Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 38

While the name “Chicken Spaghetti” might give you the mental image of a chicken parmesan like dish with marinara sauce, the only “spaghetti” element of this chicken spaghetti is the actual use of spaghetti noodles. Beyond that, this recipe is rich, creamy, and cheesy, all without even the slightest hint of a traditional red spaghetti sauce. Regardless, this Chicken Spaghetti dish is fabulous and is a true comfort food. We diverged slightly and chopped our mushrooms instead of just slicing them, but otherwise, kept to the recipe which delivered a fabulous result. 

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Coming in with a high rating of 7.5, this Chicken Spaghetti is truly unusual, but delicious. As a creamy and cheesy pasta bake, it is quite simple to put together and would be fabulous for bringing to a family or serving while entertaining due to its large 9×13 portion size. I believe in the future we will continue to chop our mushrooms to better disperse them throughout the dish, but otherwise will make very few alterations to the recipe! 

When I saw this recipe coming up on our list, I was so excited. As one of the dishes that we had tried before starting this challenge, I knew that this recipe was tasty and such a treat to enjoy. Quick, easy and delicious, this Brownie Pie is everything that I ever would want from a chocolate pie. Each bite has a thin crunchy layer on top which perfectly balances with the soft center of the pie, slight crunch of the pecans and flaky nature of the homemade pie crust. While this dish is rich, it is not overly sweet and makes for the best dessert to bring to functions since it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Similarly, despite loving the pecan addition, feel free to leave them out should you or someone close to you have a nut allergy. I have made the pie nut free in the past and it is still wonderful. 

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While Charlie and I already knew we loved this pie, our high ratings were reinforced when our neighbor rated the pieces we shared with her as a 10! Coming in with an average rating of a 9, this Brownie Pie is wonderful with its balance of textures and flavors. Similarly, I love to heat it very slightly and top it off with some vanilla ice cream or even enjoy it as an afternoon snack with a glass of milk. 

Having made several different homemade pie crusts over the years, I have to say that Joanna Gaines’ recipe has many merits. First, the crust is easy to pull together and as a full dough, it holds its form very nicely to make for easy crust rolling, transporting and shaping. While the crust is not as sweet as some, it certainly is buttery and would work well for pies, quiches (read the review on Joanna’s Three Cheese Quiche HERE!) and any other savory or sweet application. If you are looking for a homemade crust recipe, this is a great one to start with. 

Crowd Average Rating:

This homemade Pie Crust recipe gained an average rating of an 8! As I have burnt out two food processors in the past making pie dough, I made this recipe by hand and it was very simple, especially if you have a pastry cutter on hand. Using ice water is also key as keeping your dough as chilled as possible helps increase its flakiness. 

• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Butter
• Garlic

• Heavy cream
• Nutmeg
• Potatoes
• Cheddar cheese
• Chives

• Artichokes
• Sundried tomatoes
• Lemons
• Garlic salt