Wednesday Connections and Lovely Lemon Pie

Today I went to a funeral for a wonderful man I knew at church. He was killed in an accident on his scooter last week. At the memorial service, everyone had wonderful things to say about how he loved to serve people, particularly through Ten Thousand Villages (a Mennonite organization that supports fairly-traded crafts from artisans in developing countries). However, I was surprised no one mentioned his years of service in the kitchen at Trinity. He and his wife spent several years cooking meals for Wednesday Connection every week, which was a meal held before Wednesday evening classes. This is most impressive to me, because not everyone relishes the opportunity to cook for 30+ people every week (AND clean up afterwards) with no compensation! This guy was an amazing servant of the church. Anyway, in honor of him, I made a recipe I got from him that he once made for Wednesday Connection. Is is below.  In addition, I included the recipe for the pie I took to his funeral meal which turned out well. (It's a recipe from my high school home ec teacher!)

Wednesday Connection Baked Spaghetti

from Al and Carol Walczak

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green pepper

1 T. butter

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 t. oregano

1 lb. ground beef, browned

12 oz. cooked spaghetti

2 c. cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Saute onion and green pepper in butter. Add tomatoes, oregano, and ground beef. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Mix water and soup together in separate bowl. Add spaghetti and toss till covered. Place 1/2 of spaghetti mixture in greased 9x13 pan. Top with half of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 c. cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8-10. 

Lovely Lemon Pie

1 lemon, seeds removed, cut up, rind and all

4 eggs

1  1/2 - 1  3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter

1 t. vanilla

Put all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth. Pour into unbaked pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until set and light brown on top.