Hoping to deliver comfort, not additional work.
October 1, 2011 11:57 AM Subscribe
I'm making pastitsio to bring to someone who recently lost a family member. How should I bring it over to her-- baked? Uncooked and ready to bake? Baked and frozen? Baked and portioned into ziploc containers ready-to-freeze?
I want to make it the easiest and the least amount of work for her, but I'm not sure which method of delivery is the most thoughtful. I might make lasagna instead (haven't decided yet), but let's assume some sort of casserole-shaped meal with lots of reheatable leftovers.
I want to make it the easiest and the least amount of work for her, but I'm not sure which method of delivery is the most thoughtful. I might make lasagna instead (haven't decided yet), but let's assume some sort of casserole-shaped meal with lots of reheatable leftovers.
Best answer: I think I would love to receive a baked pastitsio already baked and still in the pan. For one thing, it's not actually bad room temperature (like lasagne--maybe that's just me) and the understanding would be that it just needs to be reheated. That way she can decide whether to reheat the entire pan when the time comes or just portion/s in the microwave. This is really nice of you, btw.
posted by marimeko at 12:45 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by marimeko at 12:45 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Already baked and in the pan, so it looks delicious, and it's ready to eat, or to put out on the table if she is hosting anybody. If you want to put a cherry on it, swing by the store on the way over and buy a pack of disposable gladware so she has something handy to put portions into the freezer with.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:59 PM on October 1, 2011
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:59 PM on October 1, 2011
it'd also be very nice of you to take something ready to bake, then sit with her and talk for a few minutes—i'm assuming she has time, and will be tired—in the kitchen while you bake it for her in her home.
the net effect is that you're showing her that there are folks willing to take care of her in a time of need. the growing smell of prepared food is always a comfort as well.
posted by patricking at 1:11 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
the net effect is that you're showing her that there are folks willing to take care of her in a time of need. the growing smell of prepared food is always a comfort as well.
posted by patricking at 1:11 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: It's for my husband's grandmother whose husband died earlier this week. She's been mostly covered in the food department by others in the first couple of days, so I wanted to bring her something this weekend. I'll definitely bake it, then, and I'll be bringing it over to her tomorrow night when the close family is getting together to help set up the funeral hall.
I'm not sure what she has in the way of storage (she's in her 70s and probably has established quite a bit by now), but it would be a lovely touch to bring a couple of new sets of re-usable ziploc storage containers so that she doesn't have to make anything clean to portion it and freeze it, so thank you for that suggestion as well.
I had heard that someone was planning to bring her a whole turkey, which struck me as somewhat more of an imposition than a gift, and that got me thinking that I should be sure to make it as easy as possible for her during this time. I haven't yet brought anyone a whole anything in my life, so I appreciate the advice!
posted by mireille at 2:38 PM on October 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure what she has in the way of storage (she's in her 70s and probably has established quite a bit by now), but it would be a lovely touch to bring a couple of new sets of re-usable ziploc storage containers so that she doesn't have to make anything clean to portion it and freeze it, so thank you for that suggestion as well.
I had heard that someone was planning to bring her a whole turkey, which struck me as somewhat more of an imposition than a gift, and that got me thinking that I should be sure to make it as easy as possible for her during this time. I haven't yet brought anyone a whole anything in my life, so I appreciate the advice!
posted by mireille at 2:38 PM on October 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you want to offer more options -- if you know this person has a 10" square casserole dish (or whatever) and you have the same size, you can put food in a bag, freeze the bag inside your dish, and pass along the frozen meal that will pop right into her baking dish...
posted by kmennie at 12:05 PM on October 1, 2011