Mexi-Chicken

2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic (or more), minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups water
2 cups quick cooking barley*
2 (16-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 (16-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
2 (16-ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
6 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (good with a mix of breasts and thighs)
2 packages taco seasoning
Optional toppings: grated cheese, sour cream, avocado, taco sauce

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Add all ingredients except chicken.
   
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cooked chicken and continue simmering for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and barley is tender.
   
5. Cool, spoon into freezer bags, label, and freeze.
   

To serve, thaw and heat in a skillet until hot. Serve over tortilla chips or in tortillas (burrito style) with cheese, sour cream, taco sauce and/or avocados. Makes about five large freezer bags, each enough to feed a family of four.

*If you use regular barley instead of quick barley, cook it ahead of time according to instructions on package.

When I eat this, it reminds me of mass cooking days in my friend Jenny's kitchen. It was fun to work together, but I've never been that exhausted in my life. We made so much of this that I didn't want to look at it after the first four times we had it. It's been several years, though, and when we ate it this week I thought it was wonderful.
--Sarah

Carrot Souffle

2 pounds baby carrots, boiled and mashed
1 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1. In a mixing bowl, mix carrots with butter and rest of ingredients.
   
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
   

I make this every Thanksgiving. It tastes almost like a dessert, but not too sweet. The first time I had it at Jenny's house, I was embarrassed because I couldn't stop eating it, even after we'd finished all the rest of the meal. -- Sarah

"Boston Market" Squash Casserole

4-1/2 cups zucchini, diced (about 1.5 lb, or 3 zucchinis)

4-1/2 cups yellow squash, diced (about 1 pound, or 2.5 squashes)

1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (prepared as directed on box)

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter

8 oz American processed cheese, diced (not Velveeta)

3 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed between two spoons

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 Tbs parsley, chopped

1. Prepare cornbread as directed and set aside to cool.
   
2. Place zucchini and yellow squash in a large saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat just till tender; remove from heat. Drain squash, reserving 1 cup water for casserole.
3. On medium-low temperature, place all of the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions until they turn clear.
   
4. Add salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, chicken bouillon, and garlic to onions. Stir.
   
5. Add drained squash and diced cheese; stir. Crumble cornbread into squash and add reserved cup of water. Mix well.
6. Spray a 9 X 13 baking pan with non-stick spray and pour the squash mixture into it. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Remove cover for the last 20 minutes of baking time.

This is a great recipe for Thanksgiving. You can make it ahead and freeze it, and it turns out great. Put it in a disposable foil pan and cover with heavy duty foil. Allow 24-32 hours to thaw in refrigerator and then bake as directed.

This tastes at least as good as Boston Market's squash casserole.

Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Pour into greased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.
   
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool thoroughly.
6. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Spread over bars.
   

This recipe makes me think of Thursday Group meetings. A group of friends met every other Thursday to talk about what was going on in our hearts. The only rule we had was that when one person was sharing, everyone else had to listen silently. We laughed, cried, and prayed together. We usually met at Jenny's house, and if we were lucky, she'd bring out some banana bars from her freezer.

Cold, almost frozen bars are just about as good as fresh, warm ones. Put your leftover bars (if you have any!) on a paper plate and put that inside a large freezer bag. Take them out about an hour before you plan to serve them. They'll keep for months if your kids don't get to them.