Birthday or Holiday Gift Alternative

Maybe it's just me, but trying to dream up the perfect birthday gift year after year can become a real challenge, especially for those friends you've known the majority of your life. With one of my friends, we've started giving each other the gift of time, rather than "stuff" and it's made celebrating our birthdays a whole lot less stressful, and much more meaningful. This year, I made her two home cooked meals that could be eaten immediately or frozen for another day. This concept works well for a holiday gift too! Who wouldn't love a home cooked meal during the crazy holiday season?

I tried one new recipe Zucchini Pizza Casserole, and used an old stand-by, Northwest of the Border Enchiladas.

My process, in pictures, for the Zucchini Pizza Casserole:

A few pictures of the enchiladas below. These have the perfect amount of spice, and the sauce has incredible flavor.

To maximize my resources and time, I doubled both recipes to have extra meals on hand for late nights or unexpected guests. Total preparation and cook time was about 2 hours per doubled recipe.