Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

These are fun, fairly easy to make and perfect for a cold evening.

INGREDIENTS
- for rice -
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

- for tomatoes -
4 large beefsteak tomatoes (as big as you can find)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
You're going to start with the rice: (if you have a rice cooker go for it)
1. Place the water, salt and oil in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Add the rice and stir once. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off heat, keep covered and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.

While the rice is cooking you can prep the tomatoes:
1. Preheat oven 400° F and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into a 9x9" glass baking dish, set aside.
2. Wash the tomatoes and with a sharp paring knife carefully slice around the top of the tomatoe as if you were carving the lid for a pumpkin.
3. Set the top aside for later and then with the same knife carve around the inside of the tomato to hollow it out. (I find that going around the inner wall once, and then slicing an x in the middle, then using a spoon to scoop out the insides works best. Take care to not slice through the skin of the tomato since you are making a container for the rice.)
4. Place the hollow tomatoes in a baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
5. Save some of the tomato insides on the side and chop them into smaller pieces, approx 1 cups worth. Placing them into a larger bowl with the minced garlic and parmesan cheese.
6. Once the rice is finished cooking fluff the rice with a fork and then mix it with the tomato/garlic/cheese mixture.
7. Spoon the rice mixture into the hollow tomatoes till they overflow a bit and then put the tomato lids back ontop. If there is extra rice spoon it into the dish next to the tomatoes.
8. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Carefully spoon the whole tomato to the plates and enjoy!

Baked Fish Topped with Almonds

I found this recipe online and fell in love with it immediately. Its super simple and fast to make and very delicious. Goes perfectly with a side of pasta or rice.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 (6 ounce) fillets fresh or frozen cod or haddock, thawed
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place butter in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; place in a 400 degrees F oven until melted.
2. Spread butter over bottom of dish; cover with thinly sliced onion.
3. Arrange fish over onion; sprinkle with salt, dill and pepper.
4. Combine the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, parsley and lemon juice; spread over fish.
5. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
6. Sprinkle with almonds.

Simple Crusty Bread

This Bread is delicious and easy to make! I've always been afraid of breads, but a new years resolution for 2008 is to try baking different kinds of breads. So i figured i'd start simple =) This recipe takes about 45 minutes plus about 3 hours' resting and rising.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

1 cup or so of Cornmeal.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours). It will rise to about double its size and look bubbly, jigglely and sticky. (if you're not ready to bake you can save the dough like this for up to 2 weeks in the fridge)

2. Sprinkle a cutting board or pizza peel with cornmeal to get it ready and set it aside.

3. Sprinkle flour on a clean surface and pour dough out of its bowl onto the flour. It will be sticky and full of bubbles. Sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Rub some flour in your hands to coat them, then turn dough in your hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on the cutting board or pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If you dont have a baking stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.


Voila! you will have crusty hot delicious bread perfect for anything =) hope you enjoy!