I Now Pronounce You, Garlic and Butter.

I've come to the conclusion that, when cooking, if you use garlic and butter you are sure to have a delectable meal. I tested this theory a few days ago when David and I decided try making an Almond Crusted Tilapia with green beans and garlic butter rice. If I could perform a marriage ceremony for two cooking ingredients, it would be Mr. Garlic and Ms. Butter. They are truly soulmates.

We bought four filets of tilapia fish from the local grocery store, some chopped onions, and cilantro to substitute the parsley. 

The basic instructions for making this dish are to dip the filets in flour, then the egg mixture from the link above, then the chopped almonds. After that you just need to cook the fish in garlic butter sauce on both sides until they have the golden brown color below! 

By this time, the relationship between garlic and butter is blossoming.

As for the garlic butter rice, all I did was melt some butter in a pot, add the rice, then some water and chicken bouillon. I let it simmer until the rice was cooked, and added the garlic as it finished absorbing all the liquidy goodness.

David taught me how to make his wonderful green beans, cooked with, can you guess?! We will refer to the green beans as the guests at the wedding.

Always WASH the guests before you cook with them. 

The secret to these green beans is to spray the pan with Pam, and then lightly coat the green beans as they're cooking as well. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper sporadically...

And voila! A dish so appealing to the eye, I picked out a few to munch on while they were still in the skillet.

By the time we had everything on the stove, my kitchen was smelling like a garlic butter fairytale.

After the tilapia is finished cooking, you have to give it one final touch by adding freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few more toasted almonds on top, then nuking it in the oven for a few minutes. 

Before I unveil finished product, I have to give credit to this wedding's maids of honor and best man:

Mr. Cilantro and Mrs. Lemon Slice

Mr. Lemon Pepper

Ladies and gentleman, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Garlic and Butter, along with their entourage:

Such a beautiful ceremony. Such a wonderful marriage. I was certain this one would last forever... too bad I ate it all first!

Tip: Garlic and butter can make practically any dish a delight. Don't be stingy now!

Sweets For My Sweetheart and His Sweet Tooth.

My pyro of a boyfriend decided to buy a torch one day, so that we could make crème brulée; a French dessert of custard and caramelized sugar, topped with fruit of choice. I don't typically crave dessert, but he can't go a day without having something sugary.

Since crème brulée takes about half a day to make, David made the custard and refrigerated it overnight. All we had to do after was cover it with a coat of sugar, and, as I always say, the more the better!

Thanks to our handy-dandy torch, we were well-equipped for the grueling task of caramelizing sugar! 

I thought the process was going to be daunting and complicated, but in actuality it was rather fun!

You can caramelize and personalize your crème brulée any way you want. Here are some views of the finished products:

It was fun to see the marble-like caramelization the torch naturally creates, but I wanted to see if I could attempt a shape. See my heart below <3

We were so excited, we forgot to put the cut-up strawberries on top until after the dishes were washed.

People say that you're either a baker or a cook. I say that's a load of crockpot! You'll see why in my next post :o)

Tip: Invest in a crème brulée torch and some dishes. You can make a simple custard AMAZING just by adding some fire. Oh, and don't forget the garnishments!