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Thanks, lemonfair. My grandmother would never let any other batter touch her angel food pan. I thought maybe it would become seasoned over time if you used any butter or grease on it.

Instead of dumplings, maybe serve in individual puff pastry bowls.

Are eggs considered dairy? If so, deviled eggs cut the short way. You might have to slice a bit off the bottom so they stand up.

A vegetable quiche with sliced cherry tomatoes dotted on the top.

Thumbprint cookies with jam, jelly or frosting.

Cheese dominoes. Rectangles of white cheese with piped dots of black bean hummus or olive paste. The kids probably won't eat them, and they might be labor intensive, but a few might be cute just to carry out your theme.

I usually trust Martha Stewart, but on that link I will disagree with her on the vegetable chowder. Potatoes do not freeze well, especially if they are in soup or stew. They become soggy cotton balls. Inedible. If you want to make something with potatoes in it, leave them out of the dish for freezing and have your grandparents microwave a potato, chop it up, and add it when reheating the stew or whatever. Or make something that doesn't need potatoes.

You can use a drinking straw to suck out the air from freezer bags which goes a long way to preventing freezer burn. Label things with use-by dates and thawing and reheating instructions. One- or two-meal portions rather than an entire casserole dish.

Roasted chicken, shredded and packed with gravy makes a great open-faced sandwich on toast, over a baked potato, over a whole-grain Eggo, or over noodles (cooked, tossed with butter, frozen in a separate bag).

Muffins wrapped individually so they can pull out one or two at a time. Cookies in four-packs or brownies in small portions so they can cut and share.

Have two or three or four pots of soup on the stove or in crock pots. Breads to warm as folks arrive, maybe cheese straws. A hearty minestrone, ham-green-bean-potato, corn chowder, curried cauliflower, something lighter like won ton soup, whatever you know your crowd will like. Folks can sample them all by the mugful. You wouldn't have to make any sides. Something light for dessert that won't compete with the next day's desserts, like frozen lemon mouse or even just an assortment of cookies.

I usually substitute seltzer water for milk and/or cream in my crepes, so that might lighten them up for you a bit, which sounds like something you're trying to do. I've also seen recipes that use beer. They're probably not true crepes made that way, but they work for me and then I can splurge on the filling.

To me, savory can definitely be in the batter itself. I've made spinach batter crepes with a shrimp or crab filling, curry batter crepes with creamy chicken, lemon/black pepper batter crepes with scallops. I think a basil crepe would be terrific with a chunky tomato saute and mozz -- sort of a warm Caprese salad in a crepe. I like the color contrast as well as the flavor surprise that savory crepes offer.

Agree with sousvide that crepes, plain or savory, can handle leftovers perfectly. Crepes freeze very well -- just put a square of wax paper or parchment between each as you stack them. You might not have to do that, but I err on the side of caution. Wrap well in plastic in sixes or eights and stash in a freezer bag so you can take out enough for however many you're serving.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sandwich/BeefOnWeck.htm

Is this too snacky for you? As in, did you want a casserole/side dish kind of thing? I can just see you dragging a huge plastic bag of this stuff with you to the game and everyone drooling as they catch a whiff of it! Found this on a different forum last Christmas (office pot luck season) but haven't had the occasion to make it yet myself. On second thought, maybe double-bag it. Avoid punctures and encase the aroma.

"Spicy Chex Mix! Add a lot of red pepper, extra cashews and peanuts, Kix and Cheerios, potato sticks and Bugles. Double the amount of Worcestershire. A sure hit!"

Grating a stick of cold butter out of the refrigerator on the large holes softens it instantly in case you don't have time to let it come to room temperature. Use for cookies, cheese straws, cream cheese pastry, etc.

Here's a recipe for Reuben Bread Pudding which needs to sit and soak in the fridge up to a day, so it would be fine to prep the night before and bake off in the morning. I haven't made this in a while, but my notes to myself indicate to add more sauerkraut and cheese.

I'm sure you could substitute Swiss cheese for the Havarti. I used deli corned beef, but if you have homemade, just shred it and use. I don't have a 14X10 dish, so I must have used my 9X13 Pyrex. I definitely prefer the plastic refrigerated bag of sauerkraut over canned.

Reuben Bread Pudding

12 slices pumpernickel, cut into 3/4" cubes (7-1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound thinly sliced corned beef, cut into 1/4" strips
1 cup drained and squeezed sauerkraut
1 cup coarsely grated Havarti cheese (about 4 oz)
4 large eggs
3 Tbls coarse-grained mustard
4 cups milk
2 Tbls melted butter

Spread bread cubes on a large baking sheet and dry, uncovered, at room temp 12 hours OR dry in a 250 oven for 1 hour. Toss periodically to dry evenly.

Butter a 4-quart shallow baking dish (14 X 10 X 2). Layer half of bread, half of sauerkraut, half of onion, half of corned beef, and half of Havarti, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering, and season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour slowly and evenly over bread mixture. Cut butter into bits and dot pudding with it.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove plastic wrap. Bake pudding in middle of oven until bubbling and slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. (There will be some liquid remaining in bottom of baking dish.)

Serves 6 to 8 as a main course.

This is probably too late, but what about Aphrodisia on Bleecker?

First I Googled MRE's to find out what the variety is. Anyone can purchase these for a storm cellar, camping trips, whatever. I think I'm with Cassaendra that he's probably hungry for fresh things like raw vegetables and salads. But he's willing to buy a slow cooker, so that means cooked main dishes as well.

Here's what I found comes in a variety case of MRE's for civilian purchase. There are surely other meals, but this is just what I found on a first look.

Beef stew
Beef ravioli
Chicken with cavatelli
Black bean and rice burritto
Cajun rice and beef sausage
Minestrone
Beef with mushrooms
Meatloaf
Chili and mac
Grilled chicken breast
Chicken and rice pilaf
Cheese tortellini
Jamacain pork chop
Country captain chicken
Beef enchilada
Chili with beans
Grilled beef patty
Chicken pesto pasta
Chicken strips with salsa

Knowing what MRE's your friend is bored with would help us with suggestions. Like if he says I can NOT look at one more beef enchilada, that will steer us in a different direction.

Alternatively, if he says that he really misses some taste from home, perhaps we can help him figure out how to mimic that dish.

When you say not as smooth, do you mean grainy? Did you put nuts in your pesto? Maybe leave them out of the pesto and sprinkle them on top instead.