Chili?

(Mom, don't laugh too hard when you read this.)

My amazing in-laws gave me a cook book for Christmas.  No, they weren't dropping hints.  They know I love Cook's Illustrated's cook books and that I didn't have "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" yet.  (I now own eleven of their books.  I think I may have an obsession.)  

I loooooooooooooove this cook book.  And here's why.  On Christmas morning, we ate sticky buns that I had prepared three days earlier and froze.  Take them out of the freezer, stick in oven, eat.  I didn't know you could do that!  A couple of days later, I made some rolls.  We ate some that night, but the rest went into the freezer.  Now I can have hot and fresh homemade rolls in twenty minutes.  Heaven!!!

But my infatuation was complete when I decided to make chili.  This cookbook tells you how to make this recipe for 20!  When I added the final ingredient and set it to simmering, a weird, giddy sensation came over me and I started to giggle.  It was so beautiful and smelled unbelievable.  I had to grab the camera.  

I now have an extra lasagna, two meals of tortilla soup and chili in my freezer along with the rolls.  I have a strangely satisfying sensation when I open it and see tons of meals all ready prepared and waiting for those days when I just can't bring myself to cook.  But I'm having so much fun, I don't know when that day will be.  

(This picture is of what we had after I took some chili to a family for compassionate service and we ate our own dinner- three more suppers and two lunches!  Woo-hoo!)