CORN CAKES from Kitchen Trial and Error

These come from Kitchen Trial and Error and they're awful. Very very very dry and taste like nothing more than tortilla chips. I made half the recipe, left out the cheese because I used a Parmesan cheese sauce on them, and added 1/2 c. finely chopped chicken breast and I can't even taste it.

I grade these an F.

CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP from Creme de la Crumb

This simple recipe comes from Creme de la Crumb. I made half and I used mostly low sodium chicken broth and some water, omitting cream completely. I cooked my wild rice blend, 3/4 c. of it, with all the liquids, not separately with part of the broth and water. I cannot understand why the author did that. I used a heaping 1/2 c. of canned peas and about the same of frozen thawed carrots that I'd cut in half. I used 1/8 t. red pepper flakes and about a heaping 1/4 t. salt. The brand of rice I used only took 15 minutes to be completely tender.

I give this 5 stars. It's good and I've got no complaints.

EPIC'S HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE from Epicurious

This comes from Epicurious. I made half in a 9"/2 qt. stoneware dish. I added 1 t. pure vanilla extract to the cake though the recipe called for none. It turned out great, no complaints. I did omit one tablespoon of cocoa powder from the pudding part because I was worried it would be too bitter. I baked this on 350, not 325.

PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES from Food.com

These are from Food.com. Flavorwise these are great. I cannot stand the hard crunchy top layer or the way these sank in the middle. I made half using 2 T. less cocoa. These need more salt. I won't be making these again despite the good flavor.

"ESPECIALLY DARK" CAKE from Hershey's

Excellent recipe. It comes from Hershey's. This is my first time using Dutch process cocoa powder. I used Hershey's brand and they call theirs "Special Dark." I did use one less tablespoon for half the recipe. This is one of those cakes that uses vegetable oil and you add boiling water at the end. This has to be the six or seventh one like it that I've made over the last ten years. It's as moist as a boxed Devil's Food cake and just as good, if not better, tasting. 

I made half the recipe and used this Wilton 8-cavity mini loaf pan. My eight mini loaves baked in 17 minutes and I used just over 1/3 c. batter for each (each cavity holds 2/3 c.), to half made a little less than 2 3/4 c. batter. I would suggest you use 9"x2" baking pans and not the standard 1.5" deep ones. These are sticky but after cooling only the top remains (very) sticky. Make sure you line your baking pan fully with foil or parchment paper, or use liners for cupcakes. 

I made my own pourable chocolate glaze for the tops of these. The frosting Herhey's uses for this recipe is similar but you only melt the butter, not the milk too. I couldn't use that because for half the recipe, which is what I'd have needed, they have you use 1/3 c. Dutch process cocoa (5 1/3. T.) I only used 1.5 T., almost 1/4 c. less. I used my own buttercream frosting recipe (using Blue Bonnet spread and an almost equal amount of shortening) and layered it between each loaf that I'd cut in half after they'd cooled, then poured my cooled down thick glaze on it. Each little loaf is about 2" tall after frosting and glazing it.

I grade this recipe an A++ even though I used one less tablespoon of cocoa.

CREAMY CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP

This comes from She Wears Many Hats. I made half and omitted rosemary, mushrooms and cream. I used slightly less thyme, thankfully, two 14.5 oz. cans of low sodium chicken broth and one can of water. I think it could have used even less thyme than I used. The flour didn't thicken this much so it needs more or none at all. I used a four rice blend that included wild rice and it only took 15 minutes to cook. I used a little less chicken.

I grade this an A+.

CHOCOHOLIC MUFFINS (PART 2) from Once Upon a Chef

The original recipe comes from Once Upon a Chef. This is the third time I've made these and the second time using my adjustments. The second time I made these, which was just a few months after making them the first time in June 2020, I used vegetable or canola oil in place of melted butter and I decreased the cocoa powder by 2 1/3 T. cocoa powder, so I used three tablespoons instead of 5 1/3 T. I make half every time and get 10 every time, using just 1/4 c. batter, but got 9 larger ones this time. This time I frosted them with a heated chocolate glaze, which I made thicker this time by using less milk. I meant to use Hershey's Dutch-process cocoa powder in the glaze because it's much darker in color but I forgot and used regular, which doesn't taste as good.

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI STUFFED SHELLS from Tastes Better From Scratch

This comes from Tastes Better From Scratch. I used just 1/4 of the shells, which was 10 shells/3 oz., one large 8.4 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast (1.5 c.) that I baked in the oven, and 3 oz. of broccoli, which I cooked with the pasta. I only had enough filling for 9 shells. I made the full amount of sauce and had about 1 c. left over. I used some of that for a different recipe. I did cook about 2 t. onion in the butter. I didn't want to add egg yolks to my sauce so I used 2 T. flour instead, which I stirred into the butter/onion mixture. I used garlic powder too instead of real garlic. Since the filling is fully cooked when it goes into the oven, I baked it in a 2.5 qt. pan for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees F then turned on the broiler and cooked it another minute or two just to brown the cheese.

I grade this an A. I do recommend you cook the pasta and broccoli the day/night before just to save time when it comes time to make the sauce, cook the chicken and stuff the shells.