Maple-Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:
2 (2 1/2 to 3 lb.) broiler-fryers, cut up
1/2 cup melted butter
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup wine vinegar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp marjoram leaves

Place chicken skin side down in a large shallow baking pan. Combine butter, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, pepper, mustard and marjoram.

Pour over chicken. Bake in 425 oven 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces. Baste with sauce and bake 30 more minutes or until chicken is tender.

Voila!

What I did differently from the recipe:

I used chicken tenderloin instead of broiler-fryers, partly because I had some in the freezer and partly because I have no clue what a broiler-fryer is. I used white wine vinegar because the recipe didn't specify red or white but I thought white would taste better. I didn't use maple syrup, I used pancake syrup. Store brand. And I only had ground marjoram, not the leaves, so I used 1/4 tsp dry marjoram instead. I only had to cook the chicken 15 minutes on one side and 10 on the other.

What I'll do differently next time:

No changes to this recipe!

Verdict: Thumbs up!

Rolled Biscuits

I failed at this "simple" recipe. Maybe you'll have better luck!

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 450. Mix 2 cups Bisquick baking mix and 2/3 cup milk until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 30 seconds. If dough is too sticky, gradually mix in enough baking mix to make dough easy to handle.

Turn onto board well floured with baking mix. Gently roll in baking mix to coat.

Shape into a ball.

Knead 10 times. Roll 1/2 inch thick.

Cut with 2-inch cutter floured with baking mix.

Bake on cookie sheet until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:

Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:

Won't be making this again! A 2" cutter made TINY biscuits and they turned out not so great. I choose Grands Flaky Biscuits over these any day! They weren't hard or anything but they just didn't have a great flavor, and certainly didn't look like the picture!! (My fault!)

Verdict: Thumbs down.

Creamy Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended.

Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally.

Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.

What I did differently from the recipe:

The only thing I did differently was added more cheese in the end, trying to take away some of the overwhelming garlic flavor. Oh, and I used plain mustard instead of Dijon, but I doubt that made a big difference.

What I'll do differently next time:

Won't be making this again. But I'd use bigger macaroni noodles (couldn't find any this time), and I'd leave the garlic out completely. Stephen said he'd leave out the Worcestershire too, but I didn't even taste it. I would definitely say use more cheese than the recipe calls for.

Verdict: Thumbs down.

Yummy Honey Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
chicken breast halves
2 cloves garlic

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, soy sauce and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto chicken while cooking. Place chicken and garlic in the bowl and marinade in the fridge at least two hours (the longer the better). Preheat the grill for high heat. Drain the marinade from the chicken and discard. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the chicken on the grill; cook for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

What I did differently from the recipe:
We added the garlic in the very beginning with everything else. We also only marinated it 15 minutes because we were starving to death. It definitely had an incredible flavor even after only that long.

What I'll do differently next time:
No changes to the recipe, but this would be great as kabobs with some bell peppers and pineapple I think - or whatever you want to add.

Verdict: Thumbs up!

Sauteed Asparagus

This is my own recipe for stir-fry/sauteed asparagus. So feel free to switch things up as you wish!

Ingredients:
Asparagus
vegetable oil (or whatever you use)
minced or crushed garlic
soy sauce or stir-fry sauce

Heat oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat for two minutes or so.

Wash the asparagus; break off the ends. I break mine in half because they're easier to eat that way.

Stir asparagus into the garlic and oil mixture in the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes. If you like soy sauce or stir-fry sauce, add it and cook another 2 minutes or so. If you like your veggies soggy, keep on cooking until they're as done as you like!

Chow down.

Verdict: Thumbs up!

Stuffed Crust Pizza

Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
7 sticks (give or take) string cheese
1/2 cup pizza sauce
pepperoni slices
2 cups (ish) Italian cheese blend

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease pizza pan with shortening or cooking spray. Or use parchment paper like I do - cuts down on dishes to wash! Unroll dough; place on pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan, pressing up and extending over sides by at least one inch.

Place string cheese around inside edge of crust. Fold extended edge of dough over cheese; pinch firmly to seal.

Spoon sauce evenly over dough.

Top with pepperoni and cheese blend.

Bake 12-16 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese in center is melted. This is the only picture I could capture because it was snatched up rather quickly!!

What I did differently from the recipe:

Of course, all the "numbers" on ingredients were fudged. I have no clue how many string cheese sticks I used. Same with the sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. I just used my own judgment in how much we would want.

What I'll do differently next time:

For one thing, next time I'll buy pizza sauce instead of pasta sauce. That's right. Stephen never noticed and I think the only reason I could tell it was pasta sauce was because I knew it. Obviously you can use things other than pepperoni and cheese but that's all he'll eat. Other than that, I might sprinkle some garlic salt or Parmesan over it the next time but I won't be changing anything about this recipe drastically!

Verdict: Thumbs up!

Heavenly Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup Miracle Whip

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir cake mix and cocoa.

Add remaining ingredients.

Beat until blended.

Pour into greased and floured 13x9 pan or 2 9-inch pans.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until done.

Frost as desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:

Instead of unsweetened cocoa I used baking cocoa because I already had some in the pantry. I doubt it made a difference. Also, I sprinkled chocolate chips in the batter because Stephen's obsessed with chocolate.

What I'll do differently next time:

There probably won't be a next time. I thought it came out rather dry, although Stephen didn't think so. I feel like it would be just as easy to use a cake mix in a box and it would taste just as good, not that this recipe was any trouble to make. But it definitely wasn't "heavenly" as the recipe title suggests.

Verdict: Neutral.