The real reason why I am not skinny...

It's either the critters or the 13x9" pan of the most amazing and sinful brownies in the world. They are so rich, that you can only eat a 1/4" piece at a time (which means, you can eat a 1/4" picee several times a day for MANY days).

I wish I could take credit for these, but I actually got the recipe off the back of the Ghiradelli brownie mix. Try them! They're so good, I have committed the recipe to memory.

Make brownie mix according to package instructions.

Melt one stick of butter in the bottom of your brownie pan.

Pour brownie mix on top.

Cover brownie mix with

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips (I used white chocolate instead)

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup diced pecans (I didn't have any so I used sliced almonds)

1 14.5 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly. The top will be a little wet but firms up as it cools.

Dinner's ready!

About a year and a half ago I started getting together with my friends Bex and Kathy to make freezer meals. At first, it was a little overwhelming. Have you ever cleaned, chopped and cooked 15 pounds of chicken at once? Let me tell you, it can make you not want to eat chicken for a while....

When we first started, we used the cook book Cooking Among Friends for inspiration. We primarily made meals that were completely cooked and just had to be heated. This method is fine for a lot of dishes; chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, most soups and lasagna all reheat very well. However, there were some disappointments. While all of the recipes we tried were tasty, meat tends to get a little tough after being cooked, frozen and then reheated.

In November, a group of my friends went to one of those meal assembly places, like Dream Dinners, but not. After spending close to $200, I went home with six different dishes, divided into 12 meals. It was a lot of fun. All the prep work was done and we didn’t have to clean. We drank wine and laughed while dumping ingredients into freezer bags. However, I can’t say that I have been overly impressed with my meals. Don’t get me wrong, nothing has been bad, it's just been very basic. For $200, I expected a lot more. We did learn a valuable lesson though…leaving the meat raw not only saves a tremendous amount of prep time, but also guarantees that it will be tender and juicy when you are ready to prepare it.

This weekend Bex, Kathy and I got together and cooked. We each chose two recipes from Dream Dinners and purchased ingredients to make six batches of each. From start to finish, it took 3.5 hours to prepare, package and clean up after making six different recipes and a total of 36 meals. It was just as much fun as the pricey meal assembly place and really not much more work. I now have twelve delicious meals in my freezer and best of all, it only cost $80. Works for me!

Here are the recipes for the two meals that I made:

Chicken Cordon Bleu (1 meal)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of ham, thinly sliced
6 slices Swiss cheese
½ c canned cream of chicken soup
¼ c white wine
¼ c sour cream
1 T Dijon mustard
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 t minced garlic
¼ t ground nutmeg
1 t kosher salt
½ t black pepper
2 scallions, chopped

Place each chicken breast on a cutting board. Arrange a slice of ham and Swiss cheese on top of each one. Roll each chicken breast tightly and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish.

In a bowl combine everything but the scallions. Mix thoroughly. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with scallions.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 375.

To freeze, cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator before cooking as directed above.

Slow-Cooked Barbecued Beef (1 meal)

2 lbs beef chuck roast
1 c yellow onions, diced
1 t minced garlic
2 c ketchup
¼ c balsamic vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
¼ c packed brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper

Place roast in crockpot. In a bowl, combine other ingredients and mix well. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours, until the meat falls apart easily. Shred the meat with a fork and serve over hamburger buns or potatoes.

To freeze, place the roast in a freezer bag and pour sauce in. Thaw in refrigerator and cook as directed above.

I’ve already tried them both and they were delicious!

White Chicken Chili

A few weeks ago my good friend and old roommate Clancey called me. "Sarah, remember that Mexican casserole you use to make?" Silence. "You know the one with the corn bread topping?" Hmmm....."Do you remember it? You made it a lot!" It was gone, completely and totally gone. As she talked about it, I started to have a vague recollection...yeah, it was really yummy wasn't it? Was it like chili? Wasn't the corn bread on top kind of sweet? Do I have the recipe? No, I think I made it up, but let me look around...nope don't have it and I really have no idea how I made it. Sorry....

Before I had kids, I was a very good cook. I would have something in a restaurant and then go home and make it. I could look at a package of chicken and think of ten different ways to prepare it. Those days are gone. I'm in a culinary slump. We eat the same three or four meals over and over and over.... I don't even know what I use to make!

Thankfully, my little family isn't too hard to please. However, I'm the Hospitality Coordinator for our MOPS group. One of my responsibilities is to make sure that new mom's have at least a weeks worth of meals brought to them. This means that I usually drop off a meal myself. I find it stressful! I don't want to bring them a tray of burritos made with Old el Paso taco seasoning or hot dogs and Annie's mac and cheese! Fortunately, I rediscovered this recipe for white chicken chili. It's delicious and really easy to make.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 c water
2 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
1/4 c cilantro
2 15 oz. cans cannelloni beans
2 cans drained sweet corn or 1 16 oz bag frozen
1 tsp cumin
fresh jalapeno pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the chicken in 2 c water and bullion until almost cooked. Remove from water (save water) and cube. Return to the water. Add corn. Add drained and rinsed cannelloni beans. Simmer until chicken is finished cooking. Chop (or stick it in food processor) cilantro and jalapeno pepper (I often leave the jalapeno out or use only a tiny bit to make it kid and new mommy friendly) Add to the pot along with cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes.

If you are making it for yourself, it's yummy with tortilla chips, lime wedges, olives, cheese, sour cream and salsa. I don't give it to others with all this stuff, I usually just add a little lime juice to the chili and enclose a bag of cheddar or jack cheese and corn bread.

I never measure when I make this. If it seems too thick, I add a little more water and bullion. I love cilantro, so I usually add a lot more than 1/4 c. I also tend to use more cumin. If you have a Trader Joe's, their frozen white corn is THE BEST in this!

For more great tips to make your life easier, check out Works for me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer

A week of Thankgiving...Day 3 (Thanksgiving Recipe)

When I was a junior in college, I went on a short term missions trip to Honduras. It was the first (and only) time that I visited a third world country. We stayed in a small village. We slept in a building made out of cinder blocks with a cement floor...grand accommodations compared to the mud and grass huts that the villagers lived in. While we were there, we worked with the local people to build a church/community center.

The thing that I remember most about the trip is how generous the people were. The same people who watched us eat our dinner with hunger in their eyes, would bring us fruit and bread all day long. The children played with things like old bicycle tires and sticks with string tied to them as if they were the most wonderful toys in the world.

We weren't supposed to share our food or give the people anything because in the past when this happened, hundred and hundreds of people had come from miles away hoping to get food and medical attention. When they learned that there were not provisions like this available, the atmosphere had become dangerous and there had nearly been a riot. Several of us washed our clothes and left them in trees to dry hoping that the people would take them. They hung for days and nobody touched them. We were so surprised...in this country people who have plenty steal and yet these people who were wearing nothing but rags and desperately needed things, did not.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and as I look through my recipe box for the recipe for a very indulgent carrot casserole, I find myself thinking about that place that I visited over 13 years ago....and I am thankful.

I am thankful that I live in the United States, a land of plenty. A land where most of the poor have much more than the people I met in Honduras (I understand that there are many homeless in this country...I have worked as an advocate for the homeless...I am not making light of the many social problems that exist in this country). A land where there is medical care and it is accessible. IA land where grocery stores never have empty shelves. A land where most children only go to bed hungry because they chose to not eat their dinner.

With that, here is my carrot recipe. If it's too late to make it for Thanksgiving, than you MUST try it for Christmas. It is amazing!

Carrot Casserole

1 lb sliced, cooked carrots

2T flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 t Cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 c butter

1 c milk

3/4 c sugar

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree'. Put in baking dish, bake at 350 for one hour or until firm.

I usually double the recipe....make two separate batches and bake it in the same large pie plate.