Caramel-Frosted Brown Sugar Drops ~ page 221

These really are so yummy! I made them to take to a sick friend to cheer her up. They seem like a boring cookie till you add the caramel frosting! Then they turn heavenly! Adam took the leftovers to work and made all his co-workers super happy. The cookbook says the dough will be sticky, and that is very true, it is really tempting to add extra flour, but just flour your hands as you roll them into balls, I promise they will turn out great. The taste like little cupcakes with icing! I have a nice little stash in the freezer now for when those cookie cravings hit. -Carissa

Marinara Pasta Sauce ~ page 23

Here is a funny story for you....I blogged about this recipe exactly a year ago. Well, in a couple weeks it will be a year to be exact. Check out the date on my freezer bag below! I was almost 9 months pregnant waiting for a baby anyday. I'll blame pregnancy hormones on the mis-spelling of Marinara on the bag! I remember blogging about this recipe, telling all of you that I was stocking my freezer for the arrival of Baby Sylvia. Of course at the time we didn't know if I was having a boy or girl. Anyway, baby came and life went on...and on...and on..until just yesterday while I was digging in my freezer with a 11 month old pulling up on my legs, and I came across this bag below! I chuckled to myself as I remembered thinking a year ago, "this will come in handy for dinner with a newborn in the house"

So, anyway, I thawed that bag out and made me some dinner. Guess what? It was delicious! Before this experience if you had asked me how long the marinara would have lasted in the freezer, I would have told you to try to eat it within 6 months. But here we are a year later and it was better than I even remembered. I did let it simmer all afternoon, so it got super thick and rich. (I added ground turkey to mine) Oh, a new trick I learned is to add a little cream to the sauce as it is simmering, it makes the meat tender and adds a nice richness. So go see what you have hiding in your freezer! --Carissa