Spaghetti Pie

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

This one is really easy to put together. The prep isn't quick because you have to make the "crust" first after boiling the pasta, and then make the filling, but there is plenty of downtime and not much cutting going on with this one.

I did skip the ricotta layer, because I didn't have any on hand, and just used more ground beef in the sauce. It was really good, and a nice change of pace from regular pasta with sauce. An easy recipe for something a little different that still gives you traditional Italian flavors.

White Chicken Chili

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen (TV Show) (Season 8)

I like this, but the overwhelming flavor in the dish is the peppers, and I didn't even use as much as called for. It feels more like a "Green" chili than a white chili. (And looks that way too.) The chilies used are all mostly mild, with jalapeno being the hottest, so there is very little spice to this chili.

The cooking time can overlap the prep time some, but I find it less stressful to prep before I start, so I did that. It isn't hard to make, but does mess up a few dishes. I think for something that uses whole chicken breasts (as opposed to boneless skinless), I want the final dish to be a little richer with more chicken flavor. So I probably will stick to regular chili in the future, but could possibly make again someday.

Gingered Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Probably not

Recipe Source:Whole Grain Baking

Wow, it's been a very long time! My life has been turned upside-down this past year, and it left me with less time for cooking, and I've been sticking to my old standby favorite recipes, so there wasn't anything to try. I finally got the desire to bake again recently, so tried these muffins.

They taste very good, but they are very squat, which I don't like. The batter was very soupy. Also, they take a little longer because of chopping the crystallized ginger and making some oat flour (just by using my food processor.) For these reasons, I probably won't make again, but I do like how they taste. There are just too many good muffin recipes, so I stick to my absolute favorites when I reuse a recipe.