a tasty supper.

Easy Breakfast Casserole 

Ingredients:
12 oz. frozen hash browns (about 4 cups)
8 oz. cubed ham (a good use for a bit of leftover ham in the freezer)
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Add frozen potatoes, ham, and cheese to a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Pat everything down with the back of a wooden spoon.
Bake for 1 hour. The center should be set and the edges should be golden brown.

Serve with a breakfast type bread (cinnamon rolls) and fruit for a healthy and easy brunch or supper.