I'd Rather Be Sleeping

Saturday was such a beautiful day. . .for falling asleep on the couch.  All week I had been planning to cook a cookbook dinner.  I hadn't been to the grocery store in awhile, so it was going to be a "use what I have on hand" dinner.  Because we ended up with something every evening,  Saturday was the first night all week we were home together as a family.  But after staying busy all day, the last thing I really wanted to do was cook the fish I was planning for dinner.  It really was a day for fixing chili in the morning, letting it simmer all day, and just enjoying the evening; but at 5:00 p.m., it was too late for that.   Plus, I didn't have the correct ingredients for chili or anything along those lines.  So I opened the cookbook, figured out what to make along with the fish, and started spending time in the kitchen.

Menu

Honeyed Carrots (p.74)

Dressed-Up Asparagus (p.88)

Mushroom Rice Pilaf (p.68)

Baked Tilapia (p.172)

Judging from the times listed in the cookbook, I needed to start the carrots first.  The sauce was very simple to make, and while it was melting, I sliced the carrots.  The carrots called for 4 1/2 T. of butter, and the rice pilaf, which I started next, called for 4 T.  However, I used only 3 1/2 T. for the rice because it allowed me to use the rest of the stick of butter with the carrots.  I must admit that I love to coat rice in butter and cook it.  I'm not sure why, but both the aroma and sight of it make me happy.  The rice pilaf recipe calls for uncooked long-grain rice.  I used long-grain brown rice.  More on that later.

The tilapia was next.  This recipe was incredibly simple to put together.  I poured the butter sauce (more butter! Yum!) over the fish and placed it in the pre-heated oven.  Then I started the asparagus steaming while I continued to check on the carrots and the rice.  I pulled out the asparagus, poured the dressing over it, and then put the cherry tomatoes on it.  The green and red were beautiful together.  I overcooked the asparagus—not the fault of the recipe—I let it go for closer to 10 minutes.  That ended up being good for my family as they don't necessarily care for it too crunchy. 

The carrots were ready to be served, so I dished them up.  I think maybe I should have had the temperature be a little higher; I had it on medium-low.  They were cooked, but the center was still firm.  I was expecting them to be softer (probably because I cook carrots mostly with a roast or chicken and they get very soft).  But everyone enjoyed them (even my one year old) and there were no leftovers.  

The fish was excellent; not fishy and just the right amount of salt.  The flavors blended beautifully.  

Now for the rice pilaf.  The recipe said to let the rice simmer for "15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender."  I was excited about it taking so little time because when I cook rice it usually takes 45-60 minutes.  20 minutes came and went, and it wasn't even close to “tender.”   I let it go for 30 minutes (we started eating since everything else was ready), and it still wasn't tender.  I went ahead and served some of it so we could at least taste it.  The flavor was quite good.   But of course, it was still pretty crunchy.  I was mystified by this until I talked it over with my mom.  She asked if I had used brown or white rice.  I told her brown—I almost always use brown—and she said that brown rice takes at least twice as long to cook as white rice.  Since I don't use white rice, that thought never entered my mind.  I also didn't realize that there was long-grain white rice.  This cooking/blogging is SUCH an educational experience for me. So, if you use long-grain white rice, it should only take 15-20 minutes.  If you want to use long-grain brown rice, plan on it simmering for at least 45 minutes.  

And now, I'm going to fall asleep on the couch.