Helping Out a Neighbor with Quick Dinner Ideas
Posted on August 4, 2015
A blog post by Massel chef Elizabeth Schuler
A couple of days ago, my friend/neighbor fell down the stairs in her home and broke her hand and leg. I couldn’t imagine the stress this accident would bring to her life. She has a husband and two kids, and normally, she does all of the cooking for her household. I’m not even sure her husband knows how to boil water. The neighbors and I knew that she would return from the hospital soon, and her recovery would take roughly 10 weeks to get her back to a daily routine. She was going to need some help, and we decided to work to ease her and her husband’s burden. So we started a meal prep schedule.
Another friend organized a Google doc that allowed everyone to sign up for specific days where they felt they could contribute. She compiled a grocery list of items that the husband would need in the house to keep the kids and his wife happy. Among the list of items were Massel 7’s for easy broth that even the kids could make for her. I knew this would be extremely useful for delicious, easy recipes that the neighbors could make.
I am proud to say that everyone came together, and we already have the first six weeks filled with dinners for the family. Figuring that they could eat leftovers and sandwiches for lunch and cereal for breakfast, we skipped these meals to focus on each evening’s dinner. You won’t be surprised to hear that I turned to Massel for quick dinner ideas! Here are a few of the dinners that started to show up in the first week alone:
- Eggplant Parmigiana
- Squash Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- Chicken Thighs in Mustard Garlic Sauce
- Crispy Black Bean and Beef Tacos
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast served with Creamy Cheesy Potatoes
When our neighbor came home, we told her and her husband about what we had organized. We also arranged rides for their kids to their activities. She and her husband were overwhelmed with gratitude, and it didn’t seem like we were doing too much because we were all sharing the burden.
I realized that sharing a meal with your neighbor is one of the best ways to build community.