Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Cole is on a roll !

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

The words do not have to be perfect.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

“They not like us!” (that’s for sure!)

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Joe Biden can go out like FDR, not by dying in office, but by crushing the fascists.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

We won’t go back.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Found liable for massive fraud, is required to post a massive bond, gets a break, then files a *fraudulent* bond!

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Friday Recipe Exchange: Helping Friends

Friday Recipe Exchange: Helping Friends

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tamara funnel cloud

A funnel cloud is seen north of Longmont on Thursday evening.
(Jenn Fields / The Denver Post)
.

From our Food Goddess, Tamara:

Yes, that’s the tornado that touched down a couple miles from my neighborhood last night. It was a raucous night.

Today, for the second time in as many weeks, I braved my kitchen to cook for friends who lost a loved one. So I thought it would be good to talk about cooking to help friends.

Cooking for friends doesn’t have to be restricted to a death in the family. Birth of a baby, finals week, new to the neighborhood, moving away, these are all times when people can be too busy and too stressed to cook or eat properly.

What’s 4 Dinner Solutions was actually started because I used to deliver dinners to teachers during the last push of the school year. If you know any teachers, you know they start to look a little rough around the edges by the time school is finishing up. Seemed the least I could do for them.

What do bring. Don’t overwhelm them with sugary treats. Sugar, while great for mood and comfort, can add to fatigue. Last week I baked cookies because chocolate was requested. If you are doing a dessert, make sure it’s ready to serve. Don’t expect them to cut a cake or brownies into serving sizes. Cookies (find your favorite here) and cupcakes (some fun flavors here) are a great choice.

Know your audience. Skip the alcohol unless you’re really sure this is okay. I have one friend that a wine care package is my first thought, but that’s a rare exception. If they have food restrictions, go for a vegetable, fruit, cheese and dip platter. Lots of healthy finger foods that can accommodate the vegans, gluten-free and allergy prone. A tray is perfect for those that just don’t have the time or inclination to sit down for a meal. Grazing is often how people cope with stressful situations.

Please for all that is holy, don’t make a casserole. Make a complete dinner, or if that’s not possible, put together a deli platter. Or how about a picnic? Put a bunch of picnic foods in a nice basket, along with paper plates, napkins, utensils and cups.

If food is not an option, then offer to walk the dog, clean the litter box, watch the kids for the afternoon, or vacuum the house before guests arrive.

Now how about you, what do you do for friends in a time of need? And what’s on your plate for the weekend? Anyone else dodging wild weather? If you missed it, JeffreyW bought a new camera this week. Pictures are worth a look.

jeffreyw pot roast

Now for the recipes. For tonight I have put together a Pot Roast (photo above by JeffreyW) with all the trimmings (recipe here), hot and ready when they get home and for tomorrow, I’m putting together the featured recipe. They can then bake as needed. I’ll add a loaf of crusty bread and a bag of salad to complete that meal.
tamara baked ziti

Baked Ziti

1 pound ziti pasta
1 pound bulk Italian sausage, spicy or mix 1/2 spicy and 1/2 sweet
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 to 4 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1- 6 oz can tomato paste
2 – 14 oz cans tomato sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
12 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan
Saucepan, skillet, 9×13 baking dish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente, you want it very chewy as it will continue to cook while you bake it. Drain the pasta and DO NOT RINSE (you want the pasta starchy so it grabs the sauce).

In a skillet, brown the sausage. When it is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine. Sauté everything until the onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, spices and stir to combine. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, then add tomato paste, stirring to coat all the meat. Add tomato sauce and bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a lightly oiled 9×13-inch casserole pan. Add a layer of pasta, ladle more sauce, spoon 1/2 the ricotta cheese over sauce, in dollops (three across and 4 to 5 up works well, kind of like you’d do cookie dough). Spread a 1/4 of the mozzarella. Add more pasta, more sauce, remaining ricotta, 1/4 of the mozzarella, sauce, pasta and the rest of the sauce. Top with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake at 350°F until the top is bubbly and browned, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting. I put a cookie sheet under the baking dish to catch any sauce bubbling over.

Serves at least 8

NOTES: This can be put together ahead of time and refrigerated. Bake for 15 minutes, covered with foil, bake for additional 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown and center is hot. As this serves 8, you can use two 8×8 baking dishes and freeze one for later.

That’s if for this week. No Bixby update, but he’s recovering nicely from his “procedure” and I’m recovering from being dragged across the grass and the black eye has healed considerably. Life with an overgrown puppy. Have a terrific weekend – TaMara

Reader Interactions

102Comments

  3. 3.

    dr. luba

    I am a good houseguest. I bring gifts (including wine), cook, and do dishes. I have a few labor intensive ethnic dishes that friends love–Ukrainian borshch, stuffed cabbage and biogs. I also make a mean Pad Thai or chicken satay. The longer I stay, the more I cook……

  5. 5.

    raven

    I make the baked pasta with a turkey bolognese meat sauce. Sauté the turkey until it turns grey, add milk and fresh ground nutmeg and simmer until the milk reduces. Add crushed maters with onion, basil and garlic. Ladle onto the bottom of a pan, add a layer of pasta and fresh grated parmesan, repeat a couple of times. Cover with provolone and bake until brown.

  7. 7.

    Tree With Water

    Those who know me best would resent any food offering from me unless it was store bought and wrapped. Most don’t like the cavalry coffee I brew, either.

  9. 9.

    raven

    @Valdivia: Appalachia Waltz” – Mark O’Connor/Yo-Yo Ma/Edgar Meyer

    Yo-Yo Ma talks about O’Connor’s ‘Appalachia Waltz’ –
    “What Bach did was, he took all these dances from all the known world around him and put them in suite form. Old dances, new dances, courtly dances, peasant dances. And what Mark did was, he took this piece that is somewhat based on the Norwegian fiddling style, with the drone and that, wrote it in Santa Fe, and called it `Appalachia Waltz.’ It’s just so moving. It’s traditional. It is new. It comes from many different places, but it’s authentic. So after a long Bach evening, rather than play more Bach, this is the perfect thing.”

  12. 12.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @NotMax: Me to my SO earlier today. “Wanna bet Not Max is gonna be the one to jump in and say baked ziti is a casserole?” He laughed.

    It’s not in anyway a casserole. BTW.

  13. 13.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Tree With Water: Cavalry coffee? Just put the grounds in the water and boil? I know it as Romanian coffee – one brings it to a boil three times (I am not sure if it has an effect or it is just some superstitious play on the Trinity). It makes a strong brew.

  14. 14.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @efgoldman: Thank you. It was very weird – everyone was getting their butts kicked but my little neighborhood didn’t even get hail. Just thunder, lightening and rain. But boy that was a little too close.

  15. 15.

    NotMax

    @efgoldman

    Lime Jell-O, you say?

    Sometimes it’s claimed Jell-O brainwaves are identical to a healthy adult’s. That’s clearly a stretch, but the Jell-O EEG readings do look pretty similar to a normal human alpha rhythm. Alpha waves are observed when a patient is awake and resting with eyes closed, and in some kinds of sleep and reversible coma. True, the Jell-O waves are a little slower and of much lower amplitude, barely within normal human limits… Source

  16. 16.

    raven

    ONE HUNDRED BILLION PEOPLE ARE UNDER THE THREAT OF BAD WEATHER!!!!! FLEE FLEEE!!!!!!

  17. 17.

    Pogonip

    Yummy pictures! Scary cloud!

    Not so scary: Finders Keepers. Read the original Misery instead.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    @TaMara (BHF)

    It’s not in anyway a casserole. BTW.

    Yes it is. So is lasagna, for that matter.

    “casserole cooking is generally done in an oven to bake where heat circulates all around the cooking vessel” (ref.)

    casserole

    noun cas·se·role \ˈka-sə-ˌrōl also ˈka-zə-\

    food (such as meat, noodles, and vegetables) baked together and served in a deep dish

    : a deep dish used for baking

    Full Definition of CASSEROLE
    1 a dish in which food may be baked and served
    2 food cooked and served in a casserole

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman: It’s weird; while I understand, intellectually, that the cello is a beautiful sounding instrument, as a former violinist, I can’t help but think of it as the big ass instrument that doesn’t get the melodies (except a few throwaways like Ringo got).

  25. 25.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @NotMax: Fine you win. But most people who bring casseroles to potlucks and give to friends in need try and include all the food groups into one pan. Once again you bring the happy to another thread.

    I’m out. Enjoy your evening everyone. They just declared another tornado warning. And flash flood warning. And did I mention that random sniper is not far from my town? Must be time for a vacation.

  26. 26.

    TrishB

    @TaMara (BHF): Random long-time lurker here. I grew up not knowing that “American-Italian” was considered ethnic food in some parts of the US, since Grandma was from somewhere NE of Naples. How is baked ziti not a casserole? Or am I missing some long running in-joke?

  28. 28.

    Tree With Water

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s just coffee that’s a strong brew. Peel paint strong, that’s the way I brew it. Years ago it was my turn to brew the coffee at work, and a colleague who hated strong coffee called it that in disgust. I liked the term, and have used it ever since.

  31. 31.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Tree With Water: If you like it that way try the Romanian style. Heat the water until it’s nearly boiling. Add one heaping tablespoon of coffee per cup of water. Let it come to a boil. Remove from flame. Do that twice more. Let it sit a few minuted for the grounds to settle. Don’t drink the last bit of coffee in your cup; it will have grounds.

  33. 33.

    Anne Laurie

    Maybe we can use the Midwestern definition: You may bring a baked-in-the-oven casserole, but you must eschew the hotdish — no canned cream-of-anything soup!

    (I love that Wikipedia complains the entry/examples “deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.” Whew!)

  36. 36.

    Tree With Water

    @Omnes Omnibus: That sounds great, and I’m sure I’d like it. It’s also sounds like too much work, which pretty much explains my feelings in general towards preparing meals. Cooking is not fun, cooking is a hassle.

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    @Valdivia: Side-eye for this but not for the omnes comment about Valdivia the Terrible in the betty cracker open thread last night?

  43. 43.

    Anne

    If they’re friends within easy driving distance and the weather isn’t hot, I often make soup. Comforting to lots of people, can make something reasonably nutritious that’s also soothing, easy to find a kind that works for people with dietary restrictions, and it freezes well if you end up with an avalanche of food (and/or simply no appetite) and want to put it away for later. I also like the cheese-and-nuts-and-fruit thing, maybe with a loaf of good bread. If they’re actually in my house or I can use their kitchen, I sometimes make risotto.

    For folks farther away, it’s usually a jar of homemade jam/marmalade (one friend in particular loves PB&J as quick/easy comfort food) and some sort of baked good: brownies or a simple cake that they can pick at, etc. There’s an apple cake I send that stays remarkably gooey and moist and survives air travel pretty well. Sometimes I make caramels, which keep a good several weeks if there are still any around.

    Hope everyone with dicey weather in their neck of the woods stays safe!

  44. 44.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Valdivia: No sugar. And I am sure that the Turkish influence on Romania affected their coffee prep methods.

    @Tree With Water: It requires standing near the stove, bleary-eyed, and picking up the pot three times. It isn’t too bad.

    @Valdivia: But am I wrong? Besides they always made the tall people play cello. :P

  45. 45.

    Valdivia

    @efgoldman: It sounds like you are attracted to the musical, lovely I think.

    I found a lot of men liked hearing I was learning to play the cello, I think I must have missed a cultural moment when that became a thing.

    @WaterGirl: Actually that made me laugh. Though I am sure @Omnes Omnibus can correct me if I was wrong in taking it as a joke.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    @efgoldman: Pork chops and potatoes and cream of whatever soup? That’s a casserole. Rice and broccoli and onions and cream of something soup? Also a casserole. Chili mac? That’s a casserole. But lasagna or baked ziti? No, it is not.

    /The rules according to WaterGIrl.

  50. 50.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Unrelated to anything here: I think Donald Sutherland is brilliant as Mr. Bennett in the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @Valdivia: Oh, no, that Omnes comment in the Betty Cracker thread was meant in good fun. My mom always said “they wouldn’t tease you if they didn’t like you”.

    I just couldn’t resist the comment – some things just beg to be said, even if you don’t really mean them.

  56. 56.

    Valdivia

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Besides they always made the tall people play cello

    Sir, are you insinuating something about my height? :P

    I was surprised by how much I liked that version of Pride and Prejudice. And he is really so very good. Most of the time I wanted to throttle Blethyn but only because I wanted to throttle the character in the book when I read it.

  62. 62.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @NotMax: When I was in basic training, a drill sergeant gave the best advice about surviving as an army office that I got form anyone by my grandfather. The advice was: when going into the field, makes sure you bring two things – toilet paper and Tabasco.

  64. 64.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @NotMax: It wouldn’t happen twice – unless someone liked it (I mean, it takes all kinds…. let’s not be judgmental).

  65. 65.

    Pogonip

    @WaterGirl: You blaspheme, Madam.

    Tuna + noodles + cream of whatever soup + milk + a few cheese slices + peas = January nirvana! ( It’s too rich except when the weather is really cold.)

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    @Pogonip: I can only assume that the “cheese” is some sort of american cheese food thing, not real cheese.

    My cold weather comfort food is pot roast. Far superior to your tuna noodle casserole!

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Saying which went around during that time:

    Architects cover their mistakes with ivy; brides cover their mistakes with mayonnaise.

  73. 73.

    satby

    I survived my first (really cold) farmer’s market as a vendor today, so to warm up, I reheated some of the curried pumpkin soup I made this week. Using cream of coconut instead of coconut milk made it taste very Thai like.

  76. 76.

    satby

    @NotMax: True story, my new bride mom put my dad in the hospital with food poisoning very early in their marriage.
    Fortunately, she learned to be a better cook by the time she had kids.

  78. 78.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WaterGirl: I think I may have one of those fish-shaped molds in the basement somewhere. Not really sure where it came from.

  79. 79.

    satby

    @WaterGirl: I vaguely remember seeing one of those in real life.

    And for tuna noodle casserole, never forget the crushed Jays potato chips on top. Has to be Jays.

  91. 91.

    seaboogie

    @NotMax: The ones most likely to do any version of a “casserole” are the good folks from the midwest, and they usually call it a “hotdish”, and there is a homey, comforting quality to them. The real problem really lies in the dish in which it is delivered, and portion sizes.

    If you are serving a crowd, platters of crudites, cheese and salumi and such are best for noshing during visitation, with ziploc baggies provided for crackers.

    For the individual or family proper, individual portions (labelled, of course) of meals packaged in those disposable and microwaveable Glad (or other brand name) disposable/recyclable/resusable containers are best. One less thing for the recipient of your thoughtfulness to deal with when they are dealing with so much else, and the individual portions can be frozen without worry about perishability.

    Also, a great pasta salad is always good. It is comforting and it keeps for a while – great for a crowd or an individual – and no need to heat it up for serving. I made one for a gathering at my father’s home a during the winter holidays a couple of months after my beloved step-mom passed away – we had a pizza party. Dad ate it for days afterward and my brother-in-law asked my sister for the recipe.*

    Especially for a death, consider including disposable plates, cutlery, a roll of plastic wrap and a roll of garbage bags to throw over a drawer so guests know where to dispose of everything. Usually stuff folks might not have on hand and are too overwhelmed to consider. It’s little details like these that make everything so much easier.

    *Pasta Salad

    1 box of pasta, boiled in very salted water until al dente (choose a shape like fusilli, orrechiete, penne or something more exotic as available), and rinsed in cold water and drained.

    Toss the pasta in good, fresh olive oil (this is the really important part) and then toss with:

    Pesto Sauce (fresh if you can get it)
    Artichoke hearts (quartered and drained)
    Grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half for grape ones, quarters for cherries, salted and peppered and drained in a colander or seive)
    Black olives, pitted and sliced (some folks don’t like olives, so leave them big enough to pick out, if need be)
    Sundried tomatoes, sliced into slivers
    Grated parmesan or romano
    Italian parsley, chopped fine
    Freshly ground pepper, and salt to taste (after you add the cheese – parm is salty)

    I also had a friend who – after trying to get pregnant for years, gave up and got a large dog – and promptly became pregnant with twins at the age of 42. Her husband worked long and unusual hours in the teevee graphics biz, so their schedule was a bit crazy. After the birth of the babes in the fall, I made them several individual and freezable portions of my awesome mushroom risotto and pork tenderloin, and some other stuff along that line that I don’t remember. She was really, really grateful.

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    @seaboogie

    Strictly personal preference, but “great pasta salad” is an oxymoron in my inner culinary lexicon.

    Not dissing your recipe (love when people provide recipes, thanks for doling so) but any pasta salad just ain’t my bag.

    Place here sells what they call pesto sauce using macadamia nuts. It’s… unusual.

  95. 95.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman I’ve jumped out of airplanes, skied big mountains,and even taunted Valdivia. Calling me a coward is unwarranted, sir, unwarranted.

  97. 97.

    Anne Laurie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I think Donald Sutherland is brilliant as Mr. Bennett in the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice.

    Agreed — you can see how Elizabeth (who was encouraged to be literate & witty), Lydia (Mama’s baby girl, who was ignored by her father), and Mary (the abandoned middle kid who was ignored by both parents, still trying & failing to please even though she has no idea how) all ended up as his daughters. A smart man bitterly disappointed by his own weakness, just as Miss Austen said.

  98. 98.

    Anne Laurie

    @WaterGirl: Just for you:

    (Yes, it’s disgusting, but having grown up hating seafood in a working-class fish-on-Friday Catholic family, it’s less disgusting than frozen fish fingers… )

  100. 100.

    SWMBO

    Several things I have picked up over the years:
    Use clean cottage cheese containers to deliver food. They can be sealed and refrigerated (or frozen). They can transport everything from soup to nuts. Also, too, ice cream buckets or takeout dishes that seal are good (KFC and Pei Wei have reusable sealing take out containers for example).
    For a major event (wedding/funeral/graduation/ etc) have someone stay at the house. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out when no one will be home.
    Mac and cheese is good for comfort and satisfying small children at a major event. Their schedules are already interrupted and everyone is acting bonkers so they get overlooked some. Offer to take the kids to read to them or some other quiet activity to give them a de-stress place (and person) to go to.

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Made me laugh!

    As for you, Mr. @efgoldman I learned my lesson last night. Also, I don’t have time to click this morning as I am on my way to therapy after seeing that hideous thing last night. (not really) In reality, I am on my way to the farmer’s market.

  102. 102.

    Betty Cracker

    I have no opinion on the “is baked ziti a casserole” issue, but I want to defend the honor of casseroles in general. When assembled with quality ingredients and cooked with skill, casseroles can be delicious and convenient. The end.

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