A group of my friends gets together every week to eat a meal together. One household cooks the meal and everyone else is left to enjoy a night without food prep or cleanup. One of the unofficial rules of community dinner is that you come as you are. Had a rough day? Just come. Feeling tired or more than little introverted? Come anyhow. And stay for as long or as little as you’d like. Sometimes one of us will show up with tupperware, eat a quick meal, then carry some take-out home to an ill roommate, husband or wife. The dinners have pulled us together in a unique way and have created a family where one didn’t exist before. Because of this family attachment, the deep friendship formed over shared meals, we still greatly miss Brook and the O’Donnells.

A year ago we started Needs More Butter as a way to keep track of community dinner recipes. Stop by the site for new meal idea—and to enjoy Renae’s abundance of posts for NaBloPoMo. I’ll post the following recipes on Needs More Butter eventually.

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

Zion Cookbook, Carrie Moseman

• 6 lasagna noodles, prepared according to pkg directions
• 10oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
• 2 C chicken, cooked and chopped
• 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 C onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 8oz carton sour cream
• 4oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 C mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 C parmesan cheese
• butter pecan topping (recipe below)

In a bowl, combine spinach, chicken and all remaining ingredients expect parmesan cheese and butter pecan topping. In a lightly greased 11×7 dish, arrange 3 noodles. Spread half of chicken mixture over the noodles. Repeat procedure with remaining noodles and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and butter pecan topping. Bake lasagna at 350 for an hour, or until heated through.

Butter Pecan Topping: Melt 2 T butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 C pecans and cook 3 minutes. Cool completely.

French Bread (with an Italian flair)

Zion Cookbook, Kristie Strahm

• 3 1/2 C flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 1 T rosemary
• 1 1/4 C water, lukewarm
• 2 1/4 t yeast

Place ingredients in a breadmaker on dough cycle. Remove, punch down and roll into a rectangle shape. Roll dough in a jelly roll shape, cut slits in the top, and place on a baking sheet to rise for an hour. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 375 for 4-8 minutes. Brush melted butter on top and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt.