Cooking for 50 Senior Citizens

[CaliPoutine]

And if she makes beef twice in a row, they'll complain that they had that last week.  Randi can't win here no matter what she does.

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Yes, Yes, Yes!! You do understand.

[CaliPoutine]

Here is the dessert.

[Marlene]

And if she makes beef twice in a row, they'll complain that they had that last week.  Randi can't win here no matter what she does.

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Yes, Yes, Yes!! You do understand.

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I do. I had a mother in a seniors home. I totally get it. Plus I have a mother in law in a home in rural Saskatchewan. Much like where you live, trust me.

[CaliPoutine]

Next week is the Thanksgiving meal( Canadian Thanksgiving is Oct 13th). It seems kinda dumb that we're cooking a Thanksgiving meal on a Thursday and then these folks will probably eat another one on Sunday( all the people I know here have their Thanksgiving on Sunday rather than the official Monday).

But, since I dont make the rules, I have to go along with it.

I've already ordered turkey roasts( light and dark meat) from a local turkey farm. Last year, they were 3.69lb, this year 4.75lb. I've ordered 18lbs for my program and I expect about 32ppl.

I'll be roasting them on Wednesday and reheating on Thursday,

The rest of the menu

Mashed potatoes

stuffing

butternut squash casserole

Green bean casserole

cranberry sauce( scratch)

and a Jello salad.

eG member Pookie gave me a church recipe book from nearby Crediton( her mom grew up there) and I found a recipe for a Cherry supreme salad. It sounds good to me. I'll go make that the day before as well.

Dessert is purchased pumpkin pies from M and M meat shop. They're 2.50 each. I can't even make a pie for that. They had them last year and they like them. I was going to make Libby's pumpkin roll cake, but the coordinator said that on the survey they had mentioned pumpkin pie. So I though " why go to all that trouble".

Comments?

[prasantrin]

Sounds good to me! But don't go puttin' any new-fangled fancy herbs or spices in your stuffing, now. You know they'll find a way to b**** about that, too!

What's your butternut squash casserole like? Do you think it could be made with kabocha? I'm feeling the need to do TG dinner (can you believe I forgot all about it?), and I think it sounds good enough to make! hint, hint...

ETA: Mashed potatoes? Weren't there mashed potatoes on your shepherd's pie last week? Be afraid...be very afraid!!!

Edited October 1, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Sounds good to me!  But don't go puttin' any new-fangled fancy herbs or spices in your stuffing, now.  You know they'll find a way to b**** about that, too!   

What's your butternut squash casserole like?  Do you think it could be made with kabocha?  I'm feeling the need to do TG dinner (can you believe I forgot all about it?), and I think it sounds good enough to make!  hint, hint...

ETA:  Mashed potatoes?  Weren't there mashed potatoes on your shepherd's pie last week?  Be afraid...be very afraid!!!   

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Yep, there were mashed spuds on the shepard's pie. What can I do though? They expect it for Thanksgiving.

The squash casserole is from the Kraft.ca foodmagazine( it is sent out free). I'll be changing up the recipe though as it calls for Miracle Whip( vile) and ritz crackers.

I found the recipehere..

Christine gave me some panko, so I'll use that, and some mayo, maybe a few warm spices too.

The last few years I've made Stove-top and dressed it up. They loved it. At our meeting, we were told to use bread so I've been buying day-old bread and freezing it. On Wednesday, I'll dice it up and stale it in the oven. I'll use broth, butter, celery and onions. I'll probably use poulty seasoning in it as well.

[Pookie]

When I made the squash casserole I used real mayo and 35% cream with some Nutmeg. Then but cheddar and panko on top. My Husband and I licked the dish clean. (Miracle Whip - Ugh!) I think you could make it with other kinds of squash no problem. Maybe not spaghetti squash.....

I am glad you are enjoying the cookbook. It is a hoot to see all the "salads". Let me know how it turns out. I have never tried that one.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Pookie (log)

[KarenDW]

Your meal sounds great.  My seniors would love it.  Do you regularly stay within budget?

sorry for the delayed reply. Just back from my (too short) break.

Our budget is $3 per person, based on 100 guests, so $300 per week. Food, including staples, and paper products (napkins, take out containers, foil, parchment, etc) come out of that budget. With a weekly program and the higher guest count, it's pretty easy to stay on budget here in Richmond (just south of Vancouver). As well, it helps a lot that we are able to use the food bank. There is a great program here, Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, in which volunteers plant and tend 2+ acre of city-owned farmland as well as gleaning from private land. The produce is donated to the foodbank and other food-sharing programs. I have an allotment garden downtown, and have been growing small amounts of stuff for the meal program, too. We also have a food-rescue organization, which redirects non-market groceries for low-income clients and not-for-profit agencies.

Shopping at warehouse-style stores and food-service suppliers helps a lot with the budget, too.

Edited to add link.

Edited October 2, 2008 by KarenDW (log)

[KarenDW]

I'll be changing up the recipe though as it calls for Miracle Whip( vile) and ritz crackers.

Of course, both Miracle Whip and RITZ are Kraft brands...

Have you ever seen the Favorite Brand Names cookbooks?

[HungryC]

I thought that followers of this thread might be interested in an article from today's Times Picayune (New Orleans) about chef Damian Thomas, who prepares meals for 450 seniors in three locations for the archdiocese of New Orleans. The meals cost the seniors $3.50.

http://blog.nola.com/judywalker/2008/10/ch...nows_how_t.html

An excerpt:

Louise Gagnard is a resident who volunteers every day for lunch duty. The food isn't too spicy, it's healthy, and the portions are plentiful, she said. "And there's variety every day. The menu does not repeat, except Monday he has beans and rice, different color beans, and seafood on Friday, baked and fried catfish, and gumbo."

Edited October 2, 2008 by HungryC (log)

[KarenDW]

great article. Thanks for the link

[KarenDW]

Next week is the Thanksgiving meal( Canadian Thanksgiving is Oct 13th).

Your menu sounds like the sort of thing my group would love. I never do roast turkey dinner because of the time/space issue. We have two (non-convection, gas) commercial ovens, which could each hold 2 turkeys. Which would leave no-where for holding hot vegetables, or cooking casseroles.

Closest I've come is to chicken with stuffing. FWIW, the people I know who like turkey dinner would be happy to have it twice in a week As for the budget on this one... I would estimate about $4 per person on 35 guests, so am curious to hear how you've fared.

Bet your seniors will love their dinner.

[CaliPoutine]

Next week is the Thanksgiving meal( Canadian Thanksgiving is Oct 13th).

Your menu sounds like the sort of thing my group would love. I never do roast turkey dinner because of the time/space issue. We have two (non-convection, gas) commercial ovens, which could each hold 2 turkeys. Which would leave no-where for holding hot vegetables, or cooking casseroles.

Closest I've come is to chicken with stuffing. FWIW, the people I know who like turkey dinner would be happy to have it twice in a week As for the budget on this one... I would estimate about $4 per person on 35 guests, so am curious to hear how you've fared.

Bet your seniors will love their dinner.

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The budget is increased to 5.50 pp for this meal. I also get paid for an additional 2hrs and the seniors pay 12.00 for their meal.

I have a feeling I'll be over budget. The turkey is taking up 86.00 of the budget.

[kbjesq]

I predict that the seniors will love the meal, but no one will compliment Randi. Apparently these people are incapable of acknowledging good food and/or hard work. Sadly, for them, and for Randi!

PS The sympathy card thing is very odd, indeed.

PPS I predict that someone will complain about the homemade cranberry sauce, and that all the jello salad will be gone in a flash but no one will tell her how much they enjoyed it.

[KarenDW]

PS The sympathy card thing is very odd, indeed.

Not so entirely odd, actually. The seniors all know exactly what to do when a sympathy card is required.

It's really sad that Randi's guests seem so unable to make a compliment. It's also sad to note that when people pay something for their meal (any amount, even $5), they suddenly have a whole heap of (usually unrealistic) expectation.

Feeding seniors is a tough gig. Feeding hungry, impoverished people seems easy by comparison.

[CaliPoutine]

PS The sympathy card thing is very odd, indeed.

Not so entirely odd, actually. The seniors all know exactly what to do when a sympathy card is required.

It's really sad that Randi's guests seem so unable to make a compliment. It's also sad to note that when people pay something for their meal (any amount, even $5), they suddenly have a whole heap of (usually unrealistic) expectation.

Feeding seniors is a tough gig. Feeding hungry, impoverished people seems easy by comparison.

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They didnt buy me the card, they just signed their name one right after another in a single row. Not even one little personal note. Weird!!

[prasantrin]

The squash casserole is from the Kraft.ca foodmagazine( it is sent out free).  I'll be changing up the recipe though as it calls for Miracle Whip( vile) and ritz crackers.

I found the recipehere..

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I made this tonight. It was good, but I think it would have been awesome had my kabocha not been so frickin' dry! I should have added some cream like Pookie did, but I just wasn't thinking.

Randi, is it possible your seniors behave the way they do because you're an "outsider"? Small-town folk are hard to crack. What were they like with the previous person? Kinda sounds like they're just a**h****, though.

[CaliPoutine]

The squash casserole is from the Kraft.ca foodmagazine( it is sent out free).  I'll be changing up the recipe though as it calls for Miracle Whip( vile) and ritz crackers.

I found the recipehere..

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I made this tonight. It was good, but I think it would have been awesome had my kabocha not been so frickin' dry! I should have added some cream like Pookie did, but I just wasn't thinking.

Randi, is it possible your seniors behave the way they do because you're an "outsider"? Small-town folk are hard to crack. What were they like with the previous person? Kinda sounds like they're just a**h****, though.

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You might be right. But, I think these folks are just complainers. The community they live in is different from my town. Their community is known as " ritzy" since its a lakeside community and very seasonal.

[CaliPoutine]

The other cook is making her turkey( roasts) today. Her meal is tomorrow. They were picked up on Friday and she asked that her roasts be frozen. Why would she want to cook them from frozen?

I've never heard of this.

[KarenDW]

The other cook is making her turkey( roasts) today. Her meal is tomorrow.  They were picked up on Friday and she asked that her roasts be frozen.  Why would she want to cook them from frozen?

I've never heard of this.

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If purchasing Friday for cooking Tuesday... I might choose frozen as well. But would be thawing in the fridge/cooler from Sunday onwards. Reason for ordering frozen might be that storing fresh for 5 days seems too long, especially not knowing how long the roasts were stored before purchasing.

But I would (personally) hesitate on cooking from the frozen state based on my own paranoia of being late for dinner service.

There is an entire thread here about cooking frozen roasts

[CaliPoutine]

The other cook is making her turkey( roasts) today. Her meal is tomorrow.   They were picked up on Friday and she asked that her roasts be frozen.  Why would she want to cook them from frozen?

I've never heard of this.

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If purchasing Friday for cooking Tuesday... I might choose frozen as well. But would be thawing in the fridge/cooler from Sunday onwards. Reason for ordering frozen might be that storing fresh for 5 days seems too long, especially not knowing how long the roasts were stored before purchasing.

But I would (personally) hesitate on cooking from the frozen state based on my own paranoia of being late for dinner service.

There is an entire thread here about cooking frozen roasts

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Maybe I wasnt clear. The turkeys we ordered are roasts( light and dark combined, boneless, tied with string). They were picked up FRESH on Friday and she's cooking them today(from frozen). Why would she chose to have them frozen when she only had 2 days of fridge time. Mine will be cooked on Wednesday and I left them in the fridge. I asked at the turkey farm and they told me they'd be fine until Wednesday.

[Pookie]

Good luck on your dinner!

[CaliPoutine]

I went to the office and made the Cherry Supreme jello today.

The bottom layer is sugar free raspberry jello mixed with canned cherry pie filling. The top is lemon jello, mayo, cream cheese, crushed pineapple, whipped cream and marshamallows. I made two of these( btw, these are really great Canadian made plastic storage containers).

The turkey roasts came out fine. I cooked them for close to 3hrs at 350F. I used some salt, and poultry seasoning. I'll slice them tomorrow and defat the drippings for gravy.

I also cooked 7lbs of butternut squash( I bought it already cubed as I'm alleric to the flesh).

I also cubed 5 loaves of bread and staled that in the oven. I made cranberry sauce too. The last thing I did was cut all the celery and onions for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have to:

slice turkey

make stuffing

mashed potatoes

make green bean casserole

make squash casserole

bake off the crescent rolls.

Edited October 8, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[PopsicleToze]

The turkey roasts look good. Is that sage?

[PopsicleToze]

The Cherry Supreme jello is just beyond words

You are a good woman for cooking this for them!