MaryAnderson60 wrote:
> Hi. I'm Mary and have a cooking question.
>
> My parents are elderly and unwell. I live a few hundred miles away.
> They eat well when I am right there and cooking meals fresh for them,
> but otherwise they tend not to eat much of the time and both have
> become quite thin.
>
> I am thinking of preparing a bunch of meals in advance and freezing
> them for my parents. I plan to use all disposable containers/pans
> and keep preparation/cleanup for my parents to a minimum. I don't
> know that they will eat homemade frozen any better than they eat
> commerically prepared frozen dinners but figure it's worth a shot. I
> also don't have much time to experiment and am hoping someone here
> has some experience freezing meals.
>
> They like lasagne, casseroles, stews, etc. In the case of
> casseroles, would they be tastier prepared and frozen but not cooked
> until ready to eat as opposed to cooking them through so portions
> just need to be reheated? My mother loves New England boiled dinners
> and I'm thinking it should work frozen if I cut the meat thick,
> undercook the veggies and include lots of broth in the portions (?).
> Can anyone tell me if homemade mashed potatos are still good after
> freezing? How about good frozen sweets/dessert recipes?
>
> I would appreciate anyone sharing recipes that freeze well. Any
> hints about preparing complete frozen meals, as opposed to just
> entrees, would also be most welcome.
>
> Meals on Wheels would be ideal for my parents but they won't consider
> it. I even looked at "personal chefs" to cook for them every week
> but price is prohibitive.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> Mary

I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on wheels" people
into her home. She said she didn't like their "looks" (whatever that
meant). My parents are elderly but thankfully still able to fend for
themselves.

To answer your questions: If you don't have a Tilia food sealer, now might
be the time to invest in one. Do your parents have a microwave oven?

Lasagna freezes very well. So does beef stew, creamed chicken, pot roast
with potatoes and carrots. Look around in the freezer section at your
grocery store... almost anything you can buy there can be frozen at home.
This includes all veggies, soups and mashed potatoes.

Noodles and rice freeze well in individual packets. So does baked or
grilled chicken breast. Tons of pre-cooked veggies freeze well. I'm not
much for offering dessert/sweets recipes so I can't help with that.
Although my Dad does love Archway cookies.

Good luck with your parents; I understand how hard that can be.

Jill

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:19:02 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:



>I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on wheels" people
>into her home. She said she didn't like their "looks" (whatever that
>meant).


Just her way of saying she did not want strangers in her home.
My mother was the same way from time to time.

Taffy Stoker wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:19:02 -0600, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>> I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on wheels"
>> people into her home. She said she didn't like their "looks"
>> (whatever that meant).
>
>
> Just her way of saying she did not want strangers in her home.
> My mother was the same way from time to time.

Yes. But did your grandmother starve herself to death? My dad and his
sister went up to her home in Ohio and discovered she couldn't even get up
the stairs to her bedroom; she was sleeping on the sofa. And she couldn't
get to the bathroom, either. They ordered "Meals on Wheels" as a way to
help her without having to put her in a home. When that didn't work, they
moved her to an elderly care facility. She wouldn't eat there, either. She
died about 6 weeks later.

Grandma Mac made the best Potato Soup. No time like the present (it's cold
outside!) to bring the recipe out.

Grandma McQuown's Potato Soup

Cube 4-5 medium potatoes and place in a deep pot. Add 1/4 c. finely chopped
onion, 1/4 tsp. pepper. Add 2 cups chicken broth and enough water to cover
well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Fry 2-3 slices bacon (not too crisp). Crumble and add to the soup. Make
rivlets by mixing 3/4 c. flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 large egg, until mixture
resembles fine crumbs. Add rivlets to the soup and simmer 10-15 minutes.
Add water to the soup if needed.

Serves 6-8

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in
:

> Taffy Stoker wrote:
>> On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:19:02 -0600, "jmcquown"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on wheels"
>>> people into her home. She said she didn't like their "looks"
>>> (whatever that meant).
>>
>>
>> Just her way of saying she did not want strangers in her home.
>> My mother was the same way from time to time.
>
> Yes. But did your grandmother starve herself to death? My dad and
> his sister went up to her home in Ohio and discovered she couldn't
> even get up the stairs to her bedroom; she was sleeping on the sofa.
> And she couldn't get to the bathroom, either. They ordered "Meals on
> Wheels" as a way to help her without having to put her in a home.
> When that didn't work, they moved her to an elderly care facility.
> She wouldn't eat there, either. She died about 6 weeks later.

Maybe she was just "ready" to go.

> Grandma Mac made the best Potato Soup. No time like the present (it's
> cold outside!) to bring the recipe out.
>
> Grandma McQuown's Potato Soup
>
> Cube 4-5 medium potatoes and place in a deep pot. Add 1/4 c. finely
> chopped onion, 1/4 tsp. pepper. Add 2 cups chicken broth and enough
> water to cover well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until
> potatoes are tender.
>
> Fry 2-3 slices bacon (not too crisp). Crumble and add to the soup.
> Make rivlets by mixing 3/4 c. flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 large egg,
> until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add rivlets to the soup and
> simmer 10-15 minutes. Add water to the soup if needed.
>
> Serves 6-8
>
> Jill

The soup sounds good!

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:27:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

>"jmcquown" > wrote in
:
>
>> Taffy Stoker wrote:
>>> On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:19:02 -0600, "jmcquown"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on wheels"
>>>> people into her home. She said she didn't like their "looks"
>>>> (whatever that meant).
>>>
>>>
>>> Just her way of saying she did not want strangers in her home.
>>> My mother was the same way from time to time.
>>
>> Yes. But did your grandmother starve herself to death? My dad and
>> his sister went up to her home in Ohio and discovered she couldn't
>> even get up the stairs to her bedroom; she was sleeping on the sofa.
>> And she couldn't get to the bathroom, either. They ordered "Meals on
>> Wheels" as a way to help her without having to put her in a home.
>> When that didn't work, they moved her to an elderly care facility.
>> She wouldn't eat there, either. She died about 6 weeks later.
>
>Maybe she was just "ready" to go.

For some it is quite like that. They just somehow know thier time is
soon and begin to shut down physically.

Taffy Stoker > wrote in
:

> On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:27:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>>"jmcquown" > wrote in
:
>>
>>> Taffy Stoker wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:19:02 -0600, "jmcquown"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I feel for you. My grandmother refused to let the "meals on
>>>>> wheels" people into her home. She said she didn't like their
>>>>> "looks" (whatever that meant).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Just her way of saying she did not want strangers in her home.
>>>> My mother was the same way from time to time.
>>>
>>> Yes. But did your grandmother starve herself to death? My dad and
>>> his sister went up to her home in Ohio and discovered she couldn't
>>> even get up the stairs to her bedroom; she was sleeping on the sofa.
>>> And she couldn't get to the bathroom, either. They ordered "Meals
>>> on Wheels" as a way to help her without having to put her in a home.
>>> When that didn't work, they moved her to an elderly care facility.
>>> She wouldn't eat there, either. She died about 6 weeks later.
>>
>>Maybe she was just "ready" to go.
>
> For some it is quite like that. They just somehow know thier time is
> soon and begin to shut down physically.

I saw my dad on the day of the night he passed away. He had a heart
problem, but had been in apparently the same condition for some months
and didn't appear to be feeling any worse. He was up and about and
joked at the dinner table. Later that night he passed away from
congestive heart failure.

My mother and I did not know that earlier that same day he told several
neighbors "goodbye" for the final time, saying that he wouldn't be
seeing them again. He must ahve felt or known something, but didn't
want to worry my mother or me.

Wayne

in article , Wayne Boatwright at
wrote on 12/21/03 3:36 PM:

> I saw my dad on the day of the night he passed away. He had a heart
> problem, but had been in apparently the same condition for some months
> and didn't appear to be feeling any worse. He was up and about and
> joked at the dinner table. Later that night he passed away from
> congestive heart failure.
>
> My mother and I did not know that earlier that same day he told several
> neighbors "goodbye" for the final time, saying that he wouldn't be
> seeing them again. He must ahve felt or known something, but didn't
> want to worry my mother or me.
>
> Wayne

Ok. I do believe some people know when it's their time.

My mom called everyone she hadn't spoken to in awhile (Friends and
relatives) for a week before she died. Maybe 8-10 hours before, she and I
were talking about how much she missed her parents and the dog we had who
had died 10 years before.....wow, this coming Tuesday will be 23 years since
my first pet died!!! She even talked about her sister, who died when the
girls were small, maybe 6-7 yrs old. By the time Mom passed, she had talked
to everyone, told them she loved them, and sort of reminded those who were
there before her that she was thinking about them and was looking forward to
seeing them.

But I'm thinking...my dad, on the other hand...he talked to my brother and
sister for New Year's, which was 2 weeks before, but...he really didn't make
the rounds immediately before. My parents, though, were very different in
the way they treated people outside the immediate family. So maybe...in his
mind, his goodbyes were already done because the relationships weren't that
strong. And I was there when he essentially left us (though he lingered in a
coma for 4 days). And I hate to say this, but I honestly was his favorite,
after my Mom, so....maybe to him, he had all he needed or wanted. Who knows?

They are very missed, especially this time of year. And that's really all I
need to know.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> My mother and I did not know that earlier that same day he told several
> neighbors "goodbye" for the final time, saying that he wouldn't be
> seeing them again. He must ahve felt or known something, but didn't
> want to worry my mother or me.

I was friends with a coworker, F R E D Fred, he was going on vacation
for two weeks to Mexico. He was maybe 20 years or so older than I.
Well, the Friday he was leaving, he went out of his way to stop by
my cube, hey Nancy, I'm on my way, I'm really going to miss you.
Wow, that was odd. We didn't even see each other every day any
longer as I'd been moved to a different section of the payroll
programming department. Really struck me.

Two weeks later, I'm walking into work, Monday morning, hey, Fred's
going to be back, I have to go see him. Well, he passed out in the
pool in his back yard the day before. Took him a few years to die,
but he never got off life support or whatever till he did. I swear
he was really saying goodbye.

nancy

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 09:01:03 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:


>Yes. But did your grandmother starve herself to death?

I don't know. My grandparents were long deceased before I was born
but my late mother (who I mentioned in my post btw) loved eating too
much to starve herself.



> My dad and his
>sister went up to her home in Ohio and discovered she couldn't even get up
>the stairs to her bedroom; she was sleeping on the sofa. And she couldn't
>get to the bathroom, either. They ordered "Meals on Wheels" as a way to
>help her without having to put her in a home. When that didn't work, they
>moved her to an elderly care facility. She wouldn't eat there, either. She
>died about 6 weeks later.

Very strange regarding the not eating part.