thenewchurchsupper

It's not just potluck anymore…

Week 1 Update

09 14 17

Calvary Lutheran was a busy, happy place last night, with lots of familiar faces and some new ones joining us for dinner. Our total count of those signed in for dinner was 445, with 160 of those being kids under 12, and confirmation and high school kids in abundance. The high energy and activity in the dining room, in the classrooms and in worship make it fun to be a part of it all.

Pastor David announced last night that the worship services on Wednesday night will be entirely different in content from the weekend services. The sermons and puppet ministry will be focused on the curriculum used in the classrooms on Wednesdays, starting with the creation story from Genesis last night. So for those of us who like to go to church more than once a week, this is great news. Also, our Praise Band only plays on Wednesday nights, and you don’t want to miss them.

New Kindergarten students and their parents received the Milestone “Blessing of the Backpacks” from Pastor Becky during worship last night.

Here’s a look at dinner and what it takes to feed a crowd of this size.

Our faithful grillers cooked 160 2 oz sliders and 400 5 oz hamburgers. They’re still smiling through the smoke. The hamburgers required 5 pounds of sliced onions, 2 gallons of dill pickles and large quantities of ketchup and mustard.

The salad bar featured 10 large watermelons, 24 heads of romaine lettuce, 4 large bags of spring mix lettuce, 15 pounds of baby carrots, 12 pounds broccoli florets, and lots of fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers that church members donated.

9 gallons of vanilla ice cream for root beer floats

and 2 dozen 2 liter bottles of rootbeer.

We also went through 500 ears of “petite” corn on the cob, 150 chocolate milk and 100 white milk half pints, 12 gallons of Crystal light lemonade, and 240 ice cream sandwiches. These guys didn’t want the ice cream to melt, so they had to sacrifice and have dessert first.

It’s gonna be a fun year at High School Youth Group! Come and join them in the youth room at 7:00 every Wednesday night.

Last, but not least, don’t forget to bus your dishes! And if you want to experience the joy of helping others, sign up to help scrape dishes or run the dishwasher (Larry will be happy to train you), or help wipe tables and vacuum after dinner. Thank you!

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Wednesday Church is Back Sept 13th

09 07 17

And we’re back…. School got started last week, the church choirs and bands are starting to practice, Wednesday school teachers are getting their instructions, and the kitchen crew is ready to cook your Wednesday suppers again. We have a couple of new part-time staffers in the kitchen this fall, Jerri Oines and Sheryl Bauman, and several new volunteer cooks.

Stop in and say hello and chop a vegetable or frost a cake with us. On the job training available…no experience necessary. Dinner prep begins on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 until about noon. We reconvene on Wednesdays at 1pm and start getting the meal ready for 4:45 start time. Dinner service stops at 6:15 in order to get to worship for gathering music at 6:20. After worship, we could use some help to clean up the dining room and get the dishes washed and put away. Stop in the kitchen to volunteer and we’ll put you to work.

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The Milestone Celebrations continue this year under the leadership of Kellie Meisner. Each age group will have a recognition during worship on a Wednesday evening during the year, with the first up being the Kindergarten Blessing of the Backpacks. Watch for the notices on the bulletin boards and in the church newsletters.

If you haven’t registered your kids for Wednesday school, here’s the info on how to do it. Come to Wednesday school, eat dinner with your family and friends at church, and then join in the worship service. It’s a full evening of fun, education, fellowship and a chance to thank God for all these blessings.

Feeling overwhelmed by the back to school rush?

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See you in church…

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Easter Wednesday Menu

04 11 17

Menu for Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Hawaiian-BBQ-Pork-Sliders-62824

Polynesian Pulled Pork Sliders

Hawaiian Rice

Salad Bar

Ice Cream Sundaes

Dinner is served from 4:45- 6:15pm. “Walk with Jesus” in the education area 5-6:30 and 7-8pm. The walk through the 5 stations will take approximately 30 minutes. All ages are invited to participate. Worship will be held as usual from 6:30-7:00. For more information, check the church’s website Calvary Lutheran

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This will be our last Wednesday meal and last day of Wednesday school classes until September. Thank you for all the support of our volunteers in the kitchen and dining room. Thanks also to Karla Mitzel for the hard work she did this year to plan, shop, cook, supervise and guide us through the year.

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Menu for April 5, 2017

04 03 17

Chicken and Beef Fajitas

Chicken Tenders and Mac ‘n Cheese

Salad Bar and Dessert

Dinner is served from 4:45 to 6:15pm,

followed by worship in the sanctuary at 6:30pm.

All are welcome! Suggested donation is $5 for adults, $3 for kids under 12, but all are welcome to eat, regardless of ability to donate.

We’re down to the last 2 weeks of Wednesday school for this year. Where did the time go? This week will be classes as usual, but next week everyone is invited to experience the Journey to the Cross stations, either before or after the worship service. Dinner will be served at the usual time of 4:45 to 6:15pm.

Here’s the recipe for a big crowd sized Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie that we served last week. One diner was overheard commenting that this pie is so good, she thinks they’ll serve it in heaven.

Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie

490 servings: 14 cake pans (12x20x2) 35 servings per pan

8 pounds butter, divided

70 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 11#)

225 oz semi-sweet chocolate squares or chocolate chips. (You can use 16 oz chocolate chips with 4 oz butter per cake pan, melting 1 batch at a time in the microwave)

112 bananas

216 oz Vanilla Instant Pudding (9 pkgs, 24 oz each)

27 quarts whole milk (6 3/4 gallons)

56 cups coolwhip

Melt 4 1/2 pounds of butter, stir in wafer crumbs and sugar. Using the food processor to crush the cookies and combine with the melted butter works well. Divide equally among the pans and to cover bottom of pans. Chilling the crust before adding the melted chocolate helps to spread the chocolate over the crumbs.

Microwave chocolate and 3 1/2 pounds of butter until butter is melted, or melt using a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is well blended. (You can also use 16 oz chocolate chips with 4 oz butter per cake pan, melting 1 batch at a time in the microwave)

Drizzle chocolate over bottom of crust and spread to cover. Top with sliced bananas.

Beat pudding mix and milk until well blended. Each package of pudding mix uses 3 quarts of milk. Pour over bananas, top with cool whip. Cut into squares, 5×7. It is easier to cut through the crust before refrigerating.

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Banana Cream Pie for a crowd

Sloppy Joes 3-29-17

03 27 17

Last week we enjoyed chicken sandwiches, macaroni salad and black bottom banana cream pie. Here’s a few pics from the dining room last week:

I had a request from a blog follower for the recipe for the reuben casserole. Here’s what we recommend after making it a couple of weeks ago.

REUBEN CASSEROLE: For 12 Servings:

Layer in a half-sized disposable pan sprayed with non-stick spray:

1 loaf of rye bread (or sourdough if you prefer), cut or torn in 1 inch cubes

3 pounds cooked deli corned beef, sliced and roughly chopped

2 cups thousand island dressing

2 cups sauerkraut

Warm in 325* oven, covered with foil until heated through. Remove foil and top with 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted.

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Menu for 3-22-17

03 20 17

Some scenes from St. Patrick’s Day dinner last week:

We got 2 for 1 cake servers this week. Thanks so much for helping out, you two!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Green lemonade, broccoli salad, kiwi, grapes, reuben and rachel casseroles, and mint chocolate cake

The recipe for the Broccoli Salad for 300 servings:

24# fresh broccoli florets, trimmed and chopped

15 cups diced red onions

5 pounds bacon, cooked until crispy and diced

48 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 gallons mayonnaise or miracle whip

10 cups sugar

Mix together first 4 ingredients. Combine vinegar, mayo and sugar for the dressing. Use as much dressing on the broccoli as you like to reach the consistency that you want.

Here’s an alternative Broccoli Salad recipe we have used in the past:

Broccoli Salad

350 servings, ½ cup each

24 lb. broccoli florets

150 slices Fully Cooked Bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces, fry to crisp

12 cups raisins (2 large pkg from Sam’s Club)

5 cups finely chopped red onion

6 cups Sunflower Kernels

24 cups KRAFT Coleslaw Dressing OR:

Dressing:

14 Cups Mayonnaise

2 Cup Vinegar

7 cups Sugar

TOSS broccoli, bacon, raisins, onion and sunflower kernels in large bowl.

ADD dressing; mix lightly. Cover.

REFRIGERATE at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Mix lightly just before serving.

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Broccoli Salad for a Crowd

Lucky Irish Supper, 3-15-17

03 13 17

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Reuben (Corned Beef) and Rachel (Turkey) Casseroles

Grapes, Kiwis, Broccoli Salad and Salad Bar

Mint Brownies

Dinner is served from 4:45 pm to 6:15 pm, followed by a worship service.

All are welcome! Bring your friends.

Last Wednesday was International Women’s Day. Here’s how the world celebrated the day…The World Celebrates Women. At Calvary Lutheran, the women of the kitchen (and Larry) didn’t take the day off, but stayed on the job, celebrating their love of cooking and serving.

Doing dishes looks like a pretty fun job. We could use your help any Wednesday night.

Thumbs up for the Swedish meatball dinner last week. I’m sure he already ate his green vegetables.

This family proclaimed the meatball dinner a success as well, and were happy to pose for a family group photo.

We love seeing happy families getting to dine together with their church family on Wednesday nights.

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Swedish Meatballs Dinner Menu

03 06 17

Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City, we’ll be serving up a hearty, comforting meal of

Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans, Salad and Angel Food Cake

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Dinner will be served from 4:45-6:15pm followed by Worship in the Sanctuary. All are welcome. Suggested donation for dinner is $5 for adults and $3 for kids under 12.

Thanks to all the 7th Graders and their parents who helped cook and serve our Ash Wednesday meal last week. We appreciate you and it was delicious!

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Ash Wednesday Service and Meal 2017

02 28 17

Calvary’s 7th Graders and their families will be celebrating a Milestone of service to others this Wednesday. They will put their intentions into action as they prepare and serve the evening meal for us. Please join them for a Baked Potato and Chili Supper from 4:45-6:15pm on March 1st. The Ash Wednesday worship service will follow at 6:30pm.

Last week we enjoyed a little taste of Mardi Gras and and an early Fat Tuesday with andouille sausage and shrimp jambalaya and bread pudding. The high school youth of our church led the worship service and shared their message to “Love One Another” and pay forward a kindness to others. Over 50 high school students participated in our services on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. A huge thank you to these kids and their faithful leader, Tom Martin, for sharing their inspirational talents with us.

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Mardi Gras Dinner Tonight

02 22 17

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Join us for supper tonight, February 22nd at Calvary Lutheran Church.

We’re having Jambalaya (Cajun Rice), Pigs in a Blanket, Salad Bar and Bread Pudding for Dessert

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Dinner will be served from 4:45-6:15 pm. Suggested donations for dinner is $5 for adults and $3 for kids under 12, but no one will be turned away for inability to donate.

Here’s how we make the jambalaya for a crowd:

Sausage, Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya for 400

Make in 10 steamtable pans, 40 servings per pan

6 pans with shrimp

4 pans no shrimp

Per pan: Total:

(4#) 40 pounds cooked chicken, shredded

(10# ) 50 pounds andouille sausage, sliced

(3# in 4 pans) 12 pounds precooked shrimp, remove tails

(4#) 132 cups (40 pounds) chopped onions

(2#) 68 cups (20 pounds) chopped celery

(#2) 68 cups (20 pounds) chopped green peppers (2-3 med/pound)

(1/4 cup) 2 ½ cups chopped garlic

(13 cups) 130 cups (53 pounds) long grain rice

(1 64 oz) 80 cups Bloody Mary Mix (10 64 oz bottles)

(68 oz) 85 cups Chicken Stock (680 oz)

(2 TBSP) 20 Tbsp Creole seasoning

(1/2 can) 5 #10 cans diced tomatoes

Saute sausage over medium high heat, add shredded or chopped chicken to brown. Remove to steamtable pans.

Saute onions, celery, green pepper and garlic until tender. Mix with chicken and sausage. Refrigerate in pans overnight if cooking the next day, or proceed with the rest of recipe.

Add liquids, seasoning, tomatoes and rice to pans. Cover with foil. Cook at 350* convection for 1 ½ hours, stirring halfway. Add additional liquid as needed to keep from drying out. Uncover. Add shrimp to pans as indicated above and stir to mix. Continue to bake all pans for an additional 20 minutes.

We had a great group of helpers serving dinner last week and the lasagna, cherry crisp and garlic bread were a hit. “Better than Olive Garden” was overheard in the dining room.