Rice is a staple in most households that are trying to save a buck or two.  You can usually buy a good size bag for a little over a dollar.  But then what?  Do we just have to face that pile of plain white rice with our meals if we want to save money?

Let’s face it . . .  plain white rice is soooo boring.  That’s why I used to love buying those pre-packaged rice mixes that come in flavors like cheddar broccoli.  But then I wised up and realized they weren’t a very good use of our hard earned money.  For a little more than the price of just one of those little packages of flavored rice mix, I could buy a nice big bag of plain long grain rice. There was just one teeny problem.

I had no idea what to do with a bag of long grain rice.

I grew up in a “potatoes” house.  The only time my mom used rice was in casseroles, and then she just threw in some Minute Rice.  I was in pretty unfamiliar territory.  But I gave it a go and sure enough, after several tries I finally had the timing down and realized cooking “real” rice wasn’t such an intimidating thing after all.

BUT, I did miss my flavored mixes.  I looked through lots of recipes for ideas and came up with three of my own versions that I now use all the time.  It’s really just a matter of flavoring the water, bringing it to a boil, adding the rice, and then letting everything hang out on the stove on low for about 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water

#1  BASIC FLAVORED RICE

You Will Need:

• 1 Cup Water

• 1 Tablespoon Butter or Margarine

• 2 Teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Powder

• 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

• 1/2 Cup Long Grain White Rice

Combine the water, margarine, chicken bouillon powder, parsley, garlic salt, and onion powder in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Add the rice and stir.  Reduce heat to low and cover pan.  Let simmer for 20 minutes, covered, or until water is fully absorbed.

#2  HERB RICE

You Will Need:

• 1 Cup Water

• 1 Tablespoon Butter or Margarine

• 1 Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Powder

• 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onion

• 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

• 1/2 Teaspoon Rubbed Sage

• 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Salt

• 1/2 Cup Long Grain White Rice

Combine the first seven ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and stir. Reduce heat to low and cover pan. Let simmer for 20 minutes, covered, or until water is fully absorbed.

#3  SPANISH RICE

You Will Need:

• 1 Cup Water

• 1 Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Powder

• 2 Teaspoons Dried Minced Onion

• 1/2 Cup Salsa

• 1/2 Cup Frozen Corn (optional)

• 1/2 Cup Long Grain White Rice

Combine the first five ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and stir. Reduce heat to low and cover pan. Let simmer for 20 minutes, covered, or until water is fully absorbed.

All of these recipes make about the same amount as one of the pre-packaged flavored mixes from the store.