BAKED RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter over medium heat on the stove top in a heavy oven proof saucepan or stove top casserole dish. Add the onions, carrots, red pepper and celery and saute for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice, stir and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, boil some water in a kettle. In a measuring cup, add the chicken bouillon to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Slowly add the chicken stock to the rice and vegetables. Stir making sure there are no lumps in the rice. Cover with a close fitting lid and place it in the oven. Bake the rice pilaf in the preheated oven for exactly 17 minutes. While the rice is cooking, toast the almonds by putting them on a baking sheet in a preheated toaster oven at 350 degrees for 2 minutes. Watch them carefully as they burn quickly. Remove and once cool, coarsely chop them. (If you don't have a toaster oven, you can toast the almonds in the main oven while it is preheating.) Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the oven and stir in the toasted almonds. If the rice is not to be served immediately, keep it covered in a warm place.