ORANGE SHERBET from The Kitchn

This comes from The Kitchn. I used store-bought Tropicana orange juice, the zest from two mandarin oranges, and only 1/4 t. vanilla extract. I added 1/8 t. fine salt which made this even better than it tasted before I added it. I used whole milk in place of 1/2 c. buttermilk. I omitted lemon juice. The recipe said to not use zest because theirs was bitter but mine wasn't. This took 20 minutes in my Hamilton Beach ice cream maker. 

Though very good and I'd make it again, it's a bit icy and not as creamy as I'd expected it to be since it has corn syrup in it. Maybe more is needed or more cream. I'm thinking instead of one cup of half and half, heavy cream is needed in its place. Not including the price of the two mandarin oranges I used since they were from a 3 lb. bag that I don't remember the price of, pre-tax this cost just $2.25 to make. EDIT- See last image for alternate version.

I give this 4 stars because it's not as creamy as I was lead to believe.

I made this a couple weeks later (see image below) using 1 c. of heavy cream instead of half and half, 2% milk in place of whole since it's what I had, and no lemon juice like last time, and the consistency is perfect, in my opinion. It's halfway between that of sherbet and ice cream, and it's easier to scoop than the sherbet was. It's not rock hard straight out of the freezer like the original sherbet was. 

While being whipped up in the ice cream maker it looks identical to the original recipe. It's creamier yet slightly icy in texture and this is the way I'll make it from now on. 

Not including the price of the two mandarin oranges I used since they were from a 3 lb. bag that I don't remember the price of, pre-tax this cost just $2.33 and it's all-natural!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from Mel's Kitchen Café

This come from Mel's Kitchen Café and they're awful. The dough has zero flavor. Literally the only flavor comes from the chocolate chips. I made half and got 26 1 T. dough balls. I used 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips. I doubled the vanilla and you can't even taste it. I used 1/8 t. more salt and it still needs more. Huge disappointment!

I grade these an F.
 

ONE-POT CHICKEN PARMESAN from The Chunky Chef

This comes from The Chunky Chef. I made half using rotini pasta. This took the whole jar of sauce, not half like it should have, plus more water than the recipe called for for half, probably 1 c. more. I omitted chicken. I've made many a one-pot pasta and this is the only one that tastes very starchy from the pasta cooking in the liquids.

Not sure how to grade this. The method gets an A but the amount of liquids gets an F. I wouldn't make this again.

FOOLPROOF BROWNIES from Biscuits and Burlap

These come from Biscuits and Burlap. Like the site says, these are both fudgy and cakelike, which I like. They're very moist. What I don't like is the very buttery taste so I won't be making these again. I made half in an 8"x2" pan and they took 21 minutes. I added 3/8 t. salt and the recipe called for none, and it could have used a little more. I also added 1 t. pure vanilla extract and the recipe called for none. I added a pourable chocolate frosting to it and topped it with 1/2 c. chopped pecans.

I grade these a B.

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.