The beginnings of spring?

We had a full house tonight, with quite a few new faces.  And so that makes today an especially good day.  Is it the good weather that has brought the new faces and, if so, does that mean we will continue to have new clients as the weather continues to warm?  I hope so.  The food, as usual, was wonderful, with several extra special veggie dishes prepared by volunteers, fresh orange slices, and some crazy good desserts.  Kids got ice cream.  P-L-E-A-S-E join us in June.

"Delicious" is what several clients said as they left, thanking us for a great meal.

New faces #1

New faces #2
(There's ice cream in their future.)

Noodle What?

We've officially switched to one of our summer menus:  noodle kugel.  This dish is as addictive as our eggplant parmesan.  We receive a lot of compliments and most people want seconds. I had an near Abbott-and-Costello moment tonight with one of our customers, that went something like this:

                            Guest:  Honey, what is this called?

                            Me:  Noodle kugel.

                            Guest:  Cooked noodles?

                            Me:  It's called noodle kugel.

                            Guest:  Noodle good what?

                            Me:  Kugel.  That's what it's called.   It's just a funny name.

So, I thought I would give some explanation.  First of all, "kugel" is pronounced "coo-gul."  It's a noodle casserole made with egg  noodles, and it can be sweet or savory, and maybe even both. Apparently, kugels were originally cooked in a round pan and were puffed up and round, so the dish was named "kugel," meaning "ball" in German.  Whatever, join us in May, when we'll be having that yummy noodle dish.

Below are some pics from the evening.  The lady on the bottom was the lucky recipient of our monthly free raffle.

The Klondike Series

Last week, I wandered down to the cafeteria at work and was thrilled to find some pretty good-looking vegetarian chili.  Our chili tonight was even better, and it was free.  We hope more people will discover us.  We are a wonderful source of healthy and delicious home-cooked food.  Tonight we had two kinds of home-made vegetarian chili, baked potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese, butter and sour cream, salad, hard-boiled eggs, and Klondike bars.  Please join us next month.  We'll have another great meal and we may have some music. 

Klondike bars and music: what a life!

I was away for the February Elijah's Table dinner at the synagogue, and it looks as though I missed a great time.  Live music and Klondike bars for dessert!  What could be better?  I dare say the young helpers, and the lovely teen volunteer who took these pictures for me.  Join us in March.  I'll be looking for you.

"You're a godsend."

Gosh, tonight was so busy that I failed to take more than just a handful of pictures.  Here are two that I like, of new and happy customers.

Don't let the empty table in the top picture fool you.  The folks pictured came early and the place was hopping by the start of the meal.  By the way, the salad and tangy green bean dish were especially delicious.  And, aside from the great dinner, we had a TON of desserts to give away.

As she was leaving, one of our regular customers said, "You're a godsend."  Funny, but that is how I feel about our customers and our volunteers.  You are all wonderful.

Chocolate Snowmen

Though it's taken me a while to write, December's ET was terrific.  We had eggplant parmesan, cheesy broccoli, mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, and more.  And the tables had been decorated by our ever-helpful teen volunteers with snowmen drawings covered with well-placed chocolates. To top off the evening, we had a lively Christmas sing-a-long. All that was missing was the snow. Maybe in January.  Hope you'll be there.

Three lovely servers.

Yummy table decoration.

A cornucopia of blessings.

The Community Meals Network 's Thanksgiving Day dinner (held at the Church of the Transfiguration on Thanksgiving Day) was a huge success.  And by that I mean there was great food, great decorations, great music, and many smiling faces -- volunteers and guests. 

What is the Community Meals Network?  It is a group of organizations devoted to delivering free meals in a welcoming environment to the public.  Those organizations are:  Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Etz Hayim Synagogue, First Parish Church, Saint Jude Parish Community, St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church,  Sonshine Soup Kitchen, The Salvation Army, and West Running Brook Middle School.

And what is it all about?  It is not just about food, but about providing a community space, a place of the heart, where people can gather and enjoy each other's company and good will.

Here are some highlights:

Centerpieces and decorations made by Etz Hayim Synagogue teens and West Running Brook students.  Gorgeous!

The chef.  We couldn't have done it without you.

Volunteers arrived early to set up the tables, and made friends over coffee. 

Etz Hayim Synagogue teens helped serve.

Pie x pi.

A "Thanksgiving blessing mix" delivered by three angels (see below).

The early shift.  There were waves of volunteers.  This was the first shift.

The terrific young men who joined us for the day.

More wonderful young men.  The day wouldn't have been half so wonderful without you.

The three angels (see above).

Making butter patties.

Singing ALL THE VERSES to "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands."

Napkin Folding 101.