[Week 5] Cooking for a Local Senior! Lemon Bars, Stuffed Peppers, Chicken & Gravy, & More!
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
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![[Week 3] Cooking meals to donate but not everything went according to plan...](/img/n.gif)
I love your authenticity and your hiccups are great for teaching purposes to demonstrate how to rescue a meal without waste. Good job!
Don't stress about mistakes. I've been cooking for over 50 yrs and mistakes still happen and I'm always learning new tricks and better methods. You are doing a wonderful thing and I am always amazed at your great meal plans.
13:47 always included your stumbles. We all do it so it’s nice to see how you pivot and save the day.
So wonderful 😊
your mistakes are tips to us.. always include them in your videos. Your neighbor is very fortunate to have you in her life. Great meals prepared.. What was your final cost in making these weeks worth? A lot of videos I enjoy the voice overs because you need to keep your mind in the moment of cooking not trying to fill air gaps with talking.
Usually the cost for everything ends up somewhere around $100 to $120, but I'm still in the "experimental phase" so once I have a good basic menu that I can rotate through I can try to sure up the costs of everything.
Maybe a way to keep some of your cost down in the future is to start a neighbor pantry in your home . Take one cabinet in your kitchen if you can spare it and add items like pasta, rice, canned veggies , tomatoes and pastes , pasta sauces , gravy packets ,rice packets , stuffing ,instant potatoes, minced garlic , bread crumbs , muffin , cookie and pancake mixes . Just as you find items on sale as you shop you could add a little at a time and replenish as you use items up .Then on cooking days all you would shop for would be fresh meat ,veggies , fruit and dairy . This is a beautiful and selfless thing you are doing ..the World needs more Rebecca's in it ❤
@@stacyosteen4616 wow this is such a great idea! Love it.
@@stacyosteen4616 screenshotting this list as an idea for my own pantry 😁
@stacyosteen4616 I screenshotted this for myself but that is so smart tho!!! It would be good to help stock up for the winter time too!! Thank you so much for the idea I hope she sees your comment!!❤❤❤
I really love all the different types of meals you make, and I appreciate that you show the mistakes as well as the successes. Cooking seems really difficult to people who aren't used to doing it, and showing how you can do something "wrong" and then get success out of it makes the whole concept of meal prep seem less daunting to those whoo don't feel like they can do it. Plus, now I'm going to make myself some chicken and gravy with stuffing soon, because that looks delish.
Thank you so much! and definitely make the chicken & gravy for sure
All of the meals, dessert, & fruit looked delicious!! Your elderly neighbor & her nephew are truly blessed to have you looking out for them! FANTASTIC job as always!🎉🍽💝
No hiccups were seen. I saw a very good person providing a much appreciated service to the community. Bless you
💯 ❤❤
Right 👍🏻❤
Yes!🎉🎉
Absolutely so did I ❤
You are doing a great job! I would watch whether you did voice-overs or showed us everything you did! I love this series and just know that you are making a huge difference in these people's lives. Keep up the great work!
This!! 10,000% ❤❤❤❤
Yes God bless you Rebecca ❤😊
I make breakfast for a small church group on Fridays. I always have plenty. We found a dear elderly lady on our walks , I asked her if I could bring her a breakfast treat on Fridays ,she was tinkled picked! No allergies.
I miss our community church breakfast, was every Saturday morning, we would always eat but donate about $5.00 each, we really need it back times are harder than ever.
Everything looks delicious! I’m sure it will be enjoyed and greatly appreciated. Don’t worry about the “hiccups”. We all have hiccups regardless of how long we’ve been cooking and preparing meals. I have a breakfast idea for you. After cooking for an elderly neighbor for years, it dawned on me he might enjoy biscuits & sausage gravy. It was a big hit! I also took him a Five Cup Fruit Salad to round out the meal.
10 out of 10 from me. No judgment. It all looked great and yummy. What's most important is people r fed.
Amen I agree!❤
Rebecca..what wonderful meals! I would be very curious if the Health Care worker noticed if the Senior and her Grandson had gained any weight from these delicious meals! 😂 I am thinking you upped their quality of life. So wonderful of you. I look forward to this series of your videos! ❤️❤️
I can’t tell you how much I admire you for acting and living as a humanitarian. First, with your Dollar Tree meal ingenuity for those that may be struggling with finances or homelessness or other tough living situations and now, with your community kitchen taking care of an older woman with memory issues and her challenged grandson. You are an awesome woman! Have they enjoyed everything that you have prepared for them? What have been the hits or misses? Thanks for all the inspiration!
That is such a a sweet idea. As a senior citizen myself I would enjoy a treat like that. You are doing such a kind thing
It's so nice of you to do this! Sometimes I'm hesitant to cook for myself because it's hard to cook for one, but I think I could definitely share food I prepare with friends and coworkers. Nothing gets wasted and I save money on take out. 😂
Very creative ways of overcoming your hiccups. I think the mac & cheese was an excellent side to go with the chicken & gravy. The way you made the stuffing for the peppers was genius. I always learn from your videos, you are such a lovely person for doing this wonderful gift for people in need.
We love stove top stuffing but we add sautéed celery and onions to take it to the next level
I personally don't like stuffing, but was told many years ago that it's greatly improved by adding bacon grease. These were all great, and it has been lovely to see you fix some of the very basic meals like stew and stuffed peppers - I keep thinking, why don't I make those? Thanks for the inspiration!
I do that too. I soften them in either butter, sausage or bacon grease first. It is very good that way.
I completely understand the struggle. I've burned things, left ingredients out, and forgot to include very important information. Sometimes you think you're recording and you're not! Everything looks wonderful so the end result was perfectly awesome. You are such a saint for doing what you do. I think the world of you Rebecca. You are such a good person. 😇 Thank you for what you do and thank you for sharing this with us. Also, thank you for sharing your 'hiccups'. Great teaching moment!!
Have a beautiful blessed day❤🥰
I love this series! I look forward to the new video each week! The chicken and gravy meal looks delicious!
If one box of stuffing mix is not enough, you can add dried bread to it along with a little broth and seasonings and it tastes just fine
For what it’s worth I like the TikTok style voice over here. It seems more streamlined (and it’s how I got to know you)
I love how transparent you are with your videos. Seeing that you also have cooking days that don’t go as plan just show it can happen to anyone but it doesn’t stop us! These look delicious
Glad you posted this video. Cooking doesn't go 100% right every time, if ever. And the voice-over afterward, I don't see that as a bad thing. Either way works.
Wonderful video! I so appreciate all the work you put into your videos as well as your tips for how to fix issues that come up. I love lemon bars. Seeing you make them gives me confidence that I can make them as well.
You definitely can! I always try a recipe as it's written and then I come up with a way to make it my own. For the lemon bars I'd swap the shortbread crust for a sugar cookie base
Oh, the peppers! And lemon bars! I could live on just those two things.
I hate cooking and it shows, in how terrible I am at it. I can barely follow a simple recipe without doing SOMETHING wrong. I appreciate when people show their mishaps. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one.
I make a similar beef stew in my slow cooker. I always cut up the beef stew meat and add a can of petite tomatoes. When it's done, add 1 pack of cooked ramen noodles (without the seasoning). Since I'm only cooking for one, I freeze most of it Soup Cube trays (each cavity is 1 cup). After they freeeze, just pop them out and put them in freezer bags. I love that it's portioned and takes up less space in my freezer than Mason jars.
I love your cooking videos. There’s something about your approach that is so relatable & I love that you include your lessons learned (aka “mistakes”). Again, makes it so relatable & real. These recipes looked delicious! I’m definitely giving them a try. Thank you!
I love that you share everything good and bad. It makes you real and relatable.
I enjoy these videos. Since its just me and my dog i could meal prep pretty easily and get a couple of weeks for a few hours or day of work, and have nice homemade meals. Thanks for sharing and for helping out your neighbor and her nephew, im sure they are grateful, definitely a blessing ❤
Have you tried one of the meals that you froze awhile back to see how it holds up?
This series is so comforting. I am sure they appreciate the care and time you put into each and every meal.
Great video. Seriously I don't know how you manage to do all this, plus your other social media stuff, care for a house, and work a job too! You're like an Energizer bunny! I hope your boyfriend knows how lucky he is to have someone as special as you. :) I also don't know how you manage to ignore rude or negative comments! You are definitely an angel... thru and thru! Keep up the good work!
You so need a pantry, like any of the pantries Kimmie on She's in her Apron has. lol If you have an extra room in your house you should start one and fill it up gradually when places have big sales on all the things you like to use.
I do have a question. When the meals are frozen so you suggest they defrost them first or cook them from frozen?? My containers like yours don't have microwaveable lids, but even so, when cooking from frozen if they have a gravy (i.e. leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy)... the gravy turns to water. Have you had that issue? Shirley in NH
To Shirley in NH - I do meals from my freezer a lot. I think it works best to defrost in fridge and put things that microwave quickly in the center of the container. Also use Mochiko ( I think that's what its called. I have thrown away the box to store in glass containers. It is a kind rice based flour and doesn't get as watery and separated when reheated in sauce or gravy.
@@Back-handedLuck-ul7ms Thank you for the tip about the flour! I have a problem with my microwave having a super hot spot in the center so it burns everything in that spot. Really need a different one, even though this one isn't very old. Nothing defrosts in my fridge overnight either. lol If it's winter I set it on the counter because my kitchen is usually 40-50 degrees in the winter. Again.. .thank you very much for responding. Shirley in NH
God bless you for what you are doing. ❤
People should be a blessing to there elderly neighbors,they have been the back bone of this country we all love and when it becomes more challenging as you get older it is a beautiful thing to know and feel some one noticed and cares enough to be there for one another.,as they say love your neighbor as yourself ,u are a wonderful example of that ,you will be blessed for blessing others ❤️👏👏👏👏✝️✝️✝️🙌🙌🙌💐💐💐💐💐💐
Awesome I don't mind the voice over at all. Delicious looking food.
Have you considered making your crabcakes as one of these meals?
I am constantly exclaiming, that's what I do. I grew up cooking alongside my mom and you make me feel like you grew up cooking alongside me. You are a jewel! Hugs from Indiana!
I love that you shared that you had hurdles. Love that authenticity and to see that it's okay if things go awry and where to pivot or change it up next time. It's more approachable and a good reminder that we're not perfect.
Would a little tomato paste help thicken your stuffed pepper filling?
Cooking always comes with hiccups! That’s how we learn. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, and thank you so much for the kindness you have for this woman and her grandson.
Oops moments are great learning opportunities. Love this!
FYI, this video was incredible! Don't come down on yourself. The recipes you cooked were just perfect.
I don't make stuffed peppers often but I always cut them this way. Much easier to cut into and get both pepper and stuffing in each bite, they also look much nicer. If you find yourself in that situation with the lemon bars in the future you just fill your sink or larger container with some hot water and dip the bottom of the pan. This will slightly warm the butter and make them easier to remove. Love the shirt! I discovered Doctor Who when I was 10 or 11 on PBS and some 40 years later I'm still watching. I know you've mentioned watching Eureka, one of my other favorites, have you watched Warehouse 13?
That's a great tip! I'll have to try that. After we finished Euraka we watched Once Upon a Time. I haven't seen warehouse 13 yet, we are currently watching Lost (We only watch one series at a time haha)
I love that you showed the challenges in your meal prep. A lot of times cooking has hiccups and you need to know how to make do.
Beautiful, well thought out meals! You put heart and soul into these meals, and I’m sure that comes through in the flavor. It’s truly wonderful that you are doing this, often times the elderly and others facing disabilities do not get proper, well rounded nutrition and I’m sure you’ve significantly raised their quality of life. ❤
I'm glad you did post this video and think that watching a realistic meal prep/cooking video is sometimes more helpful than one where everything went perfectly. It's when things don't go how you planned that you learn and have to think outside the box so that's useful to help other people think about how to be more confident with cooking and learn how to fix "mistakes". Love your channel , can't wait for the next video ❤
I loved this video! Even if things didn't go according to plan, you improvise and roll with the punches. It's so helpful to see what you whipped up for meal prep ideas, and this still looks like an amazing week of good, nourishing and comforting food that anyone would be SO happy to receive! Keep up the amazing work xx
I love watching the whole process hiccups and all bc they're great teaching moments. I never would've thought about how different containers can affect the presentation or sides of a meal.
Will u be doing anymore Dollar Tree videos again ? Or will it be only on cooking for this Senior Citizen? 🌼
I was excited when I saw this pop up today! Great meal plans as usual and isn't it normal to have things go sideways when you are cooking? It is for me! :)
Yes! Thank you!
Wonderful meals. I'm sure they will love them!
I think so too!
I love lemon bars 🍋😄
Everything looks delicious!
Thanks for sharing even with the mishaps! Even if you are making tried and true recipes that you’ve made hundreds of times, sometimes hiccups happen and you need to pivot. It happens to everyone and it will be okay. So many young or inexperienced cooks are watching and let them know it happens is a great lesson to learn and recover from.
This is definitely one of my favorites of your videos. I love what you are doing for the lady and her grandson, and the recipes and tips for what to do differently are very helpful.
You are definitely a perfectionist. I thought the final presentation was beautiful and every meal looked delicious!❤
Thank you so much 🤗
I actually love voice over videos. They are less chaotic for my mind
(638) It is VERY important to not only acknowledge your mistakes, but to remember them. And NEVER be afraid to ask for advice. The "whoopsies" you had were fixable; I've had some doozies that were so bad I thought the rubbish bin would throw it back at me.
Making mistakes is a part of cooking so one adapts and overcomes, you did great, love the meals you make!
So true!
The hiccups make your videos completely authentic.... Thank you for sharing Rebecca.
I love that you include the setbacks. It can help new cooks think about troubleshooting. We’re not all perfect, things don’t always go right. Even when you stick to a plan or recipe sometimes it just doesn’t work out. And new cooks need to see that so they don’t get caught up in what went wrong. Also I wanted to suggest buying your bread from Jimmy John’s. They sell fresh and day old bread and it makes amazing sandwiches.
I've been waiting patiently for this 😂 my favourite series on UA-cam!! These recipes are amazing and so well balanced your a delight to watch my grandma who is 88 would love these, we have s system in place where my mum and aunts have set days everyweek to cook and clean (her house is immaculate) it not a big job, I wish I cud do more personally I'm a nurse work 12 -16 hour days so don't help as much as I would like too I'm so grateful to have a big family that it works and there is no pressure on anyone, I'm sure the son of the lady your providing these meals for is so grateful ❤ I can only imagine the amount of pressure is off his shoulders in regards to nutrition and indeed the cost of it. Im sure it Gives him time to spend with his mum/family and just enjoy ❤ such a lovely thing to do I don't know you but I'm so proud to be a follower.! And by the comments you really have inspired people!! follower from Ireland 🇮🇪 🎉❤
Amazing job Rebecca! I am so glad you shared it. Trial and error is how we motivate through life. This is actually one of my favorite videos of yours. Everything looks amazing!!! :)
All of the meals looked really delicious! I think that you are a very special person to do this for someone! May God Bless you in all of what you do! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thank you for caring for your community. I appreciate how you share your challenges and solutions. You have great talent and 💕
New subscriber here. I love your content and "Cooking For Community " I work with the elderly and have done meal preparation for them as well. Your videos have given me a lot of ideas that I can pass on to my employees. 😊
You are so creative. Your meals are thinks I haven't made or haven't had in years.
I think I'll prep all of these next week. Everything looks delicious 😋
Rebecca when you've presented your lemons take a fork hold it in the middle of the flesh and squeeze the heck out of it with your hands using the fork xxx it makes ALL the difference
I'm loving these as I do this for my father every Monday 🫂 youre a legend lady xx
I love you show your mistakes! It makes me feel like I am not alone! 🙂 The voice overs are great! You did fine.
Love this series Rebecca! My favorite ❤️
Being "real" is so important in videos I think! I so appreciate that with you and is why I like watching your videos!
You are doing such a fantastic job Rebecca. I enjoy watching all of your videos. Thank you for sharing this with us. I have learned so much from you and look forward to your next video. Stay safe, happy and blessed.
Thank you so much!
I am so glad you shared this. I struggle with lunch ideas for work and these are perfect for me. I can do once a month cooking on a Sunday and have lunches for the month!
Or use a large cooking ring next time on the griddle for the scrambled eggs and use a spoon to scramble not a spatula, just like you would use on a Blackstone.
I am glad that you shared the video even with the things that did not go according to plan. That is how life works! Very seldom does everything go according to plan, and you have to make a Plan B on the spur of the moment and make the best of it. And that is exactly what you did! Everything looks great and I’m sure they will love the meals as always.
Trick with lemons if you Waive them for a couple of seconds and you’ll get more lemon juice out of them
All of the meals looks so delicious!! :)
I've never tried chicken and gravy. That looks simple enough even for me. :)
Again, thank you for showing the whole process. It really helps to see a problem and then a solution. Sometimes there may not even be a solution. And that's ok, too. Your neighbors are blessed to have you!
Hope you enjoy!
You are amazing! Well done! Loving these ideas!!! ❤
Glad you like them!
Thank you! Cheers!
I appreciate you showing a weeks worth of meals. Gives me lots of ideas and meal plans to fix for my husband and I. Thanks 😊
I hope you can get sponsorship because this is a wonderful thing that you are doing and very worthy of some help with supplies.
I loved this video! The shorter content was nice, and the mistakes better. Lets face it, none of us are perfect. Seeing how you tackled the challenges is very helpful to someone like me, who met with a meal challenge, brain farts. Thank you for this, and all that you do!
Look forward to this every week 😁. The meals all looked delicious! Glad you uploaded, even Julia Child shared her whoopsies and admitted they happen all the time.
We always cut our peppers to lay horizontally now. Much easier to eat that way (and we also have leftovers.
All the meals look scrumptious! It's nice that you share the hiccups to! Everyone has them life is not always perfect 😊! I know they're grateful for your generosity and are enjoying these awesome meals! You're and awesome kind young lady! Love your videos! 😊❤
How can we contribute to the grocery shopping for the lady and her grandson?
I don't mind the voice-overs. You don't get a lot of background noise.
This video was perfect. Voiceover & bloopers are real life. No need for perfection! Really enjoying your content ❤
How lovely the meals are and a blessing you are giving this family. My sister Karen used to make a Graham crust with crumbs before the lemon bar filling for these bars. They are Yummy!!
Whether it goes as planned or not it’s important to share. It’s important to show reality and it’s not always good but it’s not always bad either ❣️ Thanks for sharing this 🥰
Dang I wish I was her neighbor. Lemon bars are my favorite.
My mistakes neverlook as good as yours. We all can see things differently after the fact. You have special talent for cooking thats fir sure.
I’ve been checking daily for this video 🤗
Hi next time cook your bacon in a sheet pan in oven can cook a whole pound at once
Good for you! Those meals look so good. Thanks for sharing.
I love your recipe ideas so glad you posted thank you .
Lenghtwise cut of stuffed peppers is an european way to cook them. We stuff them first, than bake all together. The „pepper-water“ goes into the stuffing (you need way less broth for it).
They are so lucky you are cooking for them
I wish you would put your recipe in the description box
I love that you're doing this for them ❤
I'm glad you share your mistakes cause we all make them when cooking. I once added a ton of Cinnamon to my shredded chicken for tacos instead of Cumin cause I was rushing. :D
I invent new names for things when I make kinds of mistakes and act like it is supposed to be like that😄 Only one time was it completely inedible. Added 3 or 4Tablespoons of cayenne to chili instead of mild chili powder. My best friend who could eat scotch bonnet chiles without breaking a sweat couldn't eat it. Eyes watered just being near it. Wasn't a complete waste though. Had a dog who liked to chew the siding on the garage. Husband nailed up the meat chunks on her favorite spot. Cured her completely.
I loved this video, hiccups and all! I really don't mind the voiceover, either way is fine with me. I have a small suggestion. You can make a chart of "must-include" sides when you make certain dishes - that way you don't forget mashed potatoes, rice or noodles for dishes that need them. 😃
What a lovely philanthropy to do this for free!