Fish n' Rice Night

This is my "Oh crap, I forgot about dinner" meal. It pulls together quick, I always have the ingredients on hand and nobody ever spits it out or gags (except on the squash, but that has more to do with it's vegetable status than my efficacy at baking it). The squash takes an hour so start it first. Start your rice 30 minutes before dinner and while it's cooking, mix and bake the biscuits. Put fish in the oven last of all.

Broiled Tilapia (could not be easier)
4-5 frozen tilapia fillets
3 tbs melted butter
Dill or lemon Pepper seasoning.

grease a broiling pan, or if you don't have one, line a cookie sheet with foil and grease that.
Place fillets one pan, brush with butter, sprinkle with seasoning. Place oven rack in highest position and broil on high 6-7 minutes (watch this carefully. If your fillets are frozen like mine usually are they may take longer, but they are easy to burn if you forget about them). Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Butter Rice

1 cup rice
2 cups water
2 tsp chicken bullion
1 tbs butter

Place all ingredients in rice cooker. Switch to cook and walk away!

Baked Squash

1 squash
1 cup water

Heat oven to 350. Halve squash, discard seeds, and cut the squash into 4 inch pieces (this does not need to be exact). Place skin side down in a 9X13 baking dish. Pour water in the bottom and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour.

Cheddar Biscuits
 Biscuit Mix :

2 1/2 cups Baking Mix (like Bisquick)
4 Tbs cold butter, cut into pea sized cubes
1 cup cheddar
1 cup milk

Butter Mix:
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried parsley

Combine all ingredients in the biscuit mix and spoon onto a greased cookie sheet (makes 9 or ten biscuits). Bake at 400 for 17 minutes. Make butter mixture by combining all ingredients and brush over biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. Best served while warm.

Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup relish

Combine. Because this is a mayo base, you should keep this in the refrigerator until right before you eat it.

Awesome Calico Beans and Cornbread

This meal is sweet and tangy, but mostly sweet, which is probably why my sugar fiend children requested it last week. I brown hamburger in large batches anytime it's on sale and keep it in the freezer and it cuts the preparation time for this dinner significantly.  These beans are great for a cold night or a summer BBQ, and pairs well with a side of cornbread and a glass of cold milk.

Awesome Calico Beans

1/2 onion
1/2 lb cooked hamburger
1/2 lb cooked, crumbled bacon
1 large can Bushe's Baked Beans Original
1 can kidney beans
1 can butter beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup (I don't measure this. I just squirt it in until I feel like it's enough)
1 Tbs French's mustard (squirt method again. It's not scientific, but it saves dishes and tastes fine. Usually)
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Brown the onion and hamburger or pull some out of the freezer if you like to pre-cook it like I do. Drain the burger and dump it in a crock pot. Using the same pan (because who needs more dishes?) brown the bacon. Set on paper towels to drain. Put a few pieces in the crock pot to add flavor and save the reserve the rest. Dump in Bushe's beans. Drain kidney beans and butter beans. Dump in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and serve with corn bread.

This is the cornbread recipe I prefer. It's pretty sweet and we smother it with honey and butter. So good.