Rice a Roni ...the San Francisco treat. I grew up on this stuff. It was my mom's base for an all in one dish. I never really paid any attention to exactly how she made it. All I remember is it started with one or maybe it was 2 boxes of Rice a Roni. She then added a lot more rice. White, I think? But I don't really know. I just know she made a lot of it. And I loved the leftovers, cold right out of the fridge. It was good the first day, but it was better cold the second day.
To the Rice a Roni she'd add some chopped up chicken. Might have been leftover chicken, but I don't really know. And a big bag of frozen peas. Now the peas I remember, because they were my favorite part. Yes. I liked and still do like peas. I was a strange kid. What can I say? All I remember is that there were never enough peas in this dish. And when she wasn't looking I would pick out and eat as many peas as I could. Cold peas, rice and chicken doesn't sound very yummy, but I loved the stuff. Couldn't wait for it to get cold. It would be my midnight snack and then breakfast the next day. Now I'm sure she must have added some additional spices (salt at the very least) or something, but I couldn't tell you what.
Fast forward numerous years and I make this for my hubby. He hates peas. Ok lets be honest. He hates all veggies. So, just like I do for the kids, I make his w/o the peas. Just rice and chicken and he grudgingly eats it. He ONLY likes white rice. Yep, plain white rice. UGH!!!! Ok, I get it's food from my childhood, so it means more to me than it does to him. But give me a break, what's not to like about salty (his fav) rice and chicken. But I digress...
So, my hubby is traveling for work. Two of my three kids, the picky ones, are not home and it's just me and my son. He loves peas (especially the ones in sauce) and he likes Rice a Roni. Chicken is ok, he'd prefer a good steak. But it's lunch time and I'm hungry and he is too. I open the fridge and spy leftover chicken breasts. I look in the pantry and spy the sad lonely box of Rice a Roni. The one I can never make w/o certain people grumbling. Hummm.... they aren't here. A quick check to make sure I have peas. And a lunch plan is conceived.
My ds looks at me and says what are you cooking. I cringe slightly. Knowing full well I plan to put peas and chicken in the Rice a Roni. We almost never ever eat it and most certainly not the way I plan to make it today. (See above - picky eaters.) But my picker eaters aren't home. I calmly say Rice a Roni. He says Yes! I love that stuff! with so much enthusiasm I feel guilty knowing I plan to "ruin" it. I silently pray he's ok with it. Twenty minutes later it's ready. I say, I put peas in it. He says, I love peas, especially the ones with sauce! (God I love this kid!) I say no sauce, he shrugs. Then, he eats two bowls full as do I. A bit later, he asks what we are having for dinner. I say the leftovers. Now of course there is just one tiny problem... there may not be any leftovers for dinner. I love cold Rice a Roni and lunch was a long time ago...
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