Showing Hospitality When You Hate to Cook

This post is part of my ongoing series on hospitality.

I don’t really feel like I’m the best person to write this post, since I really love cooking, but I wanted to include it in this series.

Not liking to cook doesn’t excuse us from showing hospitality any more than any other excuses might.  It’s just like anything else – we have to ask God for help in overcoming our weakness in this area!

Here are some practical suggestions to help you spend less time in the kitchen.

• Pick easy, easy meals that your family loves.  Ask your husband or your friends (if you’re single) what the best thing is that you cook.  Make that for your guests… it’s your “signature dish”!  Check out my friend Kate’s signature stuffed shells, Caesar salad, and Parmesan toast.
• Don’t compare yourself with others who love to cook.  Let them use their God-given talents while you use yours.
• You can always serve take-out!  One of Tad’s fond memories of the summer before we got married is how a family at our church often invited him over on Wednesday nights before church for Chinese takeout.  
• Gather some friends together for pizza and a game night (if money’s tight, you can ask everyone to pitch in a few dollars for the pizza).
• Host a potluck dinner instead of making everything yourself.  
• Invite friends over just for dessert (and keep it really easy by doing ice cream with different toppings).
• Check the list of 40+ ways to show hospitality.  There are a LOT of things on that list that don’t involve spending a lot of time in the kitchen!
• Remember, the goal of hospitality is to share lives with one another, not to impress!