Rice-a-roni made without the box

Last night, I begun working on a monstrous, impossible, ridiculous project (that I can’t wait to share with you guys) and the fiancee decided to dedicate about maybe 20 minutes of his time, before he decided that it was a crazy project and decided he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.  Once he threw the towel in, he decided he was hungry and that he wanted some of that “cheesy rice stuff.”  Well, we didn’t have any of that “cheesy rice stuff” (because the brand name Rice-a-roni is so hard to remember :P) so I made some homemade, copy-cat Rice-a-roni.  Which, in all actuality is just Rice pilaf.  Funny fact, when I was younger, I was absolutely crazy over Rice-a-roni – my friends would get me boxes of Rice-a-roni and Mountain Dew for my birthday…weird, I know.  I’m glad I’ve come to appreciate much more than just Rice-a-roni and Mountain Dew since then.  This is the most simple version of Rice pilaf that I make, and in the future I’ll post some different recipes of different Rice pilaf – but, lets start with the most simple of simple recipes.

Easy Rice Pilaf (Copycat Rice-a-roni)

Ingredients

1/4 cup orzo
1 cup rice (not instant rice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups water with bouillon cube)
EVOO
Nature’s Seasoning (or just some salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder)

1. Heat EVOO over low heat.  Add in the minced garlic, and stir constantly for 30 seconds (to make sure it doesn’t burn).
2. Add in the orzo, and saute for another 30 seconds.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients (rice, chicken broth, and seasoning) into the pan and turn heat to high, and bring to a boil.
4. Once the mixture has come to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover with a pan.
5. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the liquid and the rice is tender.  If you find that the rice isn’t tender, and there is no longer any juice, add in some more water or broth and allow to cook some more!

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