Almond Rice Pilaf

Serves 4
(from "Y'all Come Eat" by Jamie & Bobby Dean)

Ingredients:
- 2 Tb unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and almonds. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is softened and the almonds are golden, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the rice; cook and stir for 1 minute.
3. Slowly stir in the broth; add the salt and the pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 to 17 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and garnish with parsley.

Verdict: YUM! Moist, went well with the fish, and loved the almonds. Made a half recipe. Only had 5-minute instant rice, not regular, so I used the contents of a Rice-a-Roni box (minus the seasonings). The box had a mix of rice and vermicelli, which turned out very well. Didn't use parsley because I hate the taste of it. Used too much salt by accident... forgot to use 1/8 tsp instead of 1/4 tsp, measured it in my hand (probably about 1/2 tsp or more) and dumped it all in. Oops. Kind of salty, but because it was served with the Garlic and Lime Tilapia, there was already a lot of salt anyways (Emily's kind of meal) so no big deal. Didn't turn the heat down low enough and browned a layer of rice to the pan. Somewhat disappointed in the portion size, but maybe that had something to do with part of it being ruined.