S'Mores Galore

20 whole (2 X 5 inches) honey graham crackers, divided

6 bars (1.55 ounces each) milk chocolate candy, coarsely chopped

1 pkg (16 oz) miniature marshmallows, divided

6 tbsp butter or margarine, divided

3 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Arrang a single layer of graham crackers to completely cover bottom of bar pan, breaking crackers to fit. Toast in oven 2 minutes. Remove pan to cooling rack.
2. Coarsely break remaining graham crackers into large bowl; set aside.
3. Combine 3 cups of the marshmallows, 3 tbsp butter or margaine, and milk in microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add half of the chopped chocolate bars; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over graham crackers in pan.
4. Melt remaining butter; toss with broken graham crackers. Add reamining marshmallows and chopped chocolate; toss lightly. Spoon evenly over mixture in pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into bars. Serve warm or cool.

Recipe from Delightful Desserts by The Pampered Chef.

THINGS I CHANGED:

• Will I ever follow the directions?  Honestly.  I did not toast the grahams as directed in step one.  Step one!  The first step, and I screwed it up.  Sheesh.
• Somehow my marshmallow-chocolate-butter-milk mixture got messed up.  I think I added too much milk, but since I didn't measure, I can't be sure.  I added more marshmallows and cooked it in the microwave again because it was just so incredibly runny that I couldn't imagine it was correct.  It thickened it a little, but I'm still convinced that it wasn't quite right.
• I baked it close to 12 minutes, I believe.
• I cut a few bars at the 15-minute mark, but the ones I cut hours later when it had completely set up were much better looking.

THINGS I LEARNED:

• Typing the word marshmallow is not very easy.  Doing so repeatedly does not seem to help.
• Reading and following the directions is probably really, really important in some recipes.
• Measuring is something you should do the first time you make anything with a recipe that calls for measuring.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Bill: I think he really liked them.  I'll find out again tomorrow when we have the leftovers for the second celebration.

Emma: Indoor s'mores?  Of course she loved it.

Georgia: Scraped all the topping off and left the graham cracker base behind.

Me: I liked them.  Maybe not well enough to waste 6 Hershey bars on a single recipe, but they're good.

Pasta Primavera

8 oz. uncooked fettuccine or linguine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflowerets
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 cup frozen green peas, rinsed to separate
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Alfredo Sauce

1. Cook fettuccine as directed on package.
2. While fettuccine is cooking, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrots, peas, and onion in oil 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crsip-tender.
3. Prepare Alfredo Sauce. Stir sauce into vegetable mixture. Drain fettuccine. Stir fettuccine into sauce mixture; heat through.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Recipe from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, 1996 version.

THINGS I CHANGED:

• I didn't make my own alfredo sauce.  I wanted to, but I forgot to buy heavy cream.  Meh.
• Zucchini.  I added some fresh zucchini because I had a couple from the garden.  Good, good, idea.  Really delicious addition.

THINGS I LEARNED:

• Cooking veggies in oil is really yummy. 
• You don't need meat for a really good, filling dish.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Bill: Really liked it.  Had seconds and wants me to make it again.

Emma: Loved it.  Ate everything.

Georgia: She ate some pasta and carrots and broccoli.  Otherwise, she wasn't a fan.  Of course, it didn't contain meat, so there wasn't anything in it that she really gets excited about.

Me:  I loved it.  This is really fantastic, and I can see myself making it frequently.  It reheats very well, too.

Chicken Divan

1 large bag broccoli cuts, frozen

3 c. cooked chicken, diced

2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of chicken soup

1 c. mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c, bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter a 9 X 13 baking dish. Empty frozen broccoli cuts into bottom of the dish. Place chicken on top of broccoli.
3. Mix soup, mayonnaise, curry, and lemon juice in a bowl; spread the mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese over the soup mixture.
4. Mix bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

From Good Tidings . . . Great Joy, Recipes from the congregation of Angola United Methodist Church.

THINGS I CHANGED:

• What the recipe writer and I consider a large bag of broccoli must be very different.  I only had to use a little more than half of the 2-pound bag I bought.  Just enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer.
• I don't have curry, so I used some Italian seasoning.  Not comparable, I understand, but it worked for me.

THINGS I LEARNED:

• I'll double the bread crumbs next time.  I like crumb topping, and there just wasn't as much as I'd like.
• Broccoli florets would have been better than cuts.  The cuts didn't cook as quickly, so they were a bit al dente.  So the whole dish either needs to cook longer, or substitute florets for cuts.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Bill: Liked it.  It's not a new favorite, but it will probably be on the winter menu lineup from time to time.

Emma: Liked it.  She's a fan of bread crumb topping, too, and she liked that part best.

Georgia: Ate the chicken and some of the broccoli.  Not a bad recipe overall for her, though, because she likes broccoli better than a lot of other veggies.

Me: I enjoyed it.  I had a small serving of seconds.  It reheated well, and the recipe says it can be prepared in the dish the night before and then put into the oven when needed.  I may use it as a busy evening recipe when I'm able to put it together in the morning or the night before.  It uses ingredients that I almost always have on hand, so it's a no-brainer that I'll use the recipe again.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

(This photo is in the pan.  Once out of the pan, it's not attractive on the plate.  Yeah, even less attractive than in this photo.)

1 tsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 can (11 oz) Mexican-style corn
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp Southwestern seasoning mix
2 cups uncooked instant white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups salsa verde
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Add 1 tsp of the oil to a 12" skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering.  Meanwhile, drain corn; pat dry with paper towels.  Add corn to skillet in a single layer.  Cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove corn from skillet; set aside.
2. As corn cooks, cut chicken into 1" pieces. Combine chicken and seasoning mix in a bowl. Add chicken to skillet.  Cook on medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink, stirring occassionally.  Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
3. Add remaining tbsp of oil to skillet.  Add rice; stir until well-coated with oil. Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Meanwhile, snip cilantro.
4. To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet.  Sprinkle with corn and cheese.  Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

Recipe from 29 Minutes to Dinner from The Pampered Chef.

WHAT I CHANGED:

• What didn't I change?  So many thing went awry in this recipe, and it still came out great.
• I didn't have the southwestern seasoning mix, so I substituted some cayenne pepper, bell pepper and herb rub, and citrus and basil rub.  I'm guessing there were 2-3 tbsp of seasonings.  So a lot more than required.
• I used brown rice instead of white rice because I never buy white rice.
• I used one 14.6-oz can of chicken broth instead of 2 cups.  A cup is 8 oz, so I was close.  I didn't have another can of broth.
• I used the whole 16-oz jar of salsa verde instead of just 1 1/2 cups.  I like salsa, and I figure that since I was a little shy on the broth, I could make up for it in salsa.  :)
• When I got the rice and everything in the skillet, I then read the directions that said I'd need to cover the pan.  I don't have a lid for my large skillet.  So I didn't cover it.  I just cooked it longer.  Same story when I added the cheese and such at the end.  I just let it cook a bit longer in order that the cheese would melt.
• Again, failing to read the directions carefully, I put the cilantro on top of the cheese right away and let it cook into the cheese.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Improvising is my thing.  I'm getting good at it.
• I need a lid for my large skillet.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Bill: Wanted seconds, but I wouldn't let him have them right away.  I hosted Girls' Night tonight, and this was my dish.  I didn't want him to eat so much that the girls wouldn't have enough.  So he liked it.

Emma: Really enjoyed it.  A lot.  She pretty much cleaned her plate.  It's possible that she would have cleaned the plate entirely, but once I gave her an apple, she forgot the main dish.

Georgia: Ate the chicken  May have eaten some rice or vegetable inadvertently, but she did enjoy the chicken.  She also forgot about the main dish when the apple arrived at her plate.

Me:  I really liked it.  It's just the right amount of spicy.

Girls: I think everyone enjoyed it.  Everyone got seconds (I think), and I've been asked for the recipe.  Here you go, girls!