Friday, February 3, 2012

Abby: Cooking For the Masses

This week has been a one of the lightest this semester (3 weeks in) thus far.  And yet, this week included 2 quizzes, 1 test, 16 miles of running, 1 massive art project, and 3 nights of cooking.  While I cook at home for myself all the time, this week I cooked for 3 different groups of people this time which is highly unusual for a single week.

On Wednesday I ended up filling in for Jen to cook for the Women's Resource Center.  As a group, we go each week to cook a healthy meal one night for the women staying at the shelter.  With so many cooks in the kitchen, we have been switching off weeks, but when something unexpectedly came up, I was happy to fill in. 
Emily and I made quick and easy chicken and vegetable stir fry, whole grain rice, mandarin oranges, and chocolate pudding. Sooo, technically we didn't make the mandarin oranges, but we try to use the supplies from the donations pantry as much as we can.  I must say, the pantry was pretty stocked! Which is wonderful to see and means people in our area are wanting and willing to help those in need.

 Thursday night, cooking night #2.  This was my week to cook for our "Family Dinners".  Sonny, Nicole and I get together every week and take turns making a home-cooked meal for everyone.  We are now in our 2nd year of this tradition, and what a fantastic one it is.  It is so nice to know that no matter what is going on, or how stressed out the week has been, one night a week you get to sit down to great food and friends.  If you are like me, it is also a lot of fun to try out new recipes or old favorites on new people.

We each bring a different spin and style of cooking to our dinners.  Nicole is usually the comfort foody, while I am the health-freak. This week I made Greek-style Turkey Burgers with yogurt sauce and a cucumber-tomato salad.

The weather has been so nice out this week that I was craving something fresh and mediteranian-esq.

 
 They tell me the yogurt sauce was great! Unfortunately I am going dairy-free this week so I did not try any.  (I have a hunch I might be lactose intolerant, but we shall see).    The burgers were made with extra lean ground turkey breast, diced onions, garlic, oregano, parsley, and a dash of salt-n-pep.
They tasted pretty good with hummus on top to me! Adding in some of the salad, even better!
I actually just got back (7pm) from my 3rd round of cooking.  Kristen called earlier in the week to ask if I wanted to join her in making a "Heart Healthy Meal" in honor of National Heart Health Month for her Alpha-Phi girls.  Of course I said YES! The girls showed up and we took them through a cooking demo, having them prep and cook all their food.  Most of the ladies live on campus and don't get to (or weren't aware how easy it is) to cook meals for themselves.  We had them ask questions while we cooked and hit on so many topics, from "what does organic mean?" to "how to test your frying pan".  I am so glad they wanted to know so much and felt comfortable asking us anything and everything.  My favorite part was getting the girls to try the array of root vegetables Kristen picked out to roast.  Many of them had never heard of (let alone tried) a parsnip, turnip, or beet.  Everything went so well and everyone was so nice! THANKS GIRLS!

I wish I had taken pictures, but maybe Kristen will post some and I'll add them later.  The rest of my week will just have to wait for another day's post. I need to get going on some homework, and yes I know it is a Friday night. :0 )