I’d do ham and scalloped potatoes. :)

Lonejack, that made me giggle. Well played.

You are a good soul Amylou. I would probably make brownies of some sort and call it a day. 😄

1.Hash Brown Casserole

2.Mexican Casserole (any kind!)

I volunteer at at church that serves a complete meal five nights a week

We prepare food at home and bring to the church.

Even when we serve a complete turkey dinner, these sides are very popular.

I actually knew a guy that served time. They can get construction jobs when they're released. He LOVED pizza! He has stories of making "Jail-house-Pizza". Seems Pepperoni was NOT on the menu, nor was sausage. He had to use sliced hot dogs or Summer Sausage as the meat.

So...the ham, potatoes and white sauce casserole might be welcome, since it has "real" meat in it. Or an actual lasagna might be a TREAT!

Your awesome to put so much thought into this!

I am a simple cook. I would do a couple of meat loafs in one pan. In the other pan I’d do cheese grits.

Weather permitting, I'd probably smoke a couple slabs of ribs

Not sure how much money you want to put into this, but a tray of chicken piccata made with boneless breasts, lemon juice, capers... or other kind of chicken eg with mushrooms, etc. or you can make a tray of stuffed peppers with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce. Do a pulled pork and bring bottled BBQ sauce and rolls and cole slaw. Meatball grinders...a tray of meatballs and rolls on the side. Or swedish meatballs. Slice up a ham cooked in a crockpot...spread with chunk pineapple.

Does it have to be an entree? Can you bake a cake? A tray of cookies? Get the ghirardelli box double fudge brownie mix from costco and make a giant tray of the most chewy brownies ever.

And while it wouldn't be my first thought, I would imagine good veggies are the hardest things to come by in a jail so a large tray of oven roasted veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions etc), broccoli casserole with cheddar, cauliflower polonaise. Or even a fresh fruit tray.

Amylou- you are a very nice person to do this by demand (almost) . I think shepherds pie sounds warm and comforting, so does ham and potatoes, or a pasta dish. Most would not be as gracious about this.

Maybe a tray of yams/sweet potatoes, either mashed or roasted and a pan of sliced ham? Or pork roast...

I’ve worked in jails and prisons (as a writing instructor). I’m absolutely astonished that they let food be brought in from the outside. Not as much for the file in the cake but for smuggling drugs in. It is the perfect opportunity for anyone handling this dish to put drugs in - not necessarily you or your MILs org, but anyone on staff who is handling any part of this food delivery. I wasn’t even allowed to bring in a single pen from the outside world.

Depending on where you are located and the size of the black prison population, I’d stay away from pork.

My mom makes a corn bread casserole. It is simple corn bread mix with soft cheese layers and shredded cheddcheddar on top and lots of onion. I’d make something like this. Use a foil top too.

How about stromboli

In most institutions they serve a lot of soups, stews, casseroles and pasta, hot dogs and burgers. Low cost options.

What they don't get is fresh fruit, non--starchy vegetables, and better quality meats.

I would probably send a tray filled with of fresh fruit - apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and maybe a couple of beef roasts.

Does it have to be a first course? Could you do a dessert? There are dozens of sweet tray bake options. Nobody turns down a brownie or an apple cake. I've offered fresh fruit at buffets and it usually gets left.

I love the outreach! And sorry, for you, that it isn't more well organized.

I've talked to some guys that have spent time in jail, and what they're generally served is very low maintenance. No thought required, standard recipes that feed hundreds well. I'm older, so to me, it sounds like what we got in school. Schools nowadays might do better.

I think your cottage pie would be amazingly well received. And if you want to add a second item, the ham and scalloped potatoes would be a really good choice.

Thank you for responding to your SOs mother's request with consideration and thoughtfulness. And thank HER for reaching out to a portion of society that is often not considered.

Very nice of you! I'd stick to your original plan - I'm sure it's delicious and not likely to be duplicated. The only other thing I thought of is meatballs as they're a crowd pleaser, can take basic ingredients, and travel well.

one pan with sliders, and the other with chicken wings maybe?

Chicken and noodle casserole? At least its not lasagna or mac and cheese. A good beef stew would nice, too, and it has veggies.

Im glad Im not in jail.

If stew type food is what they usually get, depending on what you want to spend, it could be great for them to have something to chew, but still edible for the old guys. Like a chuck roast, sliced thick, with sliced potatoes and a garden veg gravy, Or something with a lot of flavor.

Amy, Barefoot Contessa's Pastitsio is usually really well received - easier to assemble than a lasagna and it's not going to spill on it's travels. Can be made a day or two before

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pastitsio-recipe-1949975

Jennifer's comments make me thing that a fruit or vegetable salad, along with perhaps a simple berry crumble, might be a good addition to what I would assume would be a lot of main dishes being brought. It sure would help to have a menu to go by! But, I agree, you are kind to be chipping in.

Any food that Amy makes will be lightyears more delicious than the same from the prison kitchen. Cottage pie would be terrific. unless the chicken is fried or bbq, red meat will likely be preferred I’d guess.

I’ve worked in jails and prisons (as a writing instructor). I’m absolutely astonished that they let food be brought in from the outside. Not as much for the file in the cake but for smuggling drugs in.

I also worked at a county jail for a few years (as a nurse) and this would not be allowed. Not only drugs/weapons, but true or false claims of food poisoning. Just so much liability.

Amylou you are a wonderful person to do this. All the suggestions here sound good but of all your described food over the years your mac and cheese sounds wonderful.

I thought the same thing about them allowing outside food to be brought in. I originally thought this meal would be a treat for the STAFF of the jail for having to work on Christmas Eve. (that is when this meal is) I was shocked when I found out they were allowing it for the inmates. However, it is a very small rural jail. It probably has under 100 inmates at any given time, and I suppose they do things differently in such situations. Well, clearly they do. I do not know details, like if they are feeding all of them or if there a a certain group that "earned" it or whatever. I do not know how it will be served or who will be serving it. I just know that it won't be me.

If not cottage pie, how about Chicken Divan? Pretty quick and easy to throw together and I haven't yet met a non vegetarian who didn't like it.

"it is a very small rural jail"

I'm thinking perhaps the type of inmate incarcerated there might be something to consider when deciding what to serve them. What would the majority of them consider delicious home cooked food? Dishes they don't recognize are not apt to be enjoyed or appreciated.

Your cottage pie sounds like it would be perfect. Or how about scalloped potatoes with ham layered in? Or potatoes au gratin with ham on the side? Maybe a good green bean casserole would help define it as a holiday meal. There is a recipe for it on the 'net that includes bacon, cheese and extra mushrooms that is really good. Probably the only green bean casserole that I like.

Amy, you and your SO's mother are good to be doing this.

Rusty

Beef stew or a lovely sponge cake with jam on top and a big jug of custard!

We host a meal at the local food shelf and noted how often starch is a main offering i.e. pasta dishes. Protein is rarer so we always do turkey and gravy over potatoes. I vote for the suggestion of fresh fruit plate and roasts. Our church often as pot luck dinners. No one organizes who bring what and it works. We get a great balance of offerings. The asker does this! She knows how it works.

I used to cook full dinner each week to feed 40 LGBTQ high schooler and young adults at a drop in program. Many of them were living in shelters, group homes, or with unsupportive families where they were not welcome or treated well at the dinner table. Most ate institutional meals or were living in food deserts.

I made a main, side, salad, and dessert each week. I was always astonished these kids wanted to eat so much salad. They scarffed it up.

It is the easiest thing in the world to open a bag of salad greens (don't get anything too exotic), add shredded carrots, colorful peppers, a can of olives, some cheese cubes, and deliver it with bottles of two kinds dressing - a vinaigrette and a ranch.

You will likely be the only person making salad. Everyone else who is cooking is thinking carbs and protein. Fresh, non-wilted, not browned salads will be so welcomed by people who eat institutional food.

I originally thought this meal would be a treat for the STAFF of the jail for having to work on Christmas Eve.

In the jails where I have worked, the staff were as suspect as the inmates as far as drug smuggling and dealing.

Very thoughtful of your MIL to do this and nice of your to comply as well :)

I, too, was thinking that they get scoops from a vat of Something Slop all the time.

The fruit sounds great -- same with salads, with dressings on the side ("wow, a choice!")

Or, *individual* anythings with recognizable ingredients.

You know you absolutely have to report back about this. I hope it includes wild praise.

If you are talking small town in rural America, they may not have a metal detector and there is a good chance everyone knows everyone, so a bit different then big city with a large number of inmates.

Nice way to give of your time and talent, Amy. I'm sure they will love having some of your home cooked food.

As I said, I have no idea of the logistics of the actual meal or what exceptions if any will be made to make it happen. This is not my project and not something I would volunteer myself for usually. I do not wish to see the inside of a jail or know how it works. And if I am honest, I have little to no sympathy for the individuals in there. I am doing it because I was asked by someone that my SO cares about and there is no real reason for me not to. It will ease her burden of preparing enough food, and that is motivation enough for me. Had she asked me to help serve it, I would immediately and firmly decline.

I would suggest a tray full of really good burritos. Not bitty things. Super ones stuffed with meat,beans,rice,cheese, lettuce and tomatoe and avocado or guacomole if it's available. Use different meats. Maybe beef, chicken, pork since I am guessing you may not have access to the real good Mexican meats where you live, and are catering to the masses, and make some a bit spicier with peppers or have hot sauce on the side. My thinking is guys in jail get enough ladled stuff. If I was in jail I would be missing my favorite fast food burger,pizza ,BBQ or whatever. Rural doesn't have to mean bland.

Amylou, if your SO's mother doesn't know what she wants to take (did you ask her? She may just figure you're such a good an prolific cook you don't need any other instruction than the foil pan requirement), wny don't you just go with what you most want to make. Or what you think will please her most? You're doing it for her, after all. There are tons of suggestions and explanations here, so if one (or a combo dish) doesn't suit you, and SO'sM has nothing to say, just listen to yourself.. Maybe choose something that your sister's family love that's on your list of fun and easy to make. And if that's Mac & Cheese, it's going to be better than anything they ususally eat, and most Americans love M&C, and if there are three more trays from others, well, then there'll be enough to go around.

Going back to your second post, if you don't mind doing fried chicken or porkchops, go with that. They're sure to love a solid portion of meat. If you want to do smothered, maybe coat just enough, and put the rest of the gravy in a side container for travel. Leave at least half inch from the top of the pan for travel, and lay a sheet of plastic wrap right on the food, with several inches all around hanging over the edges. Do another layer tight on top, over it, if the lid will still fit. Bind the whole thing with string so the cover won't shift in travel.

But really, if it's for your SO'sM, do what she wants. ;)

The more I read this thread the more I am convinced this is Mayberry and Andy Griffith is going to be receiving the food at the door. (Am I confusing my shows?)

And if I am honest, I have little to no sympathy for the individuals in there.

I appreciate your honesty. Sadly, a great number of people who are in jails now really need to be in drug and alcohol rehab or mental health treatment. And many others are in there just as a result of being in abusive relationships, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or not knowing how to function in the world. I have spent a ton of time in jails. Especially women's prisons. It is truly about the individuals, their stories and lives, and whether or not some rehabilitation is available while they are there so they are not likely to be release and reoffend.

I understand all of that and do have sympathy to a certain extent for certain situations ,especially mental health problems. However, I have what some might define as a character flaw in that I believe FIRMLY that adults are responsible for their own choices and therefore the consequences of those choices. And I honestly think that if all of the sob stories about how "its not their fault" that they are in jail/prison were true then the reoffender rate would not be as high as it is, and therefore I just do not believe most of them. Criminals are manipulative by nature and are able to convince kind, well meaning people of their victimhood, and making them forget what put them in there in the first place. My SOs mother is one of those people it seems. I am not. Though I look at it as helping HER out, and others will benefit from it as well, so icing on the cake. I do know people who have spent time in prison. I think most people do. I still correspond with a former coworker who is in federal prison right now. I know that not everyone incarcerated is a totally bad person or a lost cause. But I also know that the people I PERSONALLY know who have been or are in prison, absolutely 100% deserved to be there because of their actions, so I do not feel sorry for them. Some of them who are now free do not deserve to be, IMO. But that's not my call so no use whining about it.

I am not trying to make myself out to be a better person than I am in this situation, but if I am asked to contribute to something and I agree, I do want to make it a meaningful and helpful and positive contribution, so I thank everyone for brainstorming with me. I have a few days to make my mind up still and have been given many great ideas to consider here by people more thoughtful than I, and I value that.

Amy, I totally agree with your assessment!

About what to make, how about taking into consideration what YOUR family insists that you make each holiday occasion? I bet a couple of those choices would be fabulous!

This recipe is easy and goes a long way – Pasta Sauce Raphael (with tortellini) – from The New Basics Cookbook -- I have only ever made the sauce with tortellini. Can easily be doubled.

Ingredients

Artichokes: 2 jars (6 oz each) marinated artichoke hearts in oil (drain and reserve the marinade)

Oil: 1/4 cup olive oil

Vegetables: 2 cups chopped onions, 2 tablespoons minced garlic

Herbs & Spices: 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pinch of dried red pepper flakes

Tomatoes: 1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, with their juice

Finishers: 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Instructions

Sauté Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and the reserved marinade from the artichoke hearts.

Cook: Sauté until the onions and garlic are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Simmer: Add the tomatoes (with their juice) and simmer for 30 minutes.

Finish: Stir in the drained artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Tips

Serving: This sauce is recommended for pasta (especially tortellini or penne) but is also excellent with fish, chicken, or as a bruschetta topping.

Substitutions: Some variations suggest using Romano cheese instead of Parmesan.

Pepper Intensity: The recipe calls for a significant amount of black pepper (1 tablespoon), which gives it a distinct bite. I use 1 tsp!

Well, I ended up making the shepards pie and a pan of baked pasta. I used snowflake shaped pasta and just made a meat sauce with italian sausage, topped with cheese of course. I packed it up and my SO took it to his mother and sister, who were organizing it. Both of them apparently had something snarky to say about me making a "pan of mashed potatoes." SO told them to READ what I WROTE on the lid. Neither one of them knew what shepherds pie was. He told them to google it and left.

I was misinformed. I thought the meal was yesterday but it was today, they just wanted all the food collected yesterday. I have no idea how it went or how it was received. And frankly, do not really care. I did my very best and am satisfied with that. I cooked our Christmas meal before I came to work tonight, and I am SICK of doing stuff. My poor dishwasher is tired, as am I. Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank you for all of your efforts, for Christmas and throughout the year especially on holidays when you decorate and cook to make others happy. I hope you get some rewarding time to relax and enjoy yourself. Your SO, family, and people at work are lucky to know you.

Note to Amylou's SO: Stop feeding the beast. (Reporting negative comments.)

Heehee. He would not have told me thier comments if he thought it would hurt my feelings. He knows I do not care about their opinion (there are VERY VERY few people that I give that honor to.) He (and I) thought it was funny that they did not know what a shepherds pie was, and also that they thought I would make just make a random pan of mashed potatoes and send it. Maybe I should have. That is the kind of mish mashed, random and ill paired items you get when you do not organize properly after all.

Jennifer Hogan, your comment is beautifully written. Thank you for the reminder.

@amylou321....

and....a bone for the doggies....🦴 🦴 🦴

“…and also that they thought I would make just make a random pan of mashed potatoes and send it.”

That is pretty funny! Sounds like you did just fine.👍🏻

@raymondz7a, I’ve made that Raphael Sauce many times…good stuff!

Homemade mashed potatoes would have been a favorite!

How come she didn't ask her son to cook something? I think you've said he cooks, too.

@amylou321, nicely done! I’m quite sure the recipients did not care one bit what your MiL and SiL thought about what you prepared. They just enjoyed the heck out of it.

@Jennifer Hogan, that was beautifully written and very true. If people spent half as much money, time and energy on educating and feeding those in need (especially at a young age) as they do on their pets, think what a difference it might make. We are dog lovers but we chose not to have pets any longer after our last one died for a variety of reasons, aging being one.

A side note, I worked with a bunch of Brits who loved their Shepherd’s Pie. They had come to the US for a long-term project and one decided he would try to make one. The problem was they were staying in government quarters with no way to cook. One talked to the cafeteria staff and arranged for the ingredients and permission to make it and they agreed! He shared his wonderful concoction with his fellow Brits and the few of us Yanks who were there at the time. He had made 3 large pans and it was quickly gone!

@Jennifer Hogan You are so very right about prison population and FAS. We adopted our son at age 4. Raising him, was frought with unimanaegable behavioural problems. We already had 3 bio kids and we had never experienced behavious such as our son presented. It also didnt help that numerous professionals tried to teach us how to parent. Finally, as a teen he was diagnosed with FAS, ADHD and very low IQ.

He has never been in prison, doesn’t use hard drugs but daily life is a challenge. He is constantly running out of money, cant keep a job and makes extremely poor decisions.

He dropped out of school in grade 9, at least he can read and write.

i truly believe, if it weren’t for us, he would be in jail, living on the streets or a drug user.

Yes, the prison population is most likely of similar individuals, with very poor decision making skills.

Olychick, he does not like to cook and I do. So that's probably why.