Red beans and rice, cornbread, collard greens, coleslaw and ice cream for dessert. I made the red beans last night. I sampled this morning.  Two pounds of Nueske's pepper bacon and two pounds of andouille sausage.

There was a cayenne incident. I shook the spoon side. I got a lot of it out. It’s still pretty warm, not melt your face, but these Yankees have no idea what’s about to hit them.

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I made potluck chili a while back and my recipe uses 5 tablespoons of chili powder.  I didn't realize I had picked up the cayenne container until I took a sample much later.

I made another batch.  The cayenne batch I let the wife take to her work with a big bag of chips and called it dip.  They ate every drop.

No protein? Are you trying to give your brothers the sugar beetus?

ETA: Reading is fundamental. Now I see bacon and sausage in the beans. Looks delicious.

Meals at my lodge remind me of camp food. Kid's summer camp.

Years ago, my first meal as Senior Steward I made real spaghetti with sauce started with real canned tomatoes. A bunch of Past Masters complained. The next meeting was a box of powdered doughnuts and a bag of Doritos. No more complaints.

Looks great!!

Our Blue Lodge has the Jr Warden supply the meal. Before I was in that chair it more on a voluntary but compensated basis of the brothers because it got to where nobody wanted to be Jr Warden anymore. I kinda got that turned around & now we have that chair provide the meals again, uncompensated.

I think it’s good to break bread at Lodge & I think it’s good part of being a Jr officer of the lodge.

Stewards do the refreshments. JW superintends them during the hour thereof.

That's why I dropped out of the line.  I could barely make it to Lodge on time much less cook a meal for everyone.

Not arguing, just saying our lodges tradition was a bit different.

Whoever is doing it, I think the tradition of the meal & someone in line doing the effort on a regular basis is a good one.

Our lodge buys the meal.

It is either prepared or purchased by a designated Brother.  That guy might be the Master one day or the Tiller the next month or some other guy not in the line.  This is how our Lodge does it.

Up to 2 years ago we had a designated cook, who was a retired chef and he would delight in preparing a nice meal, but he is not doing well, even though he's only like 70, so he asked to step away from that role.

Yankees!  :$&&));;@@@‘!’n Yankees!

Only six would even try it.  It turned out to be the mildest batch I ever made.

“My tummy can’t take that.”
“I had 13” of my colon removed and conferred an MM on the night I was released. Remember?  Just try it.”
“No.”

“I don’t like spicy food.”
“It’s the mildest I ever made. Try just a spoonful.”
“No, I can smell it’s spicy.”

“I don’t like Southern food.”
I walked away from that one.

The Lodge also pays for the dinner fixings. We ask for a $5.00 donation.  Tonight’s entire meal cost was under $45.00 in ingredients.

I can’t imagine being so closed minded to not even taste something new

We all just chip in and bring something.

Usually start a group text the week before, and by the time a few guys offer to bring stuff we have plenty of food.

Drinks we usually have a ton of leftover from different fundraising events.

Lunch

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Our stewards do a kickass job and put a lot of effort into the meals.

Sometimes the local rainbow girls will prepare the meal and we’ll just throw down a little extra for donations.

Last meeting was taco soup.

I’m really looking forward to my time as steward. I’ll do my best not to overthink it. But I’m pretty sure they’ll be receptive.

My first time as JW was at a lodge I joined as a dual member.  That particular lodge had pretty sparse attendance and the Worshipful asked if I could help his lodge, not wanting to see a lodge fail, I jumped into help..  

Now the first couple of meals, I cooked within the budget aloted ($30) and for 15-25 Brothers that could be in attendance.   The lodge was not flush with money and the goal of most JW is to break even for the meal.  Well, the first night I cooked the lodge received a total of $4 (10 ate dinner) and the second time was $7 (I didn't bother to count).  I will add the brothers of this lodge weren't destitute or overly wealthy.

So after that, my third meal until the end of the year was three little ceasers pizzas and ice tea per meeting.  And yet we never broke even once.

The second time I was JW it was for my home lodge.  A good and grateful lodge, and a dinner budget to match.  The lodge had a history of really great dinners, so the pizza thing wasn't even considered.  I made the best dinners of my life for that lodge, 99% of it revolving around meat and potatoes.  Yes, I may have used a little msg, dillo dust, a lot of wine, and a shit ton of bacon bits and butter and made enough meat for everyone to get seconds.  But when they were eating (all 30-80 of them) you could hear a mouse fart.  That year, the kitchen ended with surplus ($) and attendance was up all year long.  There were some horror stories that year as well, and a lot unsaid, but now's not the time.  

Thank you for your time and attention, I hope some of you ascending chairs get something out of this.

Ps: I didn't jump into the JW chair at the first lodge mentioned I bebopped around the chairs when people didn't show.  It really was musical chairs every meeting that first year, then I was elected JW..  Just to clarify.

My home lodge back in WV the Ladies of the Eastern Star made dinner for Lodge and it was always incredible.  50ish people per meeting and everyone always gave at least $5.  The Lodge I was Raised at, normally less than 10 people attended and it was either Little Caesars pizza or a PM would make chili, it was good fellowship but the meals were nothing special.  Another area Lodge would normally have a trained chef or a local restaurant owner cook, those meals would vary from chili all the way up to ribeye steaks.  Was always a good time to visit that lodge on Steak Night!