When our kids were born, one of the biggest blessings to me were the dinners that so many of our friends brought us. After 6 weeks of at least 3 meals a week, we had to start asking people to stop brining food because we just couldn’t eat everything that we had. I appreciated not having to cook and most meals had enough leftovers to enjoy for lunch the following day. Especially after Bennett’s arrival, I felt like I had so much to juggle. Having delicious dinners dropped off at our house made the transition of adding to our family easier.
While we were in Texas for Thanksgiving, we got to meet our first nephew, Samuel. He was just 2 weeks old upon our arrival. As you can see, getting 3 kids to look the same direction was a much harder task than we had ever imagined! One of the most difficult things about living far away from family is that we don’t get to celebrate milestones. Since we wouldn’t be able to offer babysitting so the new parents could sleep or be able to help out as they transitioned back to work, I decided to cook. I figured a freezer full of meals would be helpful. I had been so blessed by the meals we had received and I hoped to pass that blessing on to Caley and John.
This week I’ll be sharing recipes that are my go to meals that I take to others. Most of them are freezable so they can even be doubled to take one for dinner and one the recipient can freeze for later.
The first meal up is Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole. I grew up eating this dish as a holiday side dish but had completely forgotten about it until I attended a baby shower brunch a few years ago. Although casseroles are not a staple at our house, this dish a special treat that we occasionally enjoy. Whenever I make it I divide it in 2 pans and freeze half for later. The cornflakes on top are a great contrast in texture to the creamy potatoes in the casserole. It’s a great breakfast dish or a side with dinner. I like to pair it with a barbeque dish. Delicious!
When I made this for Caley and John, I made it in 4 loaf pans instead of a 9×13. Since only 2 of them would be eating it, I thought it made more sense to divide it this way. Also, if you plan on freezing this, don’t freeze the corn flakes. Add those after you thaw this.
Slightly adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff