preparing a meal for a family - ideas?

[cricketwife]

One the ladies that I work with just lost her daughter in a tragic accident; she was 12. We've organized to bring them meals. It's her, her husband and a 9 yr. old. Most of the people who have signed up are bringing chicken and/or pasta. They've said the only thing they don't like is onions. I'd sort of like to do something with beef (so they aren't eating chicken every night) but everything I can think of has onions. Also, it needs to be something that can be made, refridgerated, then reheated.

Ideas? I know that they probably couldn't care less what that eat at this point, but I'm the second on the list and the death is so recent that I just really want to do something nice that everyone will like.

Please help!

[Roc A Bee]

Lasagna or chili?

[Brie]

Stuffed shells. I just pinned these today: www.eatliverun.com/cheesy-spinach-stuffed-shells/

[Roc A Bee]

Or what about things that don't need to be heated like a sandwich tray or everything you need to build your own sandwich?

[RitzyHeifer]

Enchiladas? Leave out the onion if you usually use that.

Any type of casserole will reheat well - ham & potato is a favorite around here.

If you know they have freezer space, you can make a big batch, split it into smaller foil pans and freeze them so they have some on hand for later. Bringing a salad of some sort (even just a bag of pre-washed greens) can be nice too.

[RitzyHeifer]

Jul 6, 2012 15:28:41 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Or what about things that don't need to be heated like a sandwich tray or everything you need to build your own sandwich?

Or a hot sandwich like Italian beef? Make the meat in its own container and bring a bag of rolls.

[hocus]

You can make empandas. They typically do have some onions in them but you could cut that back.

[Brie]

Sorry, just saw they were getting a lot of pasta.

What about pork? This is fantastic: www.crumblycookie.net/2008/05/30/crockpot-pulled-pork/ and you could send it with buns, baked beans or mac and cheese, and a green salad.

[Deleted]

Jul 6, 2012 15:28:41 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

Or what about things that don't need to be heated like a sandwich tray or everything you need to build your own sandwich?

I think this is a good idea. Especially with the heat, casseroles might be kind of heavy, and they are probably getting others of those.

Other ideas:

Pasta salad with meat & veggies.

Chicken salad & bread/crackers.

Pulled pork (heats up easily) and cole slaw.

I'd add a fruit and/or veggie tray to whatever you take because fresh produce always seems to be in short supply in situations like these.

Or if you make something that calls for onions, just throw some onion powder in for the flavor. I did that all the time back when I was pickier.

[hannamarin]

Can you bring a fruit tray maybe with bagels? That would work well for snacks and also light especially with heat.

[Deleted]

We grew up eating "casserole." That is all that we called it, I don't know the proper name for what it was. It was elbow macaroni, browned ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and a splash of milk.

[niki]

According to my husband, who has lost both of his parents, the meals they got overwhelmed them and they had to toss a lot of food. He said the gifts that really went to use and were most appreciated, were things like gift certificates for places that deliver. Perhaps that is something to consider?

[cricketwife]

Jul 6, 2012 21:23:11 GMT -5 niki said:

According to my husband, who has lost both of his parents, the meals they got overwhelmed them and they had to toss a lot of food. He said the gifts that really went to use and were most appreciated, were things like gift certificates for places that deliver. Perhaps that is something to consider?

I know that is often the case. But their daughter died a week ago and these meals are starting next week, just Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I think that they'll get eaten. It was organized in conjunction with the family. I probably should have explained better in the OP.

Thanks to everybody for the ideas.

[speckledfrog]

My boss's son died a few years ago and after a year or so she told me that she wished people had brought some meals again after the first few months. They were still many days where they still felt completely lost and unable to do anything but felt bad asking for help. SHe also mentioned that fresh veggies and fruit were in short supply. Dropping off something like disposable dishes/silverware is great too, because they just won't want to deal with anything trivial. Toilet paper, paper towels, and kleenex are also great additions.

These taquitos freeze well and are super easy to reheat. I add corn and beans to mine.
penniesonaplatter.com/2010/02/22/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/

[flatlan]

You could bring ingredients to make tacos/burritos. Ground beef with taco seasoning, taco shells/tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, etc.

[steph96]

After my dad died, people brought food over every night for a while. It was really overwhelming. People like to overcook. It was just 2 of us living there and they would cook enough for 16. Plus neither one of us really had an appetite for quite some time. There were so many leftovers that had to be tossed.

What if you offered to get them dinner from a restaurant? It's nice to pick what you eat occasionally.

Maybe someone could also sign up to make them breakfast one day. I've seen recipes for overnight french toast that look good. Hey, maybe you could even do breakfast for dinner?! That would be unique!