Parmesan, parmesan, parmesan

Today's recipes are brought to you by Parmesan cheese. And lots of it. I found a recipe for Broiled Tilapia Parmesan and Parmesan and Basil Orzo and thought, well what the heck, let's make those together.

I never used to be a fish/seafood person until a few months ago. I had always considered myself as someone who likes literally all kinds of food but the fact that I didn't like fish went against the schema I have for myself (I said that exact sentence to my mom and she says, "You've read too many Psychology textbooks." I'm a Psychology major, I can't help it).  Anyway, I started buying more fish and cooking it at home - which my husband has been happy about - and now I can't believe that I wasted so many years without this delicious food group! Here's the recipe I found on allrecipes.ca for Broiled Tilapia Parmsean:

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

First, I started preheating my broiler in my oven. That baby sure doesn't take a long time to heat up. I lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil and added a liberal amount of cooking spray. Then I mixed all the ingredients together - except for the fish - in a small bowl.

 It's important that the butter is soft but not completely melted into a liquid. You still want it to be semi solid so you can spread it on the fish easily and it actually stays there.
Now, arrange your fish filets on the baking sheet in a single row, like so...

Broil the filets for 2-3 minutes then flip over and broil the other side for about 2-3 minutes as well. Once both sides have been broiled take the fish out of the oven and cover with the Parmesan mixture and broil for a couple of minutes more. I found that I only needed to broil it for about a minute more, also because it started smoking like crazy.

And there it is. I must say, this was quite a delicious recipe that I will definitely make again. As for my side dish, here's the recipe for Parmesan Basil Orzo that I found off of Pinterest. Here's the link: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/orzo-with-parmesan-and-basil-2/

• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-½ cup Orzo
• 3 cups Chicken Or Vegetable Stock
• 6 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Basil
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Pepper

First melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the orzo and saute for a few minutes, until the orzo is a nice golden brown color.

It's a little hard to see in this picture but I'm pretty sure that's what I achieved here. Once you reach this point, add the broth and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. After that, remove from heat, add the basil and the Parmesan, stir it up and enjoy.

Finished meal. You could also add a salad or vegetable of some sort to help complete this meal. I don't usually make more than two things when it's just my husband and I. Guests are fed better than I feed myself at my house.
That's all for now.

- A