Some evenings, the hardest part of dinner is deciding what it should be. You’ve finished work, picked up the kids or spent Saturday running errands, and the groceries in the refrigerator still require more effort than you have left.
Birmingham has several ways to hand that job to someone else. A hot family meal can go straight to the table. A prepared casserole can cover tomorrow night. And a smaller order can save you from buying enough food for six when there are only two people at home.
Here are four local options, organized around how many people you’re feeding and how much planning you want to do.
For a Hot Family Dinner: Ashley Mac’s Kitchen
Ashley Mac’s Kitchen in Homewood offers family meals that serve four and arrive hot and ready to eat. The important detail: these orders require at least an hour’s notice. Place the order before the evening gets away from you.
Options include poppyseed chicken served with rice, lemon rosemary chicken with feta rosemary roasted potatoes, and baked spaghetti. The baked spaghetti family meal also includes a choice of side or salad for four, plus yeast rolls or sour cream biscuits.
This is a useful route when you want everyone eating the same dinner without assembling several separate takeout orders. Pick the entrée, check what comes with it and schedule pickup around the time you actually want to eat.
Planning ahead? Ashley Mac’s also sells frozen market entrées. Its frozen poppyseed chicken comes in sizes listed for two to three, four to six, or six to eight people. Follow the package’s heating instructions and remember that the frozen version needs oven time.
For One, Two or a Bigger Table: Dishn’ It Out
At Dishn’ It Out in Crestline Park, portion sizes make the menu particularly useful. Entrées are offered in mini portions for one, small portions for two to three, medium portions for four to five and large portions for ten to twelve.
That gives a smaller household room to order a casserole without committing to days of leftovers. It also makes it easier to scale up when family is coming over.
The menu includes chicken pot pie topped with biscuits, chicken tetrazzini with Swiss, baked ziti and veggie enchilada casserole. Choose a dish around the people eating it, then decide if you need anything alongside it. A bagged salad or a vegetable you already have can finish the meal with very little work.
Meals are sold chilled or frozen in containers intended for heating and serving. The shop, at 1111 Dunston Avenue, recommends calling ahead at 205-871-5444, though walk-ins are welcome. Confirm pickup hours and availability before making the trip, especially for a weekend meal.
For a Heat-and-Serve Dinner for Four or Five: Homewood Gourmet
Homewood Gourmet’s Dinner in a Dash menu gives you several familiar dinner choices in a take-home format. Its online ordering menu lists these meals as serving four to five people.
Choices include beef lasagna, vegetable lasagna, chicken and sausage jambalaya, chicken and tasso pasta, shepherd’s pie, and chicken, broccoli and rice. The variety makes this a practical stop when you want to get a meal into the refrigerator before a busy evening.
For a vegetarian dinner, start with the vegetable lasagna. For a household that likes a casserole everyone can scoop onto a plate, consider the chicken, broccoli and rice. Check the current ordering menu for prices and availability, and ask about heating instructions when you pick up.
Check your directions: Homewood Gourmet’s current address is 2703 Mamie L Foster 18th Place in Homewood. Confirm pickup hours when planning your order.
For Individual Dinners: Urban Cookhouse at The Summit
If everyone wants something different, Urban Cookhouse at The Summit offers individual plates that keep the order straightforward.
The grilled chicken special comes with rice pilaf, a garden salad and an orange roll. Lime-marinated steak and rice is another option, while chipotle-braised pork comes with hot cheddar pasta, broccoli salad and white bread.
Individual plates work well for one person, two people with different preferences or a family whose schedules don’t line up. Order what each person will eat, choose a pickup time and let dinner fit the evening.
Make the Next Busy Night Easier, Too
Before ordering, answer three questions: How many people are eating? Do you need dinner hot, or can you heat it at home? And when can you pick it up? Those details will narrow the choices faster than scrolling through another long menu.
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