Rice Pilaf

I don't like to buy food in pre-mixed packages so I avoid things like Rice-a-roni but I wanted to make a side of rice a little more interesting. After a late night internet search I ran across this recipe on cooks.com. I loved the flavor and simplicity but it made WAY more rice than the five of us could eat and I even halved the recipe. Eventually we got tired of eating rice so I froze the rest. I hope it's okay after defrosting it. I will post the halved recipe but keep in mind that is still 2 1/2 cups of pasta and rice which expands when you add water.

You know what would be a flavorful addition to this dish, toasted almonds. I wonder why I didn't include them...oh yeah, it's because I scorched them...when I walked away to post on this blog. (Good grief!) To begin with, I had to dig the almonds out of a bag of trail mix because I was out of them and then slice them because they were whole almonds. After turning them black, I didn't want to dig again or start the house on fire. Oh well, I will definitely add them next time but remember, do not walk away from toasting almonds!

RICE PILAF

4 T. butter
1 c. orzo or broken vermicelli (pasta)
1 1/2 c. rice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
5 c. chicken broth (5 c. water and 5 bouillon cubes if you don't have broth.)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the orzo and cook until golden brown. Add the rice, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth to the rice mixture. Turn to high heat until the rice comes to a boil, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy and all liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.