Last night I attempted to make a double batch of Rice-a-Roni, enough for all four of us. I started by dumping the rice mixture and the seasoning packet into a big pan. Mistake. The seasoning packet comes later. But once it’s mixed in, there’s no separating it. So I proceeded.
Add butter, let it melt, and saute the rice until it’s a golden brown. Well, with the seasoning coating everything, everything was discolored. Plus, it burned. Lots of burned rice. I decreed that the sauteing was complete, and proceeded to add water, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer in the covered pan for 15 minutes. And 20 minutes. And 25.
Taste test. I scooped out some rice. It was crunchy. But that was probably just the shaved almonds. So I extracted one solitary piece of rice and stuck it in my mouth. It was hard and crunchy.
So I dumped the whole thing in the trash, and our supper became, instead, a tray-full of pizza rolls. Very healthy. I should stick to grilling.
Speaking of American Idol–and isn’t everybody?–I need to give a thumbs-up to Chris Daughtry’s album, “Daughtry.” I listened to the clips on iTunes several weeks ago and liked them all, so I downloaded the whole album. And I tell you–it’s really good. A solid, hard-rocking, “no compromise Chris” album.
