This project has been supported, in part, through a grant from the ELCA (World Hunger) Domestic Hunger Grants Program September 1, 2017 ─ Lord of Life Lutheran Church 2480 W. Dublin-Granville Road Columbus, OH 43235 614.889.2292 [email protected] In October 2015, our mission team at Lord of Life Lutheran Church began creating and formatting the recipes in this cookbook to serve at community food kitchens. We had one goal: We hope to feed the body and soul with nutritious home-cooked meals that remind us and our neighbors that we are loved by God. And then, empower others in our community to share in this joyful action. We chose foods that reminded us of comfort, and then added more vegetables and whole grains to the traditional recipes. For one of our first meals, we decided on an ultimate comfort meal of Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes, but we stuffed the meatloaf with spinach and the fresh potatoes with mashed cauliflower. The meal was prepared as a team on a Thursday night in our tiny church kitchen, then baked and served at Faith on 8th on Friday evening. Guests began asking for seconds, then thirds, until there was no more. One man stopped a volunteer and with a smile not easily forgotten told her, "This was excellent. It just reminded me of home. Thank you." With our goal solidified, we committed our team not only to serving nutritious delicious meals, but helping those we feed to feel at home and to know how much they are loved by God. So many people don't know from where their next meal will come. When individuals and groups serve at food kitchens, we provide one meal, and one moment, when our food-insecure neighbors need not worry. These are gifts of grace and meals of hope for all of us. The food we offer provides the nutrients our bodies need for life, but the spirit put into the cooking translates into something equally necessary, namely experiencing our need for love. In a very real way, this collection is a testimony to the joy we experienced in serving both life and love with our neighbors in need! We tested recipes several times a month for an entire year. We served the meals in our homes and at various community food kitchens in metropolitan Columbus. The meals in this collection are the favorites of both those who prepared them and those who enjoyed them with us, young and old! We hope this collection will inspire you and your circle of friends to form a team to share a home cooked meal, a serving of life and love. We have included clear instructions on organizing your own team, food safety regulations, pictures with menu recommendations and, of course, the recipes. The tools to begin are here! May God bless your team to provide meals of hope with confidence and joy! We are especially thankful and dedicate this collection to Faith Mission, a member of the Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio family, who celebrates 50 years of caring for our neighbors in 2016. Funded by: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2016 Domestic Hunger Grant Friends and Members of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio (www.acceptingall.com) INDEX MEASUREMENTS GET STARTED SIGN-UP SHEETS & HANDOUTS FOOD SAFETY SALADS Broccoli Salad, Crunchy Kale Cole Slaw, Garden Salad, Green Bean Salad, Pineapple Berry Fruit Salad SIDE DISHES Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Home-style Cornbread, Quinoa Rice, Smoky Creamed Corn, Spanish Rice ENTREES Enchilada Casserole, Hash Brown Frittata, Loaded Baked Potato Casserole with Buffalo Chicken, Orange Ginger Steak Stir Fry, Quinoa Vegetable Chili with Turkey, Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf DESSERTS Baked Cinnamon Apples, Banana Bread, Berry Jam Oat Bars, Fruit Crisp, Pumpkin Chocolate Cake, Zucchini Cake WORKS CITED MEASUREMENTS Measurement Conversions & Equivalents Small Quantity Fluid Liquid Measurements Cup Fluid Ounces Tablespoons Teaspoons 1/16 cup 1/2 ounce 1 tablespoon- 3 teaspoons 1/8 cup 1 ounce 2 tablespoons 6 teaspoons 1/4 cup 2 ounces 4 tablespoons 12 teaspoons 1/3 cup 2 2/3 ounces 5 1/3 tablespoons 16 teaspoons 1/2 cup 4 ounces 8 tablespoons 24 teaspoons 2/3 cup 5 1/3 ounces 10 2/3 tablespoons 32 teaspoons 3/4 cup 6 ounces 12 tablespoons 36 teaspoons 1 cup 8 ounces 16 tablespoons 48 teaspoons Large Quantity Fluid Liquid Measurements Gallon Quart Pint Cup Ounces 1/2 pint 1 cup 8 ounces 1/2 quart 1 pint 2 cups 16 ounces 1 quart 2 pints 4 cups 32 ounces 1/2 gallon 2 quarts 4 pints 8 cups 64 ounces 1 gallon 4 quarts 8 pints 16 cups 128 ounces Measurement Conversions & Equivalents Dry Measures for Raw Fruits and Vegetables Dry Pint Dry Quart Peck Bushel 1 pint 1/2 quart 1/16 peck 1/64 bushel 2 pints 1 quart 1/8 peck 1/32 bushel 16 pints 8 quarts 1 peck 1/4 bushel 64 pints 32 quarts 4 pecks 1 bushel Can Sizes Can Size Weight Fluid Measure 5 ounce 5 ounce 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons 8 ounce 8 ounce 1 cup number 1 10 1/2-12 ounces 1 1/4 cups number 300 14-16 ounces 1 3/4 cups number 303 16-17 ounces 2 cups number 2 20 ounces 2 1/2 cups number 2 1/2 27-29 ounces 3 1/2 cups number 3 46-51 ounces 5 3/4 cups number 10 102 ounces 3 quarts Weight is approximate as it can vary according to the product packed in the can. Measurement Conversions & Equivalents Ingredient Equivalents Ingredient Weight Each Yield 1 pound Apples (unpeeled) 3 cups (peeled, sliced) 1 pound Bananas (unpeeled) 3 medium 1 1/3 cups (mashed) Beans (dry) 1 pound 2 1/2 cups 6 cups (cooked) Butter 1 pound 4 sticks 2 cups 1/4 pound 1 stick 8 tablespoons 2 1/2 cups (diced) Carrots 1 pound 6-8 medium 3 cups (shredded) Cheese 1 pound 4 cups (shredded) Cocoa Powder 8 ounces 2 cups 4 large Eggs 6 medium 7 small 1 cup 1 pound 3 1/2 cups Flour, All-Purpose 4 1/2 ounce 1 cup Garlic 1 clove 1/2 teaspoon (minced) 3 tablespoons juice Lemon 1 large 1 tablespoon zest 1 1/2 tablespoons juice Lime 1 large 2 teaspoons zest 6 tablespoons juice Orange 1 large 3 tablespoons zest Peppers, Bell 1/2 pound 1 medium 1 cup (diced) Rice 7 ounces 1 cup (dry) 2 cups (cooked) 1 pound 5 1/4 cups (uncooked) Rolled Oats 3.17 ounce 1 cup (uncooked) Strawberries 1 quart 4 cups (sliced) Sugar, granulated 7 ounces 1 cup Sugar, brown 7 1/2 ounces 1 cup GET STARTED Get Started Form a Food Service Team 3-4 people dedicated to ensuring the meal is planned and prepared for serving on your designated day. This core team will make decisions and organize the project. Your team will need to advocate for additional volunteers as each serving date approaches. If your group uses a talents survey, such as finding your Spiritual Gifts, contact those who enjoy mission, serving others, or food production. Place announcements in your written communication letter or social media to advertise for Food Service Team Members. Three weeks prior to each food serving event, advertise to recruit volunteers for food production and serving. Contact Food Establishment Before providing a meal, sign your group up to volunteer as servers at the establishment where you will be preparing. Starting with serving only will give your group an idea of kitchen layout/equipment, how service works, the food items needed, and the guests you will be serving. It is a good start to establishing a relationship with the kitchen and ensuring you are truly meeting the needs your guests have. Organizing to Serve at Food Establishment Set date/time Number of volunteers needed/age requirements Is a roster of volunteers needed prior to serving? What time to arrive at facility before serving. Where to enter building and sign-in process. Ask about any specific rules/regulations. Is it ok to dine with those being served? Sit and talk with them? Always ask permission before taking pictures of facility or people. Before You Cook Food Safety Instructions Full food safety instructions from the USDA are provided in a separate section of this book. Team leaders must read this prior to leading a service team. It is advisable to offer a short training for volunteers before cooking at every event to ensure food safety guidelines are followed. Try to organize your volunteers by experience and comfort level in the kitchen. Preparation Methods Choose which of these methods best suits your teams funding, kitchen availability, and volunteer availability. There are further details on these two methods on the following pages. In-Home Preparation: Cooking pans are distributed with recipes for preparation in personal homes. Remaining components of meal can be prepared as a group, or recipes can be passed out to volunteers to cook at home as well. Professional Kitchen Preparation: Team cooks food together. You need to have access to a clean, well-equipped kitchen, with ample refrigeration and freezers available. Recipe Sizes Each recipe is formatted to fit a large or half size hotel pan. These will fit into commercial steam tables. Large Hotel Pan (19" x 12" x 3") Half Hotel Pan (12" x 9.5" x 3") . Each recipe will tell you indicates the yield per pan. Be sure to check the pan size and yield when determining your food production quantities. Please do not wash and reuse disposable aluminum hotel pans for other food, as this may not be food safe.