the dinner I bring someone

The chicken is last Sunday’s Delicious Enough recipe. My family had already eaten it three nights that week, but on Sunday morning, a few hours before the email went out, I decided to make it one more time. I wanted the ratios exactly right.

That left me with another container of chicken, so I thought about my friend Katie and her family. Katie is 15 weeks pregnant, exhausted, and already a mom to 2 kids under 5. I had been meaning to bring them dinner.

Then it went the way it always goes.

The chicken needed tortillas. Tortillas needed pico. Mexican street corn is too good with tacos to leave out. Then dessert, obviously. And energy balls, because they take ten minutes and pregnant me was hungry all the time.

So it stopped being a container of chicken. Because apparently chicken cannot travel alone.

It is dinner, and then it is dinner again.

I never try to bring exactly enough food. Exactly enough means somebody has to decide whether to finish the chicken or save it, whether the last tortilla belongs to dinner or tomorrow, whether eating the final Rice Krispie treat makes you inconsiderate.

I want there to be plenty. Enough chicken for another round of tacos. Chips and pico for the person who gets hungry before everyone else. Energy balls for the middle of the day. Dessert after dinner, and possibly before it.

Everything goes in disposable containers. One page of reheating instructions, taped to the top. No casserole dishes to return, nothing to figure out.

The chipotle lime chicken is the reason the rest of this happened. It is smoky, sharp with lime, and made entirely in the slow cooker. The thighs stay tender, and the cooking liquid helps keep the shredded chicken from drying out. It cooked while I made the pico, corn salad, and everything else for the meal.

Tacos made the most sense because they travel well and the chicken feels a little more special than the usual ground beef tacos.

I packed it in a disposable aluminum tin so it could be brought warm or cold, then reheated in the oven without dirtying another dish.

Everything for the tacos goes in its own container, labeled, in one tray. Nobody has to open six lids looking for the sour cream, and nobody has to ask what the green one is.

The avocados go in whole. Guacamole turns brown on the drive, and anyone who wants it can cut one open in about a minute.

The pico is the only taco-bar component I actually made. It is excellent, very easy, and worth the ten minutes. I use a chopper, which does most of the work. Without one, I would buy pico from the store and feel completely fine about it.

I also add a full-size bag of tortilla chips for the pico, and for whoever gets hungry before dinner.

The corn salad is the side I would not skip. It is creamy, tangy, sweet from the corn, and bright with lime.

It also travels well and does not need to be reheated, which is exactly what I want from a meal-drop side. I make it ahead, cover the container, and put it straight into the refrigerator until it is time to leave.

Pineapple, grapes, and strawberries, mostly because I like the colors together. Use whatever looks good. The fruit is always the first thing to go.

I used to run a charity that filled deep freezers with meals for families after a cancer diagnosis. Each freezer held 30 recipes, and this was the one people asked me for most often.

They would say, “I loved having those around. Can I get the recipe?”

They take about ten minutes, keep for a week in the refrigerator, and are made with oats, peanut butter, honey, and mini M&Ms.

These are thicker and softer than the ones made from the recipe on the cereal box. Marshmallow creme melts completely smooth, and an 8-inch pan gives you the tall squares that make them feel like they came from a bakery.

The sprinkles are optional. I use them because they look good and this is dessert.

They need about 30 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing.

I also add paper plates, napkins, and disposable forks. Cans of soda or juice boxes can also be a fun addition.

I use these deli containers for the cheese, pico and lettuce and 5 ounce condiment cups for hot sauce, jalapeños, and the other toppings.

Disposable aluminum pans with lids work for the larger parts of the meal. Everything can go straight into the refrigerator, freezer, or oven.