Cooking for 50 Senior Citizens

[Shelby]

Oh no!!!! I wonder what happened? Maybe the crock pot gets too hot?

I think you should serve them anyway. They always seem to like their meat waaaay overdone.

[PopsicleToze]

I think you should serve them anyway.  They always seem to like their meat waaaay overdone. 

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ROFL

[Kouign Aman]

Bisto.

Instant gravy.

They probably love it.

oh my. Such a shame. All that sugar in the ribsauce...sugar burns so nasty.

[Tri2Cook]

Bisto.

Instant gravy.

They probably love it.

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That or the ol' dump some cans of mushroom soup over 'em thing. Mushroom soup + pork chop pan deglazing liquid + generous with the black pepper = not bad. Not as good as a fresh-made sauce... but I'm not too proud to eat it.

[CaliPoutine]

Bisto.

Instant gravy.

They probably love it.

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That or the ol' dump some cans of mushroom soup over 'em thing. Mushroom soup + pork chop pan deglazing liquid + generous with the black pepper = not bad. Not as good as a fresh-made sauce... but I'm not too proud to eat it.

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It was completely inedible. The crockpot is a black disgusting mess. I seriously would not serve those ribs to my dogs. I can't even get that smell out of my nose hairs!!

The alternate meal came out great. Of course some stupid arse said the pork chops were " tough". WRONG!! They were perfectly cooked. One of the volunteers told me they want their meat falling off the bone. They dont get that the meat on those chops would have turned to shoe leather before it fell off the bone.

I took pics, but I'm HOT and exhausted so I'll post tomorrow.

[Tri2Cook]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was thinking of the chops, not the ribs. You mentioned trying to come up with a sauce with what you could find on hand. The mushroom soup sauce isn't the best sauce but it's quick, easy, inexpensive and familiar to many. Probably familiar to your group unless it's a regional thing. I know my grandmother used to make at least a couple times a month when my grandfather was alive because he liked it.

[CaliPoutine]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was thinking of the chops, not the ribs. You mentioned trying to come up with a sauce with what you could find on hand. The mushroom soup sauce isn't the best sauce but it's quick, easy, inexpensive and familiar to many. Probably familiar to your group unless it's a regional thing. I know my grandmother used to make at least a couple times a month when my grandfather was alive because he liked it.

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I was actually going to use the mushroom soup, but I felt so guilty about spending any more money that I dug up some stuff from my pantry and donated it.

I mixed French dressing( that I got in MI for .50 with a coupon), a packet of Lipton onion soup mix and a jar of Quince jelly. The sauce came out very nice. I even ate a chop!! I wasnt crazy about the chops as they were a combination of rib/sirloin so they were all odd sized. I also seared ever single one of them off which took an hour and 45min. I was using 1 large pan. One of the other coordinators in the office told me to just throw them in a baking pan, but I knew they'd be an unappetizing grey color so I went the extra mile!!

[CaliPoutine]

Here are the seared chops.

glazed

Edited August 14, 2009 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Potato salad. I used a 10lb bag of new potatoes( 2.99), 9 hard cooked eggs, celery and pickles with assorted spices.

The crisp. Peaches( local), blueberries( from BC), cornstarch, sugar. Topping is brown sugar, oats, flour, spices and butter.

Edited August 14, 2009 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Kouign Aman]

1) What Tri2Cook said - the suggestion was for gravy for the replacement dish (the chops), not to salve the carbonized mess that is burnt ribs and barbecue sauce.

Mine was a two part post - suggestion, commiseration.

2) changing topics to the meal you served

The glaze you made sounds interesting. How'd they like it?

The crisp looks especially appealing to me. Yum.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Kouign Aman (log)

[CaliPoutine]

I'm not sure how they liked it because I only hear negative comments( the pork chops were tough).

I'm cooking on Thursday in another town about 85Km N of here( I do get paid milage). The cook there already bought the ingredients for salmon loaf with a dill sauce. Its really bothering me that I have to cook that as I can't stand canned salmon and the sauce is nothing more than canned mushroom soup mixed with dried dill weed( gag) and milk. In her email to me, the cook told me that her folks arent fussy, they'll eat anything. I wish mine were like that.

I'm also making the crisp again, and a greek salad. Roasted potatoes too.

Here is the recipe their cook sent me. Seems like a lot of canned salmon to me.

SALMON LOAF for 40 - 50

15 cans red salmon 15 cans pink salmon

15 eggs 1 bunch celery chopped

2 1/2 tsp pepper 2 1/2 tsp paprika

6 tsp chives 6 1/2 cups bread crumbs

6 onions chopped 6 tsp garlic powder

3 3/4 cup milk

DILL SAUCE

for each can of mushroom soup mix in 1/2 cup milk and 1/8 tsp dill weed. Heat for 2 minutes and pour over salmon loaf just before serving.

[Lisa Shock]

Couldn't you just serve it with a dill flavored beurre blanc or hollandaise instead of the canned soup?

The canned soup + dill sounds like a bad combination to me...

[CaliPoutine]

Couldn't you just serve it with a dill flavored beurre blanc or hollandaise instead of the canned soup?

The canned soup + dill sounds like a bad combination to me...

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Thats funny. Sorry, but they probably dont know what either of those two sauces are. Butter is very, very expensive here. So no, that is not in the budget.

I will use fresh dill instead of dried.

[SobaAddict70]

Couldn't you just serve it with a dill flavored beurre blanc or hollandaise instead of the canned soup?

The canned soup + dill sounds like a bad combination to me...

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Thats funny. Sorry, but they probably dont know what either of those two sauces are. Butter is very, very expensive here. So no, that is not in the budget.

I will use fresh dill instead of dried.

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You would think otherwise due to it being farm country. I don't know pricing -- it's just that the notion of "expensive" and "butter" and "farm country" seems illogical to a city slicker like me. I believe you though.

edit -- it could be something similar to what supermarkets charge here in New York (which is as far removed from the American Midwest as it is from Alberta). Milk has spiked up in the last year although prices may have recently fallen.

Edited August 17, 2009 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Couldn't you just serve it with a dill flavored beurre blanc or hollandaise instead of the canned soup?

The canned soup + dill sounds like a bad combination to me...

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Thats funny. Sorry, but they probably dont know what either of those two sauces are. Butter is very, very expensive here. So no, that is not in the budget.

I will use fresh dill instead of dried.

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You would think otherwise due to it being farm country. I don't know pricing -- it's just that the notion of "expensive" and "butter" and "farm country" seems illogical to a city slicker like me. I believe you though.

edit -- it could be something similar to what supermarkets charge here in New York (which is as far removed from the American Midwest as it is from Alberta). Milk has spiked up in the last year although prices may have recently fallen.

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I've written about this before, but its worth repeating. Dairy prices are controlled by a "dairy board" in Canada. Salted butter( unsalted is cheaper) is 4.49lb. Sometimes I can get it for 2.99lb. I prefer unsalted and thats more expensive. Milk is 3.99 for 4L and 1L of heavy cream is over $6.50!!!

[mizducky]

I'm cooking on Thursday in another town about 85Km N of here( I do get paid milage).  The cook there already bought the ingredients for salmon loaf with a dill sauce.  Its really bothering me that I have to cook that as I can't stand canned salmon and the sauce is nothing more than canned mushroom soup mixed with dried dill weed( gag) and milk.    In  her email to me, the cook told me that her folks arent fussy, they'll eat anything.  I wish mine were like that.

I'm also making the crisp again, and a greek salad.  Roasted potatoes too.

Here is the recipe their cook sent me.  Seems like a lot of canned salmon to me.

SALMON LOAF      for 40 - 50

15 cans red salmon          15 cans pink salmon

15 eggs                          1 bunch celery chopped

2 1/2 tsp pepper              2 1/2 tsp paprika

6 tsp chives                      6 1/2 cups bread crumbs

6 onions chopped              6 tsp garlic powder

3 3/4 cup milk

DILL SAUCE

for each can of mushroom soup mix in 1/2 cup milk and 1/8 tsp dill weed. Heat for 2 minutes and pour over salmon loaf just before serving.

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Whuh. That does sound like a hell of a lot of canned salmon. Are they the big cans (14-ish oz.) or the small cans (like the size of tuna fish cans)? The latter would be a little less fierce.

Personally I do like canned salmon, but I know it can be way salty and strong-flavored. If the recipe doesn't already specify it, I'd suggest not just draining the salmon thoroughly, but giving it a good rinse in a colander. Otherwise that combo of salmon and canned soup is gonna pack enough sodium to make a bull moose keel over with a heart attack.

[annabelle]

Randi, arre you allowed to change up the recipe left by the other cook? I'd use crushed saltines instead of bread crumbs and make a sauce of sour cream with chopped cucumber and your fresh dill instead of that soup mess.

[Kouign Aman]

Any chance there's an "or" missing between the two kinds of canned salmon?

[CaliPoutine]

Any chance there's an "or" missing between the two kinds of canned salmon?

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No, because she gave me the prices for both kinds.

But, I wont be cooking now. I ended up in the ER with kidney stones and I'm on massive amounts of anti-inflammatories and pain killers. I wont be doing anything until these pass!!

I was seriously not looking forward to the drive or dealing with the canned salmon while I feel this terrible. Thankfully, they found someone else to fill in.

[Lisa Shock]

Hope you get better soon!

[Kim Shook]

(((Randi))) - I work for a urologist so I have seen lots of folks going through what you are! Take your drugs and I hope you feel better soon - I'll be thinking about you!

[v. gautam]

Hi Randi,

Hope you are getting better. Reading through your posts, I have a comment. My wife completed her Master's in Public Health specializing in geriatric nutrition, emphasizing her interest in cooking tasty, nourishing meals for the elderly. This now has become a well-organized field of study and endeavor. I remember my mother being very ill from chemotherapy and no doctors, including her spouse, ever taking the time or trouble to pay attention to her diet or the fact that she could not eat enough to recover, that she was in pain later from metastatizing cancer etc. ad could hardly get food down her throat. At that time I did my ignorant childish best, and thereafter became a lipid biochemist to pursue yet more avenues of ignorance.

I respect my wife's career choice all the more for this and other reasons. She had been working in her family restaurant since the age of 9 and then was a master bread baker in a major artisanal bakery. All this is to explain that the seniors are not being contrary, but they may have dietary needs that are NOT in keeping with appears to YOU as reasonable. As a very intelligent lawyer, you will appreciate the logic of this argument.

As people age, their organoleptic perceptions change. Their need to have foods extremely soft may be a case in point. Taste becomes dulled, and more is dependent on good associations with the past than with current taste [maybe, for some]. There may be psycholgical changes as well as generational gaps. What to you & me may appear eminently edible, e.g. goat cheese or feta, may be highly repugnant to some or many. My wife, for example, is an exquisite cook, but she has some problems with cheeses other than cheddar or mozzarella, and even shuns eggs other than in baked goods [hates mayo!!]. People can be like that. Therefore the suggestion of a printed menu may not be unwise, and a ticket for each specific date may help reduce no-shows to a small extent.

To conclude, cooking for a geriatric population today is recognized as a critical part of elder care and geriatric nutrition. The University of Massachusetts at Northampton certainly is one institution that has explicitly created programs reflecting the need to train graduates in this area. Perhaps more people becoming aware of the problems surrounding the issues of cooking for the elderly would be beneficial in our society as it ages and 1 in 4 becomes dependent on others for care. Thank you for bringing up a very relevant subject.

Edited August 20, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[CaliPoutine]

I didnt work on Thursday because I had a dr. appt. I spoke to the cook who filled in for me. Wow, was I stunned. She made bisquick vegetable quiche, roasted potatoes and salad. She served an ice cream cake made with ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Why am I stunned? NO MEAT of course. She said that she burnt the bottoms on a few of the quiche as well. She said a few ppl told her they liked it. I'm just absolutely stunned because I could never get away with serving something like that. I asked her if she told the coordinator what she was making beforehand and she said NO. The coordinator ALWAYS asks me. Looks like I'm being micromanaged eh?

[jayt90]

I really enjoy reading your posts. I find it refreshing to be reminded that there are people out there who think of factory-made box mix foods as superior to made from scratch slow foods. Not that I agree with them, but it's good to realize that they exist and aren't changing their minds.

I also find it interesting that as rural people, these seniors grew up with farm-fresh produce, fresh milk, and grass-fed meats. And, they somehow came to be of the opinion that frozen/dehydrated boxed dinner is somehow superior, and, in their opinion tastier.

Reminds me of the cake mix fanatic (middle-aged woman) in my group in pastry school. She hated almost everything we made -it was all from scratch with ingredients like real butter and chocolate.

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Because boxed/processed means less work.

Somehow they've got it in their minds that convenience = superior quality (not to mention all the chemicals helps them win their argument in their eye). They're not really reacting to the taste difference between fresh and processed. There are other factors in the mix. That's my theory anyway.

I grew up in that area (Lambton) and saw the decline of the family farm years ago, when these people were in their prime. Many sold or consolidated their farms, took nearby town jobs, and gave up the old fashioned farm fresh ways. Despite their age, these are modernized rural people, similar to much of the midwest.

[CaliPoutine]

I havent cooked for almost a month. I had a fill in for me last week because I'm still suffering from Kidney stones( will be taken care of tomorrow). The cook who filled in for me used the cherry pies I made. Guess what? No comments about them from anyone. That will be the last time I go to that effort. When the substitute cook served them at her program( we made them together), she got a standing ovation!!

Edited September 16, 2009 by CaliPoutine (log)