One of the things I'm trying to do this year is make at least one new recipe a week.  It's my "resolution" I guess you could say.  My family loves my cooking when it comes to the dinner staples--tacos, meatloaf, spaghetti, chili, soup and the like.  But I'd like to broaden our horizons a bit.  I'm attempting crockpot Chicken Chili Spaghetti for dinner tonight.  I've never made it before.  I've never made anything even remotely like it before.  I'm hoping my kids at least try it before they say they hate it.   I had to modify it quite a bit for what I had on hand.  I'm also making it into a crockpot recipe even though it's more of a traditional casserole--or hotdish--since my husband is ice fishing  for the weekend and I'd like to have something I can throw together before he comes home.  And so it's cooking while we watch the Packers lose today. :)  (Don't tell me what's going on--we're recording it.)  Here's the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken

12 ounces vermicelli pasta

3/4 cup butter

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 pound processed cheese, cubed

2 (4.5 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms

Directions

1.Place whole chicken in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 to 60 minutes, until tender. Remove chicken from pot, reserving broth. Skin and bone chicken; set meat aside.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3.Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Remove pasta from pot and set aside.

4.In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Cook celery, garlic, onion and bell pepper in butter until tender. Toss celery mixture with pasta, diced tomatoes and green chiles, processed cheese, sliced mushrooms and chicken meat. Place in 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour reserved chicken broth over to moisten.

5.Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

I had to make quite a few modifications.  I didn't have any celery or green peppers, but I had a red and yellow pepper I used instead.  The canned tomatoes I had didn't have the green chile peppers in it, so I just used a little crushed red pepper for the heat.  And no processed cheese, so I used shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese.  In theory, it should be delicious.  I love every ingredient in the recipe, but we'll see how it turns out when they're combined.   I'll let you know if this turns out.  But just in case it doesn't I have a back up plan.  Pizza Hut on speed dial.

Sunday Dinner
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