Robyn's Recipes
Meal of the Week

Dinner For Two

I offer you a meal this week that is so easy to prepare!
Here is a dinner for two that won't take your whole day to put together.  Spend your time finding something special to wear and concentrating on the outcome of the evening.  For a lovely centerpiece on your table, simply use one of your loveliest dinner plates, place several votive candles on it, light them, turn down the lights, and play New Age music in the background.....

 the evening belongs to you.

Entree

Seafood Topped With Vegetables

1 lb. fresh Orange Roughy Fillets OR Whitefish Fillets
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon McCormick's Seasoned Salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup mild salsa
1yellow summer squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Spray a shallow baking dish with vegetable spray.
Place the fillets in the dish.
Brush with melted butter.
Sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper.
Bake, covered, at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.

While fillets are baking:

In a small saucepan, stir together salsa and summer squash or zucchini.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or till squash is crisp-tender.  Spoon the squash mixture over the baked fish fillets.

Side Dishes

Spinach Tart

2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible
1 package Dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 egg, beaten
3 oz. ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small tomato, sliced

Combine all ingredients except tomato.
Pour into a casserole dish coated with vegetable spray.
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Slice tomato, and arrange, overlapping in a semi-circle on top of casserole and serve.

Italian Rice

1 stick butter
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 slice bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
3 cups hot chicken broth (3 cups boiling water with 6 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved OR 3 cups canned heated chicken broth)
2 cups cooked peas
1-1/2 cups uncooked Uncle Ben's Converted Rice (do not use minute rice)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a skillet, melt butter.  Add oil and bacon.  Brown onion in the mixture.  Add broth and peas, cook for 3 minutes.
Add rice, and cook, uncovered until rice is cooked entirely, about 25-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, add parmesan cheese, and mix thoroughly.

Beverage Suggestion:
White Wine:  Riunite D'Oro  (a light, semi-sweet wine)

Music Suggestion:
Try this New Age CD:
"Sacred Road" by David Lanz
"Music for piano and ensemble.  An intimate masterpiece that joins passion with genius".

Dessert

Cranberry Tea Bread

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 can (1 lb.) cranberry sauce
2/3 cups golden raisins
2/3 cups chopped walnuts

In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves;  set aside.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour mixture; stir until blended.  Then stir in cranberry sauce, raisins and walnuts.
Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean (about 1 hour).  Let bread cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.