Meal Exchange and Pumpkin White Chocolate

Two of my friends and I have been doing a weekly meal exchange. On Monday I prepare dinner for my family, but double or triple the recipe for the other families, package it up and exchange on Tuesday. The meals are all prepped, but not necessarily cooked. It's been so fun, so much easier then cooking dinner every night and cheaper (I think). It works well because: 1. we all have about the same size families and similar ages of kids 2. we have similar tastes and are all good cooks and don't use a lot of processed foods 3. we live close together so it's simple to run meals back and forth. Some of my favorites have been:

pecan crusted chicken salad with bbq maple dressing

bbq chicken tacos with creamy tomatillo dressing

steak soup and sourdough bread

tamales with homemade salsa and black beans

philly cheese-steak sandwiches

chicken lettuce wraps and spicy cucumber salad

We usually try to include something fun with each meal, like a dessert or snack. This week I sent a triple cream cheese and pears with my butternut squash soup and potato bread. Other fun sides have been:
log of frozen cookie dough (one family didn't even cook it, just ate it raw)

container of muffin batter, separate container of blueberries to mix in and a sugar/lemon zest mixture to sprinkle on top

spinach watercress dip and french bread

puff pastry squares and apple pie filling

One that I keep thinking about though was pumpkin hot white chocolate. It was delicious and fall and cozy. You mix milk, spices and pumpkin and heat on the stove, then you put white chocolate chips in a cup (2-4 T., the more you add the sweeter it will be) and pour the hot milk over it. Or you can mix the white chocolate in with the other ingredients before you serve it. Yum!

Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces white chocolate (roughly chopped)
pinch salt

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, pumpkin puree, and spices in a sauce pan until it just starts to simmer and remove form heat.
2. Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted.
3. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon.