Dinner for Two?

I made dinner last night! And no, not the kind of dinner where you take it out of the package and pop it in the microwave. An honest-to-goodness, it-took-time-to-make, afraid-of-burning-the-house-down dinner. I told Stephen earlier this week that I was going to cook him dinner on Thursday. My original plan was to stick some pre-grilled Tyson chicken in the oven, whip up a salad, and maybe heat up some Sister Shubert rolls. But as I was sitting in class yesterday, I decided I wanted to get a little bit more creative.

So I looked up this recipe on the Tyson website:

Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (Of course, Tyson is going to suggest you use their own. But have you seen the prices for a bag of Tyson chicken? This particular kind is about $10. I bought six chicken breasts for $6 in the meat department at Kroger)
-2 Cups Frozen Broccoli Florets
-1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-1 Box Uncle Ben's® Country Inn® Broccoli Rice Au Gratin

-1/4 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine rice and seasoning packet in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Add 2 cups of boiling water; mix well.

-Lay chicken breasts on top of rice, sprinkle with garlic powder.

-Cover and bake 30 minutes.
-After the first 30 minutes, add broccoli on top of the chicken, cover, and bake for an additional 4 to 6 minutes.

-Next, add shredded cheese and baked, uncovered, for five minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

It was SO good.

We also made creamy corn, green beans (I have to give Stephen credit for those...he made it while I was taking care of the chicken), and of course, the planned Sister Shubert rolls. Stephen made the sweet tea and then we had a rainbow chip cake for dessert, followed by watching Book of Eli.

I was so impressed that we actually cooked a meal that didn't have to be microwaved! We're learning...slowly but surely. My roommates are ready to kill me though. They say I'm making them all fat, because I bake ALL the time. I'm constantly making cookies (and a cake last night), but I never eat them. They all have a sweet tooth and I prefer more salty foods. But I like to bake...it's therapeutic in a way!