Challenge Ingredient: Chocolate

Chocolate. Really, what is there to say? It comes in many forms:

Molded, themed treats

Cupcakes

Cookies

Pies

Bars

Dipping

Brownies (amazing brownies)

If you are a self-proclaimed chocoholic, you need this cookbook:
So, as I'm sure you can tell, the challenge ingredient this week is chocolate. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, cocoa powder, or any other variation you like.

Next week's challenge is candy, which although technically different and separate from chocolate, can piggyback with it. If you choose to piggyback, please label your post with both.

(all photo credits mine)

Challenge Ingredient: Vanilla

Okay, okay, I'm way behind. It's been a busy week and I've been cleaning my house top to bottom because my family is coming into town on Saturday.

Well, this week (what's left of it anyway), our ingredient is vanilla.



My parents went to Cancún, México last year and brought me a big bottle of real vanilla. It smells amazing. I can't honestly say that I've noticed a difference in my baking with it, but it's been a long time since I've used fake stuff, so it's hard to compare. But I could just sit and smell the bottle all day. I probably shouldn't.

Vanilla, as you probably know, comes from beans, or pods. I have chanced to read several recipes that call for a vanilla bean, but I can't bring myself to buy one, because they're about $10 a pop. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice, after saffron, and it's due to the extensive labor required to grow the pods.

There are four basic types of vanilla: Bourbon-Madagascar, Mexican, Tahitian, and West Indian. French vanilla is not an actual variety, but more of a process. Most imitation vanillas contain vanillin, only one of 171 identified aromatic components of the real vanilla beans.

(Source: Wikipedia)

So have at it. Let's do some baking! The vanilla challenge technically ends Monday, but you can still make and/or post all next week.

Challenge Ingredient: Pumpkin or Squash

Good evening everyone! How was your Halloween? I hope everyone had fun -- there's not much point to Halloween otherwise, is there?

This week we're focusing on pumpkins and squash. I get really excited about baking in the Fall (who doesn't?) and I love baked pumpkin goods. It doesn't even have to be baked. It can be frozen. Here is a list of pumpkin food I love:



Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. I don't like pumpkin pie. True story. I like anything and everything else I've ever eaten with pumpkin in it, but not pumpkin pie. I think it's a texture thing.

I've only ever made one thing with squash. I made spaghetti last year using spaghetti squash instead of pasta. I liked it, but my husband said it tasted too much like potatoes, which he doesn't like.

Pumpkin facts:

• The word "pumpkin" comes from the Greek pepon, meaning "large melon" (so why isn't it in season in the Summer?)
• Botanically speaking, the pumpkin is a fruit.
• Antarctica is the only continent incapable of producing pumpkins.
• The top pumpkin-producing states in the country are Illinois, Ohio (go me!), Pennsylvania and California
• Canned pumpkin is often recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats that are experiencing digestive problems, as the high fiber content helps to aid proper digestion.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible

(Sources: Wikipedia: Pumpkin and Pumpkins and More...click here for more factoids from them.)

Squash. Well, I don't really know much about it. There are lots of popular varieties, and tons of ways to eats them -- spaghetti squash, summer squash, winter squash, zucchini, acorn squash, butternut squash. I actually saw a recipe today for butternut squash that I think I'll try out -- maybe this week, maybe not. It can be found here.

Some pumpkin recipes to share:

• Pumpkin Apple Spice Muffins from My Kitchen Cafe.
• Pumpkin Dip that I love to serve with gingersnaps (you might want to cut the recipe in half, though)
• My mom's pumpkin bread (recipe to follow)

Pumpkin Bread

2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

Preheat oven to 350. Dump all ingredients into bowl of stand mixer, and mix just until blended, scraping down the bowl as needed.

For mini loaves (makes 6), bake 25-30 minutes. For full-size loaves (3), bake for 60-65 minutes.

Challenge Ingredient: Halloween food

This week's challenge has a lot of room for variation. We wanted to do something festive. The challenge is Halloween food. Now, this can be interpreted in many different ways. Are you making special Halloween themed-treats for kids at home or school? Do you have a traditional meal you make on Halloween? Are you going to make something after the dreaded sugar night in an effort to use up some of the copious amounts of candy?

My mom always made Frito Boats on Halloween. You just put Fritos in the bottom of a bowl, pour chili on top, and garnish with whatever you want -- diced onions, cheese, sour cream. It was quick, it was easy, and it was warm.

Last year, I made cemetary cupcakes (my own variation on this recipe). They were fun. I'm hosting book group this week, and having read Frankenstein this month (which I don't recommend, by the way), I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all have to share! Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Challenge Ingredient: Hominy

I'm a little excited for this challenge, mostly because I'm really excited for what I'm going to make. I really like hominy, but I don't really have many (okay, more than one) to use it in, so I'm hoping you guys really step up to the plate for this challenge, so I can get some more.


Hominy is in the corn family, and is very flavorful. The kernels are bigger than corn, but have the same basic shape, as you can see here:

Cans of hominy can be found in the canned vegetable aisle at the grocery store, or at a Mexican food store.

I first ate hominy while serving on a mission for my church. It is a main ingredient in a delicious traditional Mexican soup, called pozole. A recipe is below (it's not low maintenance by any means, but the result is so yummy). If you're game, here it is (source):

7 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups water
4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
1 small onion, quartered
2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and quartered
2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 15-ounce cans of hominy, drained
Finely shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving

In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, cover and simmer over very low heat until they’re tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat; discard the bones and skin. Skim any fat from the cooking liquid and reserve.

In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos with the quartered onion, poblanos and jalapeños, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the side. With the machine on, add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.

In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.

Pour the green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through.

Serve the pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table.

Challenge Ingredient: Cream Cheese

This week our challenge ingredient is cream cheese.


What is cream cheese? On About.com we learn:

Cream cheese is an American invention developed in 1872 in New York state. A cheese distributor soon commissioned the enterprising dairyman to produce the cream cheese in volume under the trade name "Philadelphia Brand®." The company was eventually bought out by Kraft Foods in 1928, and still remains the most widely-recognized brand of cream cheese in the United States.

Cream cheese is similar to French Neufchatel in that it is made from cow's milk, but differs in that it is unripened and often contains emulsifiers to lend firmness and lengthen shelf-life.

For cream cheese tips, hints and solutions, click HERE.

To introduce this challenge I was planning on posting my husband's family's super easy no-bake cheesecake recipe, but I'm not sure if it is top secret or not, and I don't want to wake him up to ask, so I'll find out tomorrow and possibly add it to this post. *fingers crossed*

Let's see what interesting things we can do with cream cheese. Please post by Sunday night, and don't forget--there is still time to post your APPLE recipes!

Challenge Ingredient: Apples

This week we are featuring apples. Apple season is in full swing. They seem to herald in the Autumn season. In fact, just the other day I was feeling the autumn spirit and bought a jug of apple cider to celebrate this beautiful time of year. (granted, everything looks the same in Arizona, but let's just pretend, shall we?)

Apples are so versatile. To give you a little inspiration, here is a Blisstree.com post Janelle found called
"12 Fabulous Apple Recipes" that we can use as a kind of jumping off point in our apple adventures.

And, for those of us inspired by music, here is a clip from Disney's Johnny Appleseed.

I'm excited to see all the recipes you use with apples. Let's try to get a lot of participation this week. You can post a recipe you've made before, as long as you make it this week. And don't forget...it's not too late to post your cumin recipes. Happy cooking!

Challenge Ingredient: Cumin

It's my turn to post this week, and as has been about par the last month or so, I'm running late again. I'm visiting my in-laws and was on the road on Monday and Tuesday. I thought about pre-posting this, but didn't get around to it. So pretty much, I'm just lazy. :)

This week, we're cooking with cumin. Cumin is one of my favorite spices. I love Mexican food, and it is a primary spice in Mexican cooking. It can also be found in many other cuisines, though.

Cumin is native to Egypt. Its seed have been found in the Old Kingdom Pyramids. Today, it can be found in Indian, Eastern, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Portuguese, Spanish, and Morrocan cuisine.

(Source: The epicentre)

Besides all of my Mexican food, another dish I enjoy with cumin is hummus, which is surprisingly easy to make at home. Here's the recipe I use, from the Whole Foods website (source).

Simply Delicious Homemade Hummus

Serves 6

This homemade hummus makes an absolutely delicious dip, perfect for entertaining or a snack. Pair with lightly toasted pita bread, crisp veggies, feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves and a selection of olives. Cannellini or Great Northern beans can be substituted for the garbanzo beans.
Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Ingredient Options: Add minced chipotle peppers (canned), sliced pimentos and cilantro. Add toasted pine nuts. Instead of garbanzo beans, use cannellini beans and season with thyme.
Method

Put garlic in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add garbanzos, tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander and a pinch of cayenne (you may add more later to increase the heat), and process until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Before serving, let hummus come to room temperature. Mix in the parsley and serve.

Challenge Ingredient: Kidney Beans

Now that Fall is upon us, the time for making stews, soups and chilis has come! So, what better ingredient to feature than our high-fiber, protein-packed, heart-healthy friend-- the KIDNEY BEAN?


To get your creative juices flowin', here is a list of quick serving ideas from WHFoods.com:

• Combine cooked kidney beans with black beans and white beans to make a colorful three bean salad. Mix with tomatos and scallions and dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

• Serve cooked kidney beans over a piece of cornbread and top with grated cheese for a twist on the traditional tamale pie.

• In a food processor or blender, combine cooked kidney beans with garlic, cumin and chili peppers for a delicious spread that can be used as a crudité dip or sandwich filling.

• Make a pot of chili, the hearty Mexican soup that traditionally features kidney beans.

• Make tacos with a vegetarian twist by using kidney beans in place of ground meat.

Have fun with this week's ingredient, and get your recipes posted by next Sunday. Have a great week!

Note: Sorry for the delay in posting the new challenge. In the words of Andie Anderson, "Do you think I'm some kind of mental person?!" I think so! I've been such a space case lately! Hopefully I can get my act together sooner than later.

Challenge Ingredient: Brown Bag

Well, this is Jenn. I'm not as cool at blogging as some other folks on here. But, being that this was my idea for an ingredient, Jillian asked that I post the Challenge for this week. I know, this is boring - I have no cute pictures or awesome formatting - but hey . . . at least I didn't forget.

(Thanks to Jillian for the reminder tonight)!!

This Weeks Challenge . . .

The Brown Paper Bag!!!!

I know - kind of a weird ingredient, isn't it?!?! But, think about it. With all our hubbies in school or working, and with all our kids either in school or going to countless play-dates, there is bound to be a need for a Sack Lunch. Thus, my lovely idea of the brown paper bag!

I end up packing my poor hubby the same triple-decker PBJ sandwiches day after day. I am quite certain he gets sick and tired of these, but he never complains. But, I am going crazy staring at my cupboards and shopping the aisles at the grocery store trying to come up with new ideas for sack lunches. So, I figure we can all help each other out, and hopefully get some fun ideas for the ever-boring Brown Paper Bag Lunches!!!!

I can't wait to hear everyone's ideas . . . and I will definently be trying out this weeks recipes!

Challenge Ingredient: BBQ Sauce

Okay, I am completely insane and totally spaced that it was my turn to post the challenge this week. I would like to apologize profusely! I don't know if it was the holiday on Monday that threw me or what.

image may be found at www.megabbq.com/page/3

Anyway, this week (next few days) our challenge ingredient is BBQ sauce. When I told my husband the challenge, he thought we were challenging everyone to make BBQ sauce. I laughed at him. Now, if you are feeling really adventurous, go ahead and make a BBQ sauce. The rest of us will just make a recipe that incorporates BBQ sauce.

There is much debate about the definitions of "barbecue" and "grilling", and what is truly considered "barbecue". There are so-called 'experts' who write treatises on the subject. Basically, here in the good 'ole US of A, there are many different styles of barbecue, and the definition varies by region. There is so much information out there on the subject, I swear you could get a Master's in "Barbecue Ethnology". People are crazy-serious about their barbecue!!

For information on Regional BBQ Sauce Variations, go HERE. It's pretty interesting.

To see a nice little article about it on Food Network's site, go HERE. Not as many regions represented, but a good article nonetheless.

For the secret to making your own barbecue sauce, for you adventurous types, go HERE.

If you want to see a video of Bobby Flay making a barbecue sauce, go HERE. Why, you ask? Uhm...Bobby.Flay. 'Nough said. What can I say? The hubs likes watching him for his grilling tips, and I like watching him for...his grilling tips! What were you thinking?! Ha!

Again, I apologize for getting the challenge up so late. Demonstrate your forgiveness of me by posting your recipes by Sunday (or the Sunday after that, as per our new rules). Happy Cooking/Grilling/Barbecuing!

Challenge Ingredient: Tomatoes

This week's challenge ingredient is TOMATOES. If you have a garden, you are probably up to your ears in tomatoes right about now. This will give you a chance to try out something new using your bounteous harvest.

picture from blogs.phillyburbs.com

So, whether you call them a fruit or a vegetable, let's see what recipes you can find using tomatoes. We look forward to seeing your TOMATO recipes!

I'll leave you with a lovely video clip. Enjoy! "I say tomato, you say tomaaato..."

Challenge Ingredient: ICE CREAM

As we enter the final week of August, I thought ice cream would be a particularly appropriate challenge ingredient. I suppose we should have done it sometime in July, being that July is National Ice Cream Month. I'm sure we'll get over it.


I had fun reading about our ingredient this week. Did you know that ice cream was known to exist as early as the second century B.C.? And that the ice cream sundae really has something to do with Sundays? Want Thomas Jefferson's personal ice cream recipe? You got it!

Read up on the history of ice cream here, and let's have some good entries this week!

You can make a recipe that uses ice cream as an ingredient, or you can make ice cream itself. Sorbet, sherbet, gelato, and frozen yogurt are also all acceptable. Have fun!!

And enjoy this ice cream maze while you indulge yourself.

Challenge Ingredient: Mint

For this week's challenge I chose an herb that is in season right now. I don't know about you, but I don't cook with mint very often, so I thought it would be fun to work with. What's in {Your} Oven? is all about stepping outside the box, right?!

Did you know that there are four different types of mint? Yeah, me neither. There is peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and pineapple mint. Hmmm. Very interesting...


It sounds like mint is a really easy plant to grow. In fact, it grows so easily that you have to be careful that it doesn't take over your whole garden! It is suggested that you plant mint in a garden by itself, or in above ground containers. It can grow in full sun to partial shade. (info from University of Illinois Extension)

Mint can be used in many different applications, so let's see what recipes you are able to find! Post by Sunday night, por favor.

Challenge Ingredient: ZUCCHINI

Let me just say that I am excited for this challenge. But also not. See, I love to make zucchini bread, and I get excited when it's zucchini season this time of year every year. My zucchini bread recipes is my great-grandmother's recipe. Here's the "also not" part -- I don't share this recipe. It's the one thing I've chosen to keep to myself, as "the secret family recipe." So I'll make zucchini bread for you if you want, but I won't ever give you the recipe. Sorry. So I'm excited for this challenge (because I know it's the perfect time of year to make my zucchini bread -- her best I've ever tasted, by the way), but I'm also not excited because I have to figure out something else to make for the challenge. :)


Quick facts:

• Zucchini plants have big beautiful yellow flowers.
• Like the tomato, the zucchini is actually a fruit. Botanically speaking. According to Wiki, it's the "swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower."
• Zucchini are low in calories and contain good amounts of folate, potassium, vitamin A, and manganese.
• When choosing your zucchini, longer is not always better. Immature zucchini have better flavor, and longer may be a sign of fuller maturity.
• Choose zucchini that have firm, dark green skin. Old zucchini are soft and wrinkly.

(Sources: Wikipedia: Zucchini and How to Pick Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.

For more information on how to choose zucchini (specific to what you're making with it), click here.

Get your recipes posted by Sunday night, and happy cooking or baking!

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On posting:

When you tag your posts, please tag them with only these three tags: your name, the current challenge ingredient, and what type of dish it is (dessert, salad, side dish, bread, etc.). Please don't tag with previous challenge ingredients or preparation methods. Sometimes a dish can fall into two categories; when that's the case, go ahead and post two.

Challenge Ingredient: Melon

What is summer without a good melon? Now that summer is winding to a close, I thought we should take the opportunity to feature melons before it's too late!


Choose any kind of melon you want, and have fun! We had a lot of posts for the last challenge, so let's keep it up this week. YEA!!!

Challenge Ingredient: Bell Pepper

photo: Oxmoor House

I originally chose just green bell pepper as the ingredient this week, then said to myself, "Why not open it up to all varieties of bell peppers?! Why limit ourselves to only the green ones?" So, there you go. (kimono, kimona--there you go.)

Peppers originated in South America and were carried all over the world by explorers. Their popularity grew quickly and they were adapted into the cuisine of many cultures, being a very adaptable plant that can easily grow in many different climates.

How to select the perfect pepper:

Choose peppers that have deep vivid colors, taut skin, and that are free of soft spots, blemishes and darkened areas. Their stems should be green and fresh looking. Peppers should be heavy for their size and firm enough so that they will gently yield to slight pressure. Avoid those that have signs of decay including injuries to the skin or water-soaked areas. The shape of the pepper does not generally affect the quality, although it may result in excessive waste or not be suitable to certain recipe preparations. Peppers are available throughout the year but are usually in greater abundance during the summer months. (from whfoods.com)

Our favorite thing to make with peppers is fajitas, but there are a lot of great uses for bell peppers. Let's see what great recipes you guys find! Please post by Sunday night

Challenge Ingredient: Basil

This week's challenge ingredient is BASIL. From good ole' Wikipedia we learn:

Basil is a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the Southeast Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell.

There are many varieties of basil. That which is used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil, as opposed to Thai basil, lemon basil and holy basil, which are used in Asia. While most common varieties of basil are treated as annuals, some are perennial in warm, tropical climates, including African Blue and Holy Thai basil.

Basil is originally native to Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years.

And, something interesting for you Harry Potter fans:

The word basil comes from the Greek βασιλεύς (basileus), meaning "king", as it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that basil may have been used in "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine". Basil is still considered the "king of herbs" by many cookery authors. An alternative etymology has "basil" coming from the Latin word basilicus, meaning dragon and being the root for basilisk, but this likely was a linguistic reworking of the word as brought from Greece.

There were a few other interesting things I learned about basil. For example:

* Scientific studies have established that compounds in basil oil have potent antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties.

* It is traditionally used for supplementary treatment of stress, asthma and diabetes in India.

* Jewish folklore suggests it adds strength while fasting. (Hmmm...)

* In Europe, basil is placed in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.

* It is a symbol of love in present-day Italy, but represented hatred in ancient Greece, and European lore sometimes claims that basil is a symbol of Satan.

So whether you love it, hate it or think it's of the devil, BASIL is our challenge ingredient. Have fun, and post your basil-riffic recipes by Sunday night.

Challenge Ingredient: Garlic

Have you ever been to Gilroy, CA? It is the garlic capital of the world. When you drive through, if you crack your car windows slightly, you will notice that the whole town smells like garlic. If you live or stay there, you will smell it in the dew in the morning. Could there be anything more delicious? Every Summer the town of Gilroy (population 41, 464) holds a huge three-day Garlic Festival. Last year, 107,553 people attended. There are all sorts of garlicky foods you can sample at the festival, including garlic wine and garlic ice cream. With so many options (and the festival coming up in two weeks), what could be a more perfect challenge ingredient than garlic?




Here are some fast facts on garlic:

• It's part of the onion family.
• It can be used both in the kitchen and for medicinal purposes.
• Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in milder climates.
• Garlic can thin blood, similar to an aspirin.
• Garlic might be toxic to cats and dogs.

(Source: Wikipedia: Garlic)

If you're a beginner or just not very familiar with whole garlic (as opposed to minced garlic that comes in jars), here's a basic intro.

This is a bulb of garlic:

A bulb is made up of a bunch of cloves of garlic that separate off, like this:

A clove of garlic (once you peel off the papery outside) is approximately equivalent to 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. If you don't have a garlic press, you can chop it up into tiny tiny pieces, but be prepared to smell garlic under your fingernails for a couple of days.

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Okay everyone, we've had low participation lately (myself included), but I think this is a great ingredient to get a fresh start with. It's so versatile there's almost no excuse for not participating. Please post your recipes by Sunday night.

I also want to add a few items of business in here. If you would like to guest post a challenge ingredient, please leave a comment on this post, or email us at whatsinyouroven(at)yahoo(dot)com. If you have any ideas on how to make things more exciting around here, please also leave a comment or send us an email.

Challenge Ingredient: Broccoli

This week we're cookin' up BROCCOLI! I knew that broccoli was good for you, but WHOA! I had NO IDEA how good it was for you! It fights all kinds of cancers, repairs sun damage, strengthens bones, prevents cataracts & birth defects...the list goes on and on!!
Some tips on choosing that perfect head of broccoli:

Choose broccoli with floret clusters that are compact and not bruised. They should be uniformly colored, either dark green, sage or purple-green, depending upon variety, and with no yellowing. In addition, they should not have any yellow flowers blossoming through, as this is a sign of over maturity. The stalk and stems should be firm with no slimy spots appearing either there or on the florets. If leaves are attached, they should be vibrant in color and not wilted.

Broccoli is very perishable and should be stored in open plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a week. Since water on the surface will encourage its degradation, do not wash the broccoli before refrigerating. Broccoli that has been blanched and then frozen can stay up to a year. Leftover cooked broccoli should be placed in tightly covered container and stored in the refrigerator where it will keep for a few days. (from www.whfoods.com)

It might sound really weird, and I know some of you will gag when I say this, but the way we eat broccoli at our house is... with mayonnaise! We just steam it and dip it in mayo. My kids eat a ton of it that way. Don't knock it till you've tried it! It sounds strange, but it's really good.

One of my favorite, recently found recipes involving broccoli is Chicken Divan. It tastes SO good, uses up leftovers and the best thing about it is the speedy cooking time. This dish takes 8 minutes to cook in the microwave. Yipee! Here's the recipe: (I know you're dying to see it)

Microwave Chicken Divan

15 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 6

• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen broccoli (or leftover cooked broccoli)
• 2 cups cooked chicken or cooked turkey, diced, sliced, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese or American cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder (or more to taste)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 4-5 dashes paprika

1. Place the broccoli in a colander and run under cold water to thaw if needed.
2. Fill the bottom of a 2 quart glass casserole with the broccoli. Cover this layer with the chicken. (I use leftover chicken or turkey, or canned chicken, or even lunch meat.) Finally, cover the chicken with thinly sliced or grated cheese. (1 cup = about 8 slices of cheese.).
3. In a bowl, mix milk, soup, lemon juice, and curry powder with a whisk. Pour this over the cheese.
4. Microwave on High for about 8 minutes, turning the dish halfway through cooking time.
5. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and the paprika. Microwave on High for another minute or two if desired.
6. Note-You can also bake this at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, add the toppings, and bake 5 more minutes.

This is great served over rice, so before you start making it get your rice cooker goin'.

Good luck with this week's challenge! Remember to post by Sunday night. Also, if you have friends or family members who you think would enjoy joining our little cooking challenge, e-mail us at whatsinyouroven (at) yahoo (dot) com. Have a happy week!