So I might be the last one on the planet to do it this way…

In the past, I’ve seasoned hamburger patties on the grill…while they were grilling. And while it works, it wasn’t going to work for me last weekend when we were having a bunch of family over for dinner. I wanted to prep as much as I could ahead of time so that I could enjoy them while they were at our house, instead of running around my kitchen like a chicken without a head (sorry, bad visual!)…so this is what happened.

As I was getting everything out, I thought, “Why not season the bottom of the cookie sheet first so that both sides of the patties can be seasoned before they hit the grill?”

So that’s what I did. Sprinkle seasoning on the cookie sheet. Make patties and then put them on top of the seasoning and move around a little to “catch it all” and waste as little as possible. Sprinkle more on top and voila.

Ready for the grill. (Or refrigerator, in my case…as I was making them up early in the afternoon long before everyone arrived. This is what happens when there is a baby in the house…you get stuff done while they are sleeping, even if that means making dinner at 2 pm!)

And while I didn’t get all scientific about it, it seemed to me that the seasoning stuck to the burgers better and less fell through into the grill!

How about you? How do you season hamburger patties?

Friends…I’m baking brown rice these days. For years, I’d made it on the stovetop, as that’s how I learned how to cook rice when I lived in the Dominican Republic years ago. Then I discovered the rice cooker. I’ve only been using my rice cooker for a few months, but I love it. It cooks the rice so beautifully, and the clean up is way simpler than cleaning (and sometimes scrubbing out) the saucepan.

But I loaned my rice cooker to my sister.

And I didn’t want to go back to the stovetop. (Not that I won’t ever cook rice on the stovetop again!) But…even if I set the timer, I might not get there in time… for it to be perfectly cooked. These early days with a baby make it difficult to commit to being at any one time…even if the timer is set and the rice should be cooked perfectly. We could be in the middle of a fuss-fest, and diaper change and outfit change, or in the middle of a nursing session. Cooking brown rice on the stovetop is a fine art, and requires a bit of attention towards the end, to make sure you get that perfectly cooked and fluffed brown rice to serve for dinner.

So I’ve turned to the oven.

Baking brown rice. There are a number of “rice bake” recipes in my One Dish Dinners cookbook. But today, I thought I’d share a basic how to cook brown rice. Feel free to experiment with mixing in different spices and veggies.

Here’s the easy, side-dish, basic way to bake brown rice…

Add 1 1/2 cups raw brown rice to bottom of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.

(Or do 1 cup in an 8×8 glass baking dish.)

Spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Pour in liquid at ratio of 2 1/4 times the amount of rice you used. I generally do water, but if I want it a bit more flavored, I will do half water and half chicken or vegetable broth.

(2.25 * 1.5 = 3.375, or 3 3/8 cups of water for what’s pictured.)

Press down any floating rice with a flat spatula.

Once all the rice is at the bottom and not longer floating…

Wrap tightly with foil.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Let cool slightly before removing the foil…there will be lots of steam and you don’t want to get a steam burn!

 

Fluff with a fork, season with salt and pepper and serve.

And that’s how you do it friends!

Simple, deliciously perfect brown rice, baked in the oven!

 

{Repin It!}

So here’s the conundrum that I face with chicken breasts. 2 isn’t enough for our growing brood (it used to be plenty!)…but 3 is too many. (Unless all 3 boys are in a growth spurt at the same time, and that doesn’t happen often.) So 2 and 1/2 is perfect for our family right now, but they don’t come in packed as 2.5 breasts in a package. (If I was really smart, I’d take the $1.99/lb value packs and split them up with 2 1/2 breasts in a bag and freeze them…now I’m talking to myself…)

I found a package in the freezer that had 3 breasts that I’d recently purchased from Sprouts at $1.99/lb! I dropped the breasts into the bottom of a roasting pan, sprinkled with salt and pepper and minced onion. (I wanted to use a real onion, but didn’t see one where I usually keep them. I hadn’t looked hard enough, as a few days later I found them behind the stack of bowls in that cabinet. Oh well.) I scattered pieces of carrot sticks and quartered potatoes all around the chicken in the roasting pan.

Then I whisked up an equal parts maple-Dijon sauce and poured it over the top (click to watch the Vine video). Into a 400 oven for 30 minutes it all goes…dinner’s ready for the table shortly thereafter.

Here’s what I love about this meal…it’s a bit on the sweet side with the honey and carrots, but savory enough to work. The other thing I love…I knew even before I put it on the table that each boys would eat everything on their plate without comment, and that they would likely ask for seconds.

How did I know this?

My boys are “meat/chicken-potatoes” boys…they love any meal with meat and potatoes…and carrots too. Cooked carrots, to be specific. We are huge fans of the Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry meal…and I can now add this one to the list of favorites. (And lest we not forget about the Slow Cooker Maple Chicken…there’s just something about chicken, potatoes that are lightly sweetened!)

And no growth spurt…we had some leftover chicken…which Steve and I fought over who got to have for lunch the next day!

And…this is a perfectly delicious and inexpensive one dish dinner.

Are you trying to clean your house for the upcoming holiday?  Especially the kitchen?  If so, then head over to The Kitchn to find out what the best products are to make your kitchen shine!

Have you ever wondered what the best way to shred chicken is?  Or maybe how to make your own microwavable popcorn?  If so, then head on over to Beauty and Bedlam to check out all of these great Kitchen Tips!

If you are a regular freezer cooker, then these Freezer Storage Labels may be the perfect fit for you!  This is a great way to keep track of dates on your freezer goods.  Head on over to Martha Stewart to find out more on these labels.

Did you know that you can reuse your K-Cups?  Not only is this easy to do but it also saves you money if you are like me and still have bags of coffee stored in your pantry or cupboard.  To find out the complete process on how to reuse K-Cups head on over to The Creative Princess to learn more!

Do you make your own cleaners?  If not, are you ready to try a few and save a bundle in the process?  If so, head on over to Money Saving Queen and check out the Top 10 Homemade Cleaners along with the recipes to start making some!

Are canned goods and soup cans taking up a little too much room in your pantry?  If so, then you must check out this creative solution on Then She Made.  It’s a great way to recycle cardboard plus clear up the clutter in the pantry with this Soup Can Storage!

Do you always remember to clean up under your stove?  My husband is such a stickler about this he lifts the stove top up to clean it.  Over on HomeKeeping for All though, you can find an easy tip of how to clean under the stove, be sure and head over to check it out!