Hospitality Hints is a monthly feature on our blog with some helpful hints for being hospitable in everyday life. Our hints may involve inviting people over, but not always! Most of the time, they will be about having a posture of hospitality—welcoming others into our lives.
Whether someone you know just had a baby, moved to a new home, had surgery, or is grieving the loss of a loved one, there are many times in life when meal preparation is hard. During these times, hospitality may not look like we traditionally think of it. Rather than inviting people to your home, sometimes the way you can love and serve someone best is by taking them a meal.
But then the questions roll in.
What do I make? How do I get it there without it all ending up on the floor of my car? What if they’re allergic to everything I’m good at making?!
Well rest easy, sweet friend. We’ve got some hospitality hints that will make your meal-taking experience easy, efficient, and stress-free.
May we suggest soup?
We love making soup for so many reasons.
It’s easy and inexpensive to make in mass quantities. Check out this recipe for 8-can taco soup. You can also substitute the can of chicken for ground beef if you want it to be more like chili. This soup takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish, it’s super simple, and it gets compliments every time.
It’s a leftover that warms up really well. In seasons when people are bringing you food, you’re likely not on a regular meal schedule. Soup doesn’t have to be eaten right away, so it’s a hit no matter when you can get around to eating it. Plus, all this goodness in a slow cooker? Sign us up. This recipe for potato soup is only 5 ingredients and gets 2 big thumbs up.
It’s a crowd pleaser. You really can’t go wrong with something as classic as chicken noodle soup. This is a great one for finicky eaters or those with small kids. We love this recipe from Ina Garten.
How to Transport Soup
However, we recognize that every plan has its limitations. The main issue with taking soup comes in transporting it. It’s hot and sloshes and has a tendency to stain everything it sloshes on. We have a few tips for taking soup from your house to another:
Mason Jars. These work so well because the soup can still be warm when you pack it; no need to wait for it to cool! They also seal well so they’re spill proof. Win-win.
Take it in your pot and transfer it to theirs. This way, you can bring home your dirty pot and still have use of your dish without any pressure for them to return it speedily.
Make it in a larger dish than necessary. Even if you’re only going to make a few servings, make it in the biggest pot you have. When you drive with it, there is room allotted for sloshing, but it’s less likely to spill over the edges.
We hope these tips are helpful the next time you take a meal to a friend!
What are your favorite tips for transporting meals? Do you have any go-to soup recipes you’d like to share? We want to hear from you, so let us know in the comments!
