Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Rice

***This has to be one of the simplest side dishes ever. All I did was cook a batch of white, long-grain rice. Once it was ready, I added a few tablespoons of Amore brand Sun-Dried Tomato paste and stirred it together. I seasoned it with salt & pepper and then topped it off with dried basil...simple as that! It's such a great way to jazz up plain ol' white rice. My mom makes it by adding stewed tomatoes to white rice...another variation that's also very good.***

Oven Baked Tilapia with Lemon

***Wow...it's been over a week since my last post...I apologize! It seems like I've been making several of my tried and true recipes for dinner this past week. I made the Lemon Butter Grouper, Oven Roasted Chicken & Pasta, among a few others. I even made a second batch of the fresh French Baguettes....YUM. I'm also extremely excited about this month's Daring Bakers Challenge. I cannot post anything about it until March 30th, so I guess I'll have to keep quiet until then. I will only say that it was a huge hit on Easter...I can't wait to share it!***

***But, now on to the recipe at-hand....

There's a recipe on the side of the Bisquick box that I've used before called "Oven Baked Chicken." I remembered it being really good, and the other night I was looking for something quick and easy to do with tilapia. I saw this recipe and thought, "Why not?!" I jazzed it up a little bit by adding lemon juice, since I was working with fish. The end result was quite scrumptious! Brad enjoyed it too. You can't beat it for a super simple dinner.***

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 lemons

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in an ovenproof baking dish in the oven.

Stir together Bisquick mix, paprika, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and pepper; coat tilapia. Place in heated dish.

Bake approximately 10 minutes, and then carefully flip tilapia. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until fish easily flakes. Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice on the top of eash fillet. Serve immediately!

"You Make My Day" Award =)

I was so surprised when I opened up Blogger today and saw that I had been given a "You Make My Day" award! I was so excited. Sarah, thank you so much for seriously making my day today! =)

Please be sure to check out her blog, Sensible Suppers and Decadent Desserts . She's got some amazing recipes, including her Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars ....they look simply divine!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and thanks for reading my blog! =)

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

***It's amazing how relaxing cooking can be. After a long day at work, I really look forward to getting into the kitchen and creating something new, and this recipe fit the bill tonight....it definitely qualifies as comfort food, in my opinion. It's simply cheesy goodness, if you ask me....LOL. I served it with the Parmesan Mashed Potatoes listed below and some butter & parsley drop biscuits.***

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

Cook's Country magazine

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs.) (I only used 2 since it's just Brad and me)

Salt & pepper

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry sherry

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, florets chopped, stems peeled and sliced thin (I used a 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (I used finely shredded cheddar/mozzerella cheese)

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

2. Add remaining butter and onion to empty skillet and cook until onion is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth, cream, and sherry and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to broiler-safe baking dish.

3. Meanwhile, microwave broccoli on high power, covered, in large bowl until bright green and slightly softened, 2 to 4 minutes (a little longer if using frozen broccoli). Add broccoli and 1 cup cheese to skillet, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper and pour broccoli mixture over chicken. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and broil until browned and bubbly, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

***I got this great recipe from a fellow nestie. I had never thought to add parmesan to mashed potatoes, and let me just say that this recipe was fantastic! Thanks for sharing, Annie!***

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes

1/4 c. (or so) mayo

1/2 c. (or so) milk

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

Garlic Salt to taste

Parsley to taste

Grated parmesan to taste

Course Ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Scrub and peel potatoes. In a large pot, fill halfway with water and heat on med/high.

Roughly chop potatoes into 2" or so cubes, put into water with a handful of salt. Boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Strain and return to pot. Mash to desired consistency.

Add butter, milk, mayo, parmesan, garlic salt, parsley, and ground pepper a little at a time until flavored to taste and has reached the desired consistency. The texture should be light, fluffy, and creamy, and the potatoes should hold their shape. Be careful when adding the milk, because it can dilute the potatoes and make them runny.

Source: Annie's Blog - "Full Hearts, Full Tummies" @ http://dg-in-training.blogspot.com/