Easy Lemon Rice

If you’ve ever enjoyed lemon rice at a Greek diner - it’s the best side dish to ANY meal.  Grilled chicken is my favorite meal to serve this with.  From start to finish - it takes an hour (tops).  The most tedious step is zesting the lemons - but don’t substitute.  Converted rice makes a real difference in the outcome - so avoid using standard long grain rice.

This side dish has a heavenly light lemon flavor, the rice doesn’t stick together, and (best of all) you can just throw it in the oven and forget about it.  My wonderful neighbor, JoAnn (an amazing cook), shared this with me.

You’ll want to make sure you follow a few important details in the recipe. You might be tempted to ignore placing the baking dish on the bottom oven rack.  For some reason, this just makes it “work”.  Remove your top rack and just use the bottom rack.

If you aren’t familiar with what “converted” rice is - it was developed during WWII so that rice could be air dropped to troops without the risk of weevil infestations.  It also drastically reduced the cooking time of the rice so they could cook meals more quickly.  In case you care (?) - converted rice is “parboiled” - which involves vacuum drying of the whole grain, then steaming, and finally vacuum drying and husking.  Although it has more “processing” - it increases the nutritional value of the rice.  Who knew?

Converted rice does not have the ‘sticky’ consistency of standard long-grain rice.  It makes a prettier presentation in dishes like rice pilaf, etc.  Uncle Ben’s had a corner on the market until recently.  I have found other brands of parboiled (or converted) rice in Sam’s Club & at Costco.

You may wonder about the high baking temperature.  Not sure why this works - but it does.  The only problem is it will make a mess of your baking dish - so transfer it to a prettier serving dish if that concerns you.

I haven’t found anyone who hasn’t loved this method of making lemon rice.  Better than any you’ll have in a restaurant.  It rewarms beautifully in the microwave.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Conference Sunday Dinners

*(This is the final day of five posts about General Conference food traditions - keep scrolling to see prior posts)


Things can't get any better by Sunday afternoon of General Conference weekend.  After listening to inspired counsel from our Prophet & leaders for two wonderful days, it's almost a let-down to have it end.  When my children and grandchildren come to stay, it's tradition to finish this special weekend off by enjoying one last meal with at least a few of our family favorites.  


Some families opt to have their larger Sunday meal in between the morning & afternoon sessions.  My crew is usually still very satisfied after a great breakfast either before, or while we listen to the Sunday morning session.  So, while the little guys run around the yard or take a walk - my kids (now they are adults) are more than happy to help me in the kitchen as I get dinner ready.  (Oh... and did I mention the NAPS?  That's required...)  


We have our last meal of the day after the afternoon session ends.  Then we usually play games and visit about what talks we loved the most till late into the evening.  It's sad to see the weekend come to a close, because we know it will be six long months till it comes around again.


Usually I have to decide if I'm going to simplify this meal, or enjoy making something a little more involved (with their help).  We have fun either way.  Our family favorites usually win out, but we still enjoy trying something new occasionally.  It's heaven to relax in front of the TV while I can smell one of our favorite Sunday meals get closer to setting on the table.  


Hopefully you've found something in this past five days of General Conference food traditions that you want to try sometime.  I'd love to hear what your favorites are (send me a link?)

Sunday Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Start these in the morning, and you won't
have to worry about them again until it's time for dinner.
Mash them right in the crockpot, (and no boiling over!)

Fall Apart Sunday Roast
A classic in our family.
This is a required skill before you get married...

Judy's Meatloaf
I'm so glad my son-in-law twisted his mother's arm
so we can enjoy her legendary homestyle meatloaf too...
(Thanks Judy!)

Mini Berry Pizzas
Instead of wrestling with a large fruit pizza, we find
it's much easier to serve when assembled on our favorite sugar cookies.

Sunday Spuds
These are a great alternative when I'm tired of my "usual" potato dishes.
They are even better when made with red potatoes.

Brownie Pudding
This is a "Lazy Mom" dessert for Sunday dinner
that everyone enjoys and nobody will complain about.
(and did you know you can hide zucchini in it?)

Unrolled Cordon Bleu Bake
I think this is even better than the traditional
Chicken Cordon Bleu - and it's lightning fast to make.

Conference Crescents
This is a great recipe because it doubles as a
sweet cinnamon roll, or a wonderful dinner roll.

Waterless Carrots
These are a favorite of my grandkids (can you believe that?)
I've never seen kids race to take more carrots - until I made them this way.

Superb Salisbury Steak
Another very simple main dish that seems special.
It also mimics a great restaurant Salisbury Steak.

Ultimate Cream Filled Chocolate Cake
My neighbor (Toni) taught me how to make this cake - it's the best!
I changed it by substituting the cake mix for "Counterfeit Chocolate Cake"
(you'll never believe one of the ingredients is a pureed can of beets...)

Whipping Cream Potatoes
These decadent potatoes are so simple to make
from frozen Southern Style Hashbrowns (and guess what else?)

3 or 4 Packet Roast
Save this recipe for when getting off  the couch
after General Conference is not your priority...
It's been around the internet (and back) because it's so easy.

Moist Parmesan/Yogurt Chicken

Looking for a meal that can be completely done in the oven within an hour?  This easy, healthy, and adaptable recipe took me by surprise.  Even if you’re not a yogurt fan, you will swoon over this chicken.  If you’re weary of dishes that use multiple ingredients, spices, and lots of fuss - this will restore your desire to cook for one (or several).

This is another tried & true recipe shared by my friend Jennie.  Don’t you love friends like that, who share just for the fun of it - expecting nothing in return?  Thanks Jennie...

Jennie describes this as a “go to family meal” - easy to put your potatoes in the oven half an hour before, as you prepare the chicken - then have it all on the table a half hour later.

Bake your potatoes this way, and then spoon some of the yogurt/cheese sauce as a topping over those split & fluffed potatoes.  Heavenly!

The chicken is so moist, it melts in your mouth.  For the recipe & directions - go to:

www.changeabletable.com