Wow! What a wonderful thing for you to do for your community! I'm sure some people on the cooking forum can give you some help with at least recipes. They're friendly people. Even if you just want lurk over there for recipes too, that's ok.

Hope this helps.

Boo

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking forum

Marie, Booberry is right, the Cooking Forum is my "other" home and there are some good recipes there. Even if you don't want to participate, you can find lots of good posts and recipes.

Annie

I agree, that's an awesome service you're starting.

Here's a link to a site with recipes for large groups!

Deanna

Here is a link that might be useful: Growlies for Groups

What a wonderful cause. I'll start looking through my own recipes but in the meantime here's one to add to Deanna's suggestion.

Ellen's Kitchen is one of my favorite everyday-useful sites. Things like the freezable quantity Turkey and Stuffing casserole might be just what you're looking for.

Also, the Cooking Forum was mentioned but there's a lot of member cross-over with Recipe Exchange, which might be a more focused resource: Here.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Ellen's Kitchen: Bring out the Big Pots

Marie,

Here's our favourite stew recipe; it freezes well, though you should add the vinegar & hot pepper sauce after reheating. It also multiplies well (I usually make a double batch and freeze portions), though it can take a while to brown too much stew beef in one session. I am betting you have a nice, big skillet in that store kitchen!)

BF has nicknamed this "proposal stew." The first time he ever came to visit me (we had met at a wedding in California, and were e-mailing our way to a long-distance relationship for a few months), I had a pot of this and a fresh loaf of the James Beard French-style bread waiting when he arrived. When he first tried the stew, he heaved a big sigh, and said, "You have no idea how much restraint it is taking me to keep from proposing right here and now." ;-) [In the end, it took him 5 more years to get around to actually doing so, but I knew as long as I kept making the stew it'd happen eventually...]

Zabby

Jamaican Beef Pepperpot
---from _Canadian Living_ Magazine, which says "there are as many variations on this chunky soup as there are kitchens in Jamaica." I make it with a less water so it's a hearty stew consistency. I also use about half the bacon, and still get a nice flavour from it.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs beef stewing cubes
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 each sweet red and green pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (or to taste)

-- In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat; brown beef in batches & transfer to plate.
-- Add bacon to pan; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until crisp. Drain off fat. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
-- Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock & water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return beef and any juices to pan; add tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper.
-- Cover adn simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
-- Add sweet potatoes and red and green peppers; cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. [Freezes well at this point; reheat to continue.]
-- Stir in vinegar and hot pepper sauce.

Makes about 16 cups (8 to 10 servings). About 300 calories and 10 g of fat per serving.

How thoughtful. You do know that MoW doesn't use many casseroles. The meals I saw delivered to my home health patients were usually a meat, a starch a veggie and a dessert for dinner, breakfast cereal and milk and a sandwich and fruit for lunch as well as some drinks.

Casseroles are tricky because of lot of the really elderly or frail don't like a lot of "mixed up" food, or heavily seasoned food (or even lightly seasoned food). They are on low salt and/or low fat diets, or have peculiar food likes and dislikes.

Most of my patients ate the big meal at lunch time (right after it was delivered and still warm) because they didn't have a microwave oven so they had no way to reheat food. The sandwich and fruit were dinner and the cereal and milk were breakfast.

Good luck.

Thanks y'all for the suggestions. No, momj, I did not know they don't serve casseroles. I guess I include in casserole things such as sheppard pies, lasagnas and stuff like that, probably me but I guess I was thinking stick in a container and stick in the oven sort of thing, just less insensitive lol. I am aware of likes and dislikes of elderly folks as well as diets and all other ailments. My boyfriend is 67, and though I don't consider him elderly yet, he is of another generation (I am 38) and I have never seen anyone so picky. I can't even do like my kids and just put it on his plate and expect him to eat, he won't, and then my kids live and learn arghhhh. Folks around here like soups, maybe it is the climate, and I have lots of recipes for that, and I will make fresh meals but I thought of also carrying frozen meals, either for the weekend or for the occasion when the person does not like the meal of the day. I am still making my meals in little aluminium containers for those microwaveless folks. Can't think of everything but I am trying.

thanks again
Marie

Marie, it sounds as if you're really going the extra step trying to assure all needs are met.

My father is 88. He is not a "picky" eater but what I noticed when he did get Meals on Wheels is that he didn't care for things that were too "commercial" or packaged-tasting. He really appreciated the homemade. His big complaint was that baked goods quite often seemed stale.

So I would venture to guess if you're offering fresh-tasting homemade flavors, you're going to be very popular.

He always loves stews, meat pies, mashed potatoes, simple vegetables. Among his group soups are well-received and fresh, natural foods, like real tomatoes, as opposed to plastic commercial ones. Nothing "exotic", though I realize "exotic" depends upon one's national background/ethnicity. It's that comfort food feeling, whatever sort of food one's comfort derives from.

People crave the sensation of something served that doesn't taste as if it came from a vat or a military kitchen.

Carol

Did you read the joke about meals on wheels? I don't remember it all, but seems there were some mice who went to heaven and when asked what would they like to make their new lives a little easier, they requested roller skates to get along faster with their little legs. The cat was asked what would make his life easier and he replied that he was VERY happy as it was because of the meals on wheels he was being sent. Hahahaha.....sorry.....

Lol Julie