Nevertheless, it's an offering which always makes me a bit bashful. So many of the other seasoned "church moms" are so talented and well-practiced, that the kitchen standards they set seem impossibly high.
When I lived in Boston, the congregation was so small that I often times could prep and cook on my own. [Especially with the help of a miracle dishwasher.] Or at the very least, I could clearly see myself as the director of controlled chaos.
Since returning to the bay, I've gained the help of my mom as the other half of my cooking team. Mom is great. She's uber-conscientious about menu planning and prep work - This is especially useful since our congregation meets in a temporary space that lacks its own kitchen. She's always thinking twelve steps ahead about everything from ingredient shopping to the logistics of how to load the minivan to minimize the unloading time at the curb. Yes. My mom rocks.
However, I still struggle to gracefully accept the help of such a proactive and opinionated partner. e.g. "Do we ALWAYS have to serve a soup, Ma?!?"
Mom-daughter drama at my age? Sadly, yes. Pray for me; I'm still growing =/
So, when a sister called me up for one of my church recipes this week... a recipe way back from my first year of church cooking, I knew I could easily find a copy of exactly what I prepared. Why? In my mother's infinite wisdom, she used to make me write down exactly what I would prepare BEFORE our Sabbath meal.
Let that be a nice reminder to all of us: if your mommy is helpful - let her be helpful.
The original inspiration recipe from our local newspaper long ago
My handwritten Chicken Cacciatore recipe circa '03-ish
