Food much?

I get a lot of questions about food now that I've been living as a volunteer with a volunteer's budget... "Do you have enough to eat? What kinds of things can you all make and eat? Do you eat together? What about allergies? Is anyone vegetarian?"

To summarize my answers, we choose to cook one meal per week, so each of the five of us in the house cooks one night a week. Recently, we made up a chart that helps us remember what day we're responsible for and to have a better idea of how many people we'll need to prepare for. As you'll get a better understanding of through the pictures, we are just entering the time when we are most in and out traveling due to the nature of our work. 

Starting this week, Hannah made stuffed peppers for us on Sunday. As Jessie was still here, we had six people in the house. As we all work in the same place, we've figured out it's nice to have leftovers taken care of through have extra from the night before. In essence, we cook double the amount we need - if we have six people, we make enough for twelve meals. 

Hannah made thirteen peppers in total. :) What did she use to stuff them, you may ask? Quinoa, cheese, corn, beans, and a smattering of spices. They were delish!

We have varying diets, but have much to be thankful for. We all are flexible enough in cooking, ranging from learners to "the seasoned," and everyone tries the food! And we are getting pretty good at learning what people like to eat. I like experimenting with meals, and nearly every week am trying a new recipe. Per a suggestion from Kelley, our archival intern at the office, she offered this stew recipe and trying it on Monday, it turned out pretty great. I think Harold was a lovely pumpkin. :) In the end because his bottom wasn't totally flat, he turned out looking more like Grumpy cat. Thanks to Jessie for modeling!

 I believe Theresa's quote was, "Kristen, I've got to tell you, I'm anxious about trying this! 

She loved it.

Laura and Jessie and I also thought it was pretty tasty!

Laura's supper on Tuesday, as you can see, was polished off in a hurry. Ben and Hannah were out to Iowa visiting for a summer workcamp and talking about BVS, so it was just Laura, Jessie, Theresa, and I for the pumpkin and Laura's delight: chicken tacos!





Ben remembered having Common Meal at the church two Wednesdays a month, but involvement changed and it hadn't been happening during the summer and fall months.
He found Cat had an interest in cooking, and gathered Laura, Hannah, and I to help organize the volunteers to help set-up, prep in the kitchen, and clean-up. We've been having around 30 people come to meals.
It's a great way to meet folks from the church and get to know people in a new setting. It's also fun to eat Cat's food - she is an excellent cook!
So, this week I was in line to organize help, and I also was the photographer. I got some action shots of people who helped and those who attend church. It was a "soup"er meal, with a GF potato and leek soup and Italian Wedding soup.

 

Good food and fellowship was had by all!

Thursday, Hannah made a great lasagna. As we've all been in the house together, we've also been finding our niches and what is easy to make. Hannah's lasagna recipe from home is a BVS house favorite. Something about that Ricotta... 

Ben was switching it up for the house and wanted to host a relaxing Friday snack and movie night. After going to Emily's for a Christmas celebration, this popular and tasty spread is now dubbed, "The Emily Dinner."

I enjoyed a weekend out with friends in Indianapolis. The food adventure continued! For the first time since November (note previous November post) Saturday's lunch was splitting a gluten-free, delightful cheese pizza with Kelley! It made my day. :) Our visit to the Indy Children's Museum was awesome.

Kelley, Brandon, and I made nachos for our Saturday evening supper. 

(At the house, per regional differences, we go back and forth between "dinner" and "supper".)

 
As conscientious as we are with how we budget and spend our money, we will on occasion go out and splurge. Inevitably, we all chose chocolate - hot drinks, chocolate cake, and a chocolate cheesecake. Fun fact: the tree behind Laura, Hannah, and Theresa was made out of chocolate. 












For those of you keeping track, you may be wondering if Theresa was going to cook this week... Due to the flexible nature of our house, Saturday was originally Theresa's designated day to cook. However, there were enough leftovers that consensus was to put off cooking until Sunday supper. She made a bean, corn, and salsa soup, perfectly warm for the snowy night we have here tonight.

Our weeks will look a bit crazy from here on out and food scrambling will become the norm. However, all six of us enjoy eating, and we will definitely be having some chocolate from time to time.

For now, peace from the BVS house and stay warm! 

With love,~Kristen