Why my mom didn't like it

A little while ago, there was an evening that I didn't have super awesome dinner plans.

I tossed some chicken breasts into a pan with garlic powder and looked around the kitchen. There I saw a few boxes of stove top stuffing and decided, what the heck, why not make that as a side dish?

The back of the box caught my eye - Bruschetta Chicken bake, or something like that. It required not much more than the chicken and stuffing mix - just 1/2 cup of water, some mozzarella cheese, fresh garlic and a can of diced tomatoes. Oh and some basil, but I was able to skip that.

I didn't go into the recipe expecting much. After all, it was a 30 minute, back-of-the-box recipe and would probably be bland. It was worth a shot.

After making it - and loving it - I did what any self-respecting, independent woman would do: I called my mom.

It only took about a week for her to make the recipe at home but surprisingly, she didn't like it. What could be the issue, I wondered.

Aha! When I cook, I tend to triple the amount of garlic called for. And I didn't have plain diced tomatoes, I had a basil-and-something flavored can.

So I tried again, to see that the first go wasn't a fluke. It wasn't.

1 - Lay Chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces in a casserole dish.
2 - Sprinkle with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
3 - Top with as much shredded mozzarella cheese as you think looks good to you.
4 - Mix stuffing mix, 1/2 cup water, undrained can of diced tomatoes (flavored variety) and lots and lots of fresh garlic, chopped as small as your patience will allow. Or just mash em up in one of those nifty garlic presses.
5 - Add more garlic than you just did, for good measure.
6 - Toss the stuffing mixture on top of the cheese covered chicken and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until chicken is done.

The lesson this time is that when you're making a back-of-the-box recipe, or any for that matter, don't be afraid to throw your own style in. There's a reason that even spaghetti tastes better at a restaurant, and the key lies in fresh garlic. I'm going out on a limb and guessing my mom followed the recipe verbatim. Me on the other hand, I've always liked to march to my own beat. Or my own spice combo.

The official recipe, courtesy of Stove Top plus my renegade spice usage:
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained - Use a flavored variety
1 pkg (6 oz) stove top stuffing mix, chicken flavored
1/2 cup water
2 (that means 6 or more) cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp dried basil leaves (I skipped this)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1 - Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir tomatoes, water, stuffing mix and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.
2 - Place chicken in 13x9 baking dish, spring with basil, top with cheese then stuffing mixture
3 - Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through

Enjoy! But only if you put your own flavor to it