Snacks

Christmas Wassail

I love the holidays! There is nothing like sipping something hot by the Christmas Tree watching the lights.
2 qts. of apple juice
2 cups of orange juice
1 cup of lemon juice
1 and one-half teaspoon of whole cloves
5 cups of pineapple juice
Sugar or honey to taste
1 cinnamon stick

Heat all the ingredients in a large pan or crock-pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick. Serve in a crock-pot to keep warm. Light a candle, put on a Christmas CD and enjoy!

They do make packaged cider mix that is really tasty and easy, but this recipe is something extra special (and not quite as sugary).

Spinach Dip

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not use fresh)
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo
1 (4 oz.) pkg. dried vegetable soup mix
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped (I’ve used chives, also)
Loaf of round bread ( I used sourdough, but you can use pumpernickle,etc.)
Squeeze spinach until dry. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut slice from top of round loaf of bread, hollow out loaf to leave shell to contain dip. Use bread removed from shell and top slice to cut into bite size pieces. Butter inside of bread shell, fill loaf with dip and place on platter and surround with bread pieces and/or variety of raw vegetables.

Chocolate Fondue

Now this is a Pampered Chef recipe and I hope I am not infringing on any copyright codes by sharing it with you, but this is one of the most popular party dishes I have ever taken anywhere. Just serve with fresh fruit, marshmallows, cookies or whatever tickles you fancy. I love Pampered Chef and own many of their cookbooks as well as cooking gadgets, serving pieces and other odds and ends I have a rectangle baking stone that I absolutely love!
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (thawed)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 rum or vanilla extract (optional)
Place chocolate morsels and half of the whipped topping in a small bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. Fold in remaining whipped topping, cinnamon, and rum extract, if desired; mix until smooth. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. To serve, spoon fondue into small bowl.
Yield: 2 cups

The Best Ever Cheese Dip

This is a really good nacho dip. I can’t count how many youth parties and church get-togethers I have been asked to bring this dip. I think the mushroom soup makes the difference-you decide.

1 pound of ground beef or sausage, browned and drained
1 pound of Velveeta cheese
1 can of Rotel
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Add all the ingredients to a crock-pot. Set on high and let it cook up, stirring often. It can be cooked quicker in the microwave if you need to, but it isn’t as good. Be sure to turn the crock-pot off or on low. It will burn if you are not carefully.

Salsa

“Why make salsa when you can buy it at the store,” you say? You have never had this salsa! It was first introduced to us by a family that we knew from Venezuela. I have also seen Martha Stewart make a version of it on her show. We eat buckets of this stuff in the summer time.

4-6 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
Juice of one lemon
Optional: green or yellow pepper, cilantro, and oregano

Chop up all fresh ingredients in the food processor. Be sure to pulse some of the tomatoes so that you still have some “chunks.” Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

You can eat this stuff with chips, on eggs, over steak. It’s wonderful!

The Main Dish

Beef Brisket

This is a version of a recipe my dad has used for years to serve the church folks. It is absolutely delicious. These portions are a bit small. I would double them for extra yummieness and use the juices after cooking to make some gravy. I've literally seen folks drool (in a good way) after eating this brisket.

4-6 lbs. beef brisket
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 can beef broth
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T.. liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together all of the liquid ingredients together then add to whatever you want to marinate your meat in. We’ve done it in the big cooker pans (you know which one I mean). Marinade meat overnight in refrigerator. Place meat and marinade in oven-proof pan. Cover tightly and bake at 300 degrees for 4-5 hours. The meat should fall apart.

P.S. I have a distinct childhood memory concerning this brisket recipe. My parents had assembled pans and pans of brisket and marinated it at home and were in the process of carting it to the church in my mom's car to bake it. Somebody hit a bump and one of the pans went spilling all over the upholstered seats. That car smelled like liquid smoke and vinegar for years afterwards.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This might sound fancy, but this version is fairly simple to make. You can make a sauce out of mushroom soup, sour cream and a little lemon juice, but I think it's fine just like it is.

8 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (estimate for 2 pieces of chicken per person...we all like chikin')
8 slices of Swiss cheese (just don't use that cheap imitation white cheese)
8 slices of ham
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of seasoned flour (just add salt & pepper or some all-purpose seasoning salt or a little bit of parsley)
1 cup of breadcrumbs

Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a ziplock bag. Pound with a meat mallet until fairly thin. This should help you relieve some stress.
Season the open fillets with salt and black pepper. Place a cheese and ham slice on each fillet. fold the fillet in half to enclose the filling. You can also roll them and “fasten” them with toothpicks. Just be sure to warn folks or make the toothpicks obvious. You don't want anyone to become impaled by a wayward toothpick.
Coat each of the fillets in the flour. Dip them in the egg and then roll in the dry crumbs, turning to get an even coat.
Bake them in a lightly greased oven dish at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Everone will think you are a gourmet cook!

Mama Leone's Lasanga

No. My mama (or her's either) is not Leone. But she has had Leone's Italian Cookbook since I can remember. I don't think there is a drop of Italian blood flowing through our veins, but I still absolutely love lasagna, ravioli, polenta. I love the rich meaty sauces and garlic...I love garlic. This is our standard "serve to impress" lasagna recipe. It is modified a little...Mama L really did it up. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time. This isn't a throw it together kind of recipe. You could even make it ahead of time and refrigerate just before the "baking" step.

Tomato Sauce

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork (though I've been known to use Italian sausage)

10 fresh parsley springs, leaves only (though just a few shakes of dried parsley will do)

2 large garlic cloves, mashed

1/4 cup olive oil

14 cup of butter (you can do without it if you need to)

3/4 pound onions, peeled and diced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds peeled, chopped tomatoes

1 small green pepper

3 T. tomato paste

Saute meat, olive oil, butter (yeah right!), & onions in skillet. Add parsley and garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes. Ad tomatoes and green pepper and cook for 10 minutes. If you are going to use the meatballs this is where you do it. If you do use them cook for 1 1/2 hours on simmer. If not just cook sauce for another 30 minutes or so. When cooked add the toato paste.

Now Mama L's recipe calls for meatballs. You can make these if you want too. I usually don't.

Meat Balls

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1/2 small garlic clove

Fresh parsley

1/2 cup bread crums

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Lg. egg

1/2 cup of small raisins (optional, in my opinion)

1 t. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix well and form into small balls. You should get about 32.

Now Mama L also gives a recipe for making your own lasagna noodles. If you are considering that just quitely turn off your computer and consider taking your guests to the Golden Corral. You don't have to be so fancy (though I will admit I have gone so far as to make my own noddles from time to time...but then again I have issues). Use premade lasagna noodles and cook them according to the directions on the box.

Sauce for Top of Lasanga

Oh yes. Mama has a top, too.

2 T. of butter, melted

2 T. of heavy cream

3/4 cup of your previously made Tomato Sauce

2 T. of flour

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a sauce pain. Heat. Stir slowly nd add flour.

Assembling the Lasagna

Do it in this order

Tomato Sauce

Cooked Lasanga noodles

Ricotta Cheese (you will need 2 lbs. total)

Grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 cups total)

Do this for about three layers. End with a layer of lasanga noodles and cover with sauce. Cover pan with foil and bake in an 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for about 20 minutes longer. Mama L says that this will serve 8. Yummy!

This is my “Mama Leone’s Lasanga Recipe is just too much for me” Lasagna

Recipe

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. ground meat

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1 28 oz. can tomato puree

2 tsp. Italian seasoning (basil)

1 tsp. oregano

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

1/4 c. milk 2 eggs parsley

1 1 lb. package lasagna noodles

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook sausage and then add garlic and a little olive oil in a large skillet. Drain.. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato puree, Italian seasoning, and oregano. Simmer to allow flavors to blend, give or take ten minutes.Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, milk in small bowl. Add chopped parsley to taste. Lay lasagna noodles in 9 x 13 pan. Cover with very hot water and allow to stand at least five minutes. I would then take them out and lay on a damp towel while you assemble the lasagna.In a 9 x 13 spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom. Arrange one layer of the noodles on the sauce. Spread a thin layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Scatter a layer of sausage over the cheese. Follow with a layer of sauce. Repeat to the top of the baking dish, ending with noodles topped with sauce. Scatter mozzarella over the top. To serve, cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees about one hour. Remove foil for the last ten minutes of cooking time.

New-Comer Fellowship

New-Comer fellowships or Dinners are events that allow visitors or new attendees to get to know your pastor and your staff better. They are important because they help connect people to other individuals and to leadership. They are generally are in more intimate settings. There are plenty of options when planning a New-Comer Dinner for your church.

How Often?
This depends on the size and type of church you have. If you are in a larger church or have a lot of visitors you need to have them as often as you can. A lot of people slip through the cracks. It’s important to make them feel welcome and a part of your group. Some churches have them once a month. You also could consider once a quarter or once every other month.

What type?
Again, this depends on your church and basically your gifts. We pastored a small church for a few years where it was easier to host small groups in our home. That is a great option for church plants or even small groups. Dinners are always the best option….everybody likes a free meal. Of course, you can always just serve coffee and dessert. Though I prefer appetizers and snacks to solely dessert. If you have staff assign everyone a appetizer, salad, etc. to bring. I’ve given you some menu ideas on down.

The Invitation
Be sure you make announcements and place it in your bulletin. There might be somebody you miss by just a letter or email invitation only. Plus, open it up to newer visitors. Maybe a family is just visiting your church, but wants to learn more about the church. Make it an open invitation. Call, email, send a card, announce it, stick it in the bulletin and make a flyer to hang on your bulletin boards. You’ll get plenty of attention. Most importantly, just ask somebody. We were “pew sitters” during a difficult time in our lives. We would hear of church events and think “that sounds like fun,” but felt so disconnected that we didn’t make the effort. It would have made a big difference for someone to come to us and say, “please would you…” I never knew how much that makes a difference until I was outside of the loop looking in.

The Decor

I could go on and on about this, but make sure you make your event look warm and inviting. Nothing too fancy. You might consider decorating seasonally. For spring you could garden themed table decorations (planters, small clean garden tools, pretty garden gloves & flowers). If it is summertime consider using beach decorations (inflatables, beach towels, sunglasses, sand toys). For fall use scarecrows, pumpkins and mums. In winter decorate with snowmen or snowflakes. If you wish to keep it really simple purchase or make decorations that you can use over and over again. I had some really pretty wooden birdhouses I had purchased on year (Hobby Lobby half-price) for a Home Missions convention. I just added some greenery and we had very cute tables. (For the Home Missions convention I added small American flags)

All About Me
Make out a fun and non-threatening form for people to fill out at your event. You might make this part of your icebreaker game time. It will give people a chance to let you know a little bit more about themselves. Include a section for prayer needs and any area of interest to get involved in. Don’t make it complicated. People don’t want to feel like they are signing away their first born or anything.

Here is a link for some interesting questions to ask.
http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/

The Games
You need an ice breaker or two to lighten the mood. Keep in mind that these are visitors and might not be comfortable trying to pass an orange along under their chin. Here are a few sites for ice breakers.

http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/icebreakers.html - she also has a link at the bottom of the page for other sites

http://www.homefellowshipleaders.com/Homefellowship_Guide/LG/97_icebr1.html

http://training-games.com/pdf/40FreeIceBreakers.pdf

The Food
You should do the best you can. Don’t do potluck. This is an evening just for your guests. They don’t need to stress out about what to bring. If you have a group in your church that does the cooking for functions let them assist you. If you chose to do dessert have your staff bring a dessert or two a piece. Just keep this in mind. You are going to have some folks with health issues. I am diabetic. I cringe every time I am invited to a dessert party. I either don’t get to eat or I spend the night in a sugar coma. I like the snack party idea better if you are not going to serve dinner. Here are some of my favorite menus for a New-Comer Dinner. I have recipes or tips under my recipe label.

Lasagna (save your Spaghetti recipe for an all church event – I have a recipes for both on this site!)
Salad
Garlic Bread
Dessert

Beef Brisket
Smashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Hot Rolls
Dessert

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Smashed Potatoes or Baked Potatoes
Salad
Dessert


The Goodies
Make sure everyone goes home with something. You can either put together a goodie bag or make your own favors. There are plenty of printable templates for candy bar wrappers, etc. Just add your church information.
Here are a list of items you might consider for your goodie bags.

Samples of hand lotion, note pads, candy, bookmarks, calendars, pens, magnets, small devotionals, gum

Here are a few links for printable favors or other favor ideas.
http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/favors.html - love her

http://sawyers-specialties.com/survival-kits/ has survival kit ideas. Really cute!

http://alenkasprintables.com/free_printables.shtml

http://www.primdoodles.com/printables.asp

Door Prizes
Gift certificates from local restaurants, car washes, retail stores, gas stations

http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/doorprizes.PDF Once again Julia has some wonderful tips and ideas for door prizes.

The Fellowship
It is so important for your guests to feel comfortable. If you have staff, mix them up in between the guests. If it is just you and your family consider having another church family involved. Encourage your helpers to be friendly and engaging.

Here is a sample event schedule

Opening Prayer
Meal
Ice Breakers
Short Introduction to church, staff, ministries
Open Forum (answer any questions)
Door Prize Giveaway
Closing Prayer

The Follow-Up
Be sure to send a thank-you card to all your guests. If possible, write out a hand-written note. Though for many people now emails are perfectly expectable. Follow-up with any prayer requests, volunteer services, etc. that they might have indicated on their All About Me form.

Salads

Broccoli Tree Salad

This recipe probably has a proper name, but this is what my mom always calls it. There are several versions of this recipe. I took what I liked from all of them. I also like to serve this in a clear truffle serving dish I bought at Wal-mart.

Four cups of raw broccoli
One pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled (no bacon bits, please!)
¼ cup of green onions, chopped
½ cup of golden raisins
½ cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of mayo
½ cup of sugar
½ cup of red wine vinegar

Just dump everything into a big bowl. Just be sure you mix your mayo, sugar and vinegar in a separate little bowl first and then add later. Stir everything around really good and refrigerate.

Chinese Cabbage Salad
I could eat this all by itself. I’ve used this recipe for potlucks, leadership meetings, company meals, & and just because.

1 medium head green cabbage (or Napa cabbage)…I use the already pre-cut coleslaw mix

2 pkg Ramen noodles (though you can get away with one)

1 cup of nuts (use almonds, sesame seeds, whatever)

4-5 green onions,

sliced1 stick butter or margarine

DRESSING:

1/2 Cup vegetable oil (try putting a few drops of sesame oil in)

1/2 Cup sugar - though if you are sugar conscious try other alternatives (like Splenda) or simply use less sugar.

1 Tbs Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup vinegar

I have also been known to put a bit of the ramen noodle seasoning packet in with it….Just taste and see.

Shred cabbage like you would for coleslaw and add sliced green onions. Place in a large bowl. In a large saute pan, melt the butter or margarine. Crumble ramen noodles in the package. Remove packet of seasoning from the noodles and saute noodles with the slivered almonds and sesame seeds until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes and add to cabbage & onions. Whisk oil, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl. Toss with cabbage/noodle mix. Make sure you wait to dress it right before serving it.

Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Country Breakfast Casserole
There are plenty of good breakfast casseroles out there. Some might even be simpler, but I like the extra ingredients.

2 1/2 cups seasoned croutons
1 pound of sausage, though I have used ham or bacon
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed,
drained and squeezed dry..you can add chopped broccoli instead
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped (optional)
2 cups of shredded cheese

Spread croutons on bottom of greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cook up whatever meat you decide to use and spread it out over the croutons.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended. Stir in soup, spinach, mushrooms, cheeses and mustard. Pour egg mixture over sausage and croutons. Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

Hashbrown Casserole
This is a favorite for any occasion. I guarantee they’ll be asking for more!

1 package of frozen hashbrowns (shredded or diced will work-I prefer the diced.)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 package of shredded cheddar cheese
1 small carton of sour cream
½ stick of melted margarine or butter
½ onion, chopped
Topping (optional): crushed cornflakes, ½ stick of melted margarine

Saute the onion in the butter. Mix all the ingredients well in a large bowl. Put into a well-greased 9X13 pan. Cover with topping, if desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Mom’s Biscuits
This recipe is a family heirloom. This is actually my great-grandmother’s recipe. She was a pastry cook for a fancy hotel way back when. My grandmother also made them, passing down the recipe to mom and from my mom to me. We don’t bother with canned biscuits. These are simple and delicious! You can even make them extra special around the holidays. Use your cookie cutters…stars, pumpkins, hearts…how fun!

2 cups of flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. of baking powder
¼ cup of shortening (cooking oil works, too.)
1 cup of milk, give or take

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix with shortening and milk. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut out biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheet or pie plate and bake at 450 until brown (not too brown-just a little!)

You can top these with anything…jelly, sausage gravy, chicken and noodles…anything!

A Celebration of Thanks

Nothing like a church potluck. Of course, you can always choose to do things a bit differntly (like have your ladies (or men) prepare a big meal),but nothing beats the church potluck. You will never eat so well. So how to make things special?

Decor
I have to confess to having a bit of an obession with fall decor. I have pumpkins. Willow pumpkins, glass pumpkins, metal pumpkins, wood pumpkins...even paper mache pumpkins. Any church we have ever pastored soon found itself with a wide array of fall decorations also. It's not always possible to spend a lot of money on decorations for your tables so here are some things I have done in the past.

A really cheap and attractive start is with your table covering. Even if you have plain white plastic table clothes consider buying some of those long paper table coverings from a party store. They will hve everything from cute and country pumpkins to stylish leaves and cornucopias. Cut them in half and you have instant table runners. If they are the kind that have a white center, just use the printed sides. Save the white centers to cover your food tables. If you can afford to purchase matching napkins or napkins in similar colors. Party stores also have the paper place mates, but a table runner is just enough. Make a passionate plea for any spare fall pretties folks might not be using (or can loan just the evening). If you wish to start collecting some decor for every year try and do so during the last few weeks of the season when it is really marked down. Don't wait too late...I've spent many a madcap shopping trip scrounging through leftover fall foilage. A store like Hobby Lobby is wonderful about having half price sales. One year I got dozens of willow pumpkins for just a few dollars a piece. We were having a community Thanksgiving service and needed lots of decorations. Check out dollar stores. I purchased stand-up scarecrows for little or nothing one year. Don't be afraid of the great outdoors either. Use pretty leaves (be sure to cut the day of!) or pinecones and acorns. One of the prettiest Thanksgiving dinners we ever had though came from a big "oops" on my part. I had planned an event for another church and used some of my best stuff doing these gorgeous tablescapes with garland made of leaves, pumpkins, candles,fabric, etc...thinking I had plenty of stuff to do our own dinner at church. Imagine mydismay when I discovered upon inspection that I completely had blown it. Nothing left but a few scrawy leaves and a pumpkin or two. A friend and deacon's wife had a brilliant idea. A local florist was willing to loan us however many flower arrangements we needed, as long as we mentioned her shop. We added a few elegant candle holders and wow! We had gorgeous tables. Don't be afraid to mix and match any supplies you might have...the tables don't have to look the same!

Treats and Treasures
I love to make every occasion with the church family a special one. One way you can do this is to send them home with a favor or something special. I have a couple links below that will give you a few crafty ideas for treats and treasures.


http://pie.midco.net/grammalowe/thanksgiving.html

http://www.printables.thecraftcafe.com/thanksgivingtablesetting.html

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10500

http://www.paperandmore.com/articles/box_templates/


You can have your missionette (or girl's group) help prepare favors or placecards...Sounds like a badge in progress to me!

The Service
You can choose a guest speaker or have a short service, but I have found the most touching services to be those that were filled with testimony and song. You can ask for volunteers or select a group that can testify about God's goodness during the past year...We all should have something to say! Be sure to leave plenty of time to fellowship...encourage your folks to invite friends and family. This is a perfect time for those who wouldn't normally come to church to be introduced to your church family.