Green Bean Casserole Kits: A Collection of Materials

by Tracy Cook on 10/14/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors

It is time to start collecting Green Bean Casserole Kits!

Cooking Covenant Group is now taking donations for Green Bean Casserole Kits. For just $8.00, we will donate a complete Green Bean Casserole Kit to NAM. You can donate more than this at your discretion. Partial kits are also fantastic!

Or, you may purchase the food on your own and bring it up to church the next time you are up there! (No need for you to get a foil pan or a 2-gallon baggie, I get those in bulk when we are putting the kits together.)

A complete kit includes:

• 2 cans of green beans
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 can of crispy fried onions
• 1 8-ounce box of shelf-stable milk

• 1 foil pan to cook it in
• 1 baggie to hold everything together

We will be collecting money and/or food until Wednesday, November 20.

Please send your money to Tracy Cook, facilitator for Cooking Covenant Group, with the tag “GBC Kit”.

Venmo: @Tracy-Cook-35 (Picture of my dog laying down)
PayPal: gtcook@swbell.net (Picture of my dog standing up and looking at the camera)
Zelle: gtcook@swbell.net (Picture of my dog standing up and looking at the camera) 

Tamales: A Demonstration

by Tracy Cook on 10/11/2024

On November 2, from 3:00-whenever we finish, we will make TAMALES!!! If you’ve always wanted to know how to make these tasty little packages of yumminess, please bring a filling of your choosing, already cooked. How much filling do you bring?! I would recommend that you bring enough to fill a 9X13 casserole. That’s enough for you to have some, and also share with others. You will walk away with at least a dozen, but probably two dozen. I guess it depends on how many we consume directly from the pot they steam in, ha!

If you can’t make a filling for whatever reason, then just come over and see how the tamales are assembled. Lend a hand, laugh your butt off, and leave with a dozen tamales. No charge for this, but you do have to fill them and then stay until the tamales are cooked. 

Some fillings I have made in the past:

ALL gluten-free!!!

• Sweet Potato with Ginger (vegan)
• Black Bean (vegan)
• Black Bean and Queso Fresco
• King’s Ranch 
• Vegetarian King’s Ranch
• Pulled Pork (takes two days)
• Shredded Chicken
• Chicken Mole (takes two days, or take a shortcut and use bottled mole sauce - no judgment!)

There’s more, but you get the idea! Just a tip, though…You don’t want the filling to be too wet. For the King’s Ranch versions, I drained all the canned items and the cooked veggies, and added cream cheese instead of cheddar. Look for more inspiration on Pinterest or Google, or think of what your favorite filling might be. Be creative! Make a dessert version, that’s what the sweet potato one is!

We will meet at Dawn and Elisa’s home. Maybe next year I can host, but not yet 🙁 Please contact Elisa if you need the address. I made a mistake last time and sent someone on a wild goose chase…

Also in November is Bread Communion! Oh, I do love me some bread!  This is one of my favorite UU traditions. I enjoy hearing about everyone’s family recipe, hearing their story of their bread contribution, and tasting all the yummy loaves. Whether it comes from a bakery or is homemade, it’s all good! 

This service will be held up at Tapestry on November 24. Bring your bread or bread-based dish sliced and ready to serve for Fellowship Hour.

Spooky Foods: A Potluck-style Event

by Tracy Cook on 9/4/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors

October is sneaking up on us, oooooooo! Time for Spooky Foods! We will have our annual Spooky Foods Party showcasing Halloween foods such as Mummy-Dogs (pictured here) and Werewolf Nails, and any other treat you can think of that fits the theme. Sweet or savory, doesn’t matter. It can be gross-looking, or just have a creepy name. The Werewolf Nails are simply Bugles directly from the bag, ha! You can go over to Pinterest for inspiration, or use your very own brains…metaphorically speaking, of course.

We will meet on Saturday, October 5, from 3:00-4:30 PM up at the church. This will be a potluck-style event, so bring your food ready-to-eat. Kids are welcome to attend this time, too, so bring the little monsters with you!

Please RSVP below, or by emailing cooking@uutapestry.org.

Freezer Meals: Make Together

by Tracy Cook on 8/26/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors!

Saturday, September 7 at 3:00 PM Cooking Covenant Group is assembling Freezer Meals at Dawn and Elisa’s home. This meeting has been so much fun it has become an annual tradition!

Remember to send me your choices, either via email (cooking@uutapestry.org) or by commenting below. If you want me to print labels I can certainly do that!

If you would like to order reusable plastic bags, there are a bunch available on Amazon. You might want to order them soon, though, since they have to have time to get here.

Other supplies you will need:

• A knife
• A cutting board
• A can opener
• A spatula for getting every last drop of goodness from the cans
• A cooler with ice packs
• All of the food for your meals - just the food! (I’m providing spices and broths)
• Printouts of all of the recipes you plan to prep

I will provide:

• All of the spices
• Broths (chicken, beef, vegetarian, and vegan/gluten-free)
• Labels if you tell me which meals you want
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Gallon-sized baggies
• Sharpies if you don’t want labels
• Support!!!

Freezer Meals: Make Together

by Tracy Cook on 8/12/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors

It’s the start of the school year for many, or maybe some among us are ready for it to start getting cooler…Pumpkin Spice season will be here soon! Well, for me it’s ALWAYS time for Pumpkin Spice, ha!

But for Cooking Covenant Group, the first Saturday in September is Freezer Meal time. We get together and prepare meals for our freezers, and laugh a LOT!

This year, I’m doing things a little bit differently. My house is (still) on the market, so I can’t have a bunch of supplies sitting around waiting. Each participant will be responsible for their own foods - but I will provide the spices and broths. I have these already, nothing to change. And I know spices can get expensive.

I also will print out labels for whichever meals you wish to make, because I have a bazillion. I make freezer meals all the time, I love how easy they are!

I have every kind of meal available - carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, keto, camping meals, breakfast and lunch options, you name it, I probably have it! Send me your preferences, and I will send you back the recipes, grocery lists divided into sections of the store (just WOW!), and the labels. If you want me to print the labels, I can do that as well.

What you will need:

• Email me or message me you meal preferences
  • If you want some ideas, let me know and I can give some suggestions
• Buy the food
  • You do NOT need to buy any spices or broths
• Bring them to Dawn and Elisa’s home on Saturday, September 7 at 3:00 PM
• Bring a knife, a cutting board, a spatula to reach every last drop of goodness, and a can opener
• A chilled cooler, for your meats if you are a carnivore, or for your meals regardless of dietary preferences
• IF YOU WOULD LIKE, you can also buy reusable gallon-sized baggies. The labels will stick to them. Most things will not stain (turmeric probably will, and tomato paste might) But even if something does stain, the baggies will not absorb the smells. You can have tomato paste in one, and then use that same baggie later for oatmeal.

What I will provide:

• Gallon-size disposable baggies
• Spices
• Broths (chicken, beef, vegetarian, and vegan/gluten-free)
• Measuring spoons and cups

I love making Freezer Meals so much, and I hope you will, too! See you on September 7 ❤️