Thank you so much for the ideas and support! It turns out she has two dorm-sized fridge/freezers (one has her TV on top and I didn't notice it, lol) so she has more storage space than I'd thought. She lives nearby so DH sees her often (stops on his way home from work) but is more than willing to stop by on his way to work with food at least once a week. So far I'm using Rubbermaid-type freezer containers, the same I've always sent home leftovers in, as she has her own dishes. DH's car just had some $$$ repairs so there's no money for buying separate dishes right now - DH says the food's more important than the presentation, and his mom is very practical. So far I've got 2 containers of pasta with beefed-up marinara, 2 meals of brisket with homemade baked beans and new potatoes and 2 bowls of from-scratch, from-fresh chicken soup. It's a start. I don't think the budget would allow it (gonna be a tight holiday season) but do you think she could possibly work a bread machine? I've never used one so have no idea how difficult they are to use. If she could operate it, I may suggest it to my SIL. I'm thinking a small electric skillet and/or a small toaster/convection oven might be useful, if she has the space (and if they would be permitted).

I am a veteran of many many years of tailgate meals...we are at least 1 1/2 hours from tail gate site....and "back in the day" the Iowa Hawks often started a game at 11:)0 for the TV crowd. One game was always designated as "The quiche game"....and I made at least 4 quiche... I made and par baked the crusts the night before....shredded the cheese, cooked and crumbled the bacon, chopped the scallions and sauteed the mushrooms. Then in the AM....as I staggered around waiting for the coffee to drip and the oven to heat, I mixed in the blender, eggs and milk and cream and seasonings. dumped the veggies, cheese and bacon into the pie crust, filled it with seasoned milk, cream and eggs and into the oven for 40 minutes while I showered and drank coffee and DH loaded the car with blankets, wine, bloody marys etc. When the quiche were done I put them directly from the oven into a cooler lined with many layers of newspapers and a terry towel, covered the pie with another overturned pie plate, a towel and more newspaper. I could stack 2 pies to a cooler ( or a Hotter...but how do it know>>:-) Fritattas can be made in a similar manner....bake and refrigerate the night before, re heat and pack into a cooler. Also sausage gravy works too....make the night before....re-heat and put into a thermos....bake biscuits and re heat over the grill in foil. Also make a fritatta and a big pan of sticky buns....and you will be a princess in everyone's eyes.

I'll second Marilyn's Party Potatoes! They are super but I wouldn't sub frozen potatoes. I tried it once and it's just not the same. The only thing I do differently is I cut the potatoes into small cubes rather than grate. It is so easy to use fresh potatoes in most any casserole recipe I rarely buy frozen. However you do need the frozen ones in Sue's quiche. It's delicious! If you don't mind using fresh potatoes, here are a couple more. Hot Dill Potato Salad (From Shirley Miller) 1T butter 1T flour 1/2tsp salt 1/2tsp dry dill weed 1c milk 1/2c mayonnaise 2T minced onion 4c potatoes, cooked, peeled & diced Melt butter, add flour and seasonings. Whisk in milk slowly, until mixture thickens. Add mayonnaise and onion, mix well. Fold in potatoes, place in casserole. Sprinkle with paprika, bake 30 minutes at 350F Asiago, Potato, and Bacon Gratin From Cooking Light 1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4\-inch\-thick slices 1 teaspoon salt, divided Cooking spray 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1/4 cup all\-purpose flour 2 cups 1% low\-fat milk, divided 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350°. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside and keep warm. Heat a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over shallots. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 9 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, Asiago, chives, pepper, and bacon. Arrange half of potato slices in an 8\-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Yield: 6 servings NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 250(30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 12.3g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 306mg; SODIUM 618mg; FIBER 2.3g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.9g ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potatoes Savoyarde (from Williams Sonoma) 1T unsalted butter, melted plus 3T unsalted butter cut into small pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced 2T finely chopped fresh parsley 1\-1/2c shredded gruyere cheese 1/4tsp freshly ground pepper 2\-1/2lb potatoes, unpeeled and sliced 1\-1/2c chicken stock Preheat oven to 375F. Brush 2qt. baking dish with melted butter. In small bowl stir together garlic, parsley, cheese and pepper. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes in prepared dish and sprinkle 1/3 of the garlic/cheese mixture over the top. Dot with 1T of the butter pieces. Repeat the layers once, and finish with the remaining potatoes. Pour the stock and then the remaining garlic/cheese mixture, dot with remaining butter pieces. Cover dish with foil buttered on one side. Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and continue baking until potatoes are tender and top is brown and crusty, about 30\-40 minutes longer. Serves 6 Linda

I'd do this... Make the recipe as you've noted including the ham; but do not add the broccoli. When it's done, pour into a casserole dish & top with the cheese. Cover & refrigerate until needed (it could also be frozen at this point). Then, to serve...cook from frozen in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove the cover the last 15-20 minutes to brown the now melted cheese. For the broccoli, I'd do this... Use broccoline. While the casserole is reheating, place the broccoline on a baking tray, dribble a bit of olive oil over the broccoline, salt & pepper. Put in the oven next to the casserole for the last 30 minutes. (I normally roast veggies at 450 degrees & broccoline doesn't take 30 minutes but I think it 'might' at 350 degrees (the temp the casserole is cooking). You could freeze several of these casseroles & have an easy meal ready quickly. Cook once, clean-up once, eat several times. /tricia