Saving Money At The 'Dollar Tree'

Ok, maybe the subtitle “Bargins abound, but buyer beware.” is a little harsh, but I wanted to get your attention. As you know shopping on a budget requires a little work if you want to successfully stretch your food dollars. This is especially true if you are just starting out and trying to stock your pantry with the bare essentials, what we call here 'the minimalist pantry'.

One of the great resources for stocking your minimalist pantry is your local 'Dollar Tree' store. Now I realize not everyone reading this article has a local Dollar Tree, but if you have a '$0.99' or dollar store in your neighboorhood, the same princples apply. With more than 13,500 stores here in the lower 48 states and in Canada many of you have most likely seen a Dollar Tree at one time or another. Like their name implies eveything in the store is $1.00 (sometimes a few items can be found for less, but rarely). This can lead to some great buys, but care must be taken because sometime items are cheaper at your local Walmart, our other grocery store chain.

Minimalist Pantry 'Best Buys'

So let's look at some of the items in which you can save a substantial amount of money on by buying them at the Dollar Tree versus your local grocer or Walmart. I use Walmart for comparison as theyare the largest grocery type retailer in the United States, usually have the most competitive prices, and it is the primary grocery store chain in our area. This listing of products is not all-inclusive, there are many things that you might find at the Dollar Tree that I do not use or vice versa, but this will give you a good indication of the savings you can find.

Dried Black Beans 1lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.72 at Walmart), a 42% savings.

Dried Pinto Beans 2lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.

Dried Red beans 12oz bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 1lb bag $1.22 at Walmart), a 5% loss.

Kosher Salt 16oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.

Lemon Juice 32oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $2.48 at Walmart), a 60% savings.

Long Grain Rice 2lbs ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.18 at Walmart), a 15% savings.

Molasses 8oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12oz $2.88 at Walmart), a 48% savings.

These items cost us a total of $7.00, had we purchased similar items at Walmart we would have spent $12.76. On this quick shopping trip we saved $5.76 or 45% by shopping at the Dollar Tree as opposed to going into our local Walmart. Now that is a way to stretch you food dollars! One tip we use to stretch our food budget is that we keep an updated list of the things we purchase at Dollar Tree and compare them with Walmart. Knowing which items we use on a regular basis and which store is the cheapest helps to stretch our food dollars and it only takes a minute to check out or list when we get ready to go shopping. 

Some items we did not purchase on this trip but keep in the pantry include: Butterfield canned chunk chicken 6oz can ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $2.38 at Walmart), a 16% savings, Corina tomato sauce 29oz can ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $1.29 at Walmart), a 22% savings. These are just a few of the canned goods we buy at Dollar Tree. We have found however, canned goods are usually cheaper at your local grocer or Walmart, so keep your eyes open, as there are always exceptions.

Buyer Beware (Comparing Apples to Apples)

Something to think about when shopping at the Dollar Tree is that each location is a little different. I have seen 'La Rosa' black beans in 1lb bags at one location and 'Iberia' black beans in 12oz bags at a different location both for $1.00. The black beans at my local Dollar Tree when I made these purchases were sold in a 1lb bag, but the same 'La Rosa' brand of red beans were in 12oz bags. Now here is what I mean about buyer beware. While the red beans at the Dollar Tree were $1.00 each, the bag was actually only 12oz making them $0.08 per ounce, while the 1lb bag at Walmart are $1.22 making them $0.06 per ounce. The red beans are actually cheaper at Walmart than the Dollar Tree. Because the black beans were sitting on the same shelf next to the red beans, I just grabbed a couple of bags of red beans without looking at the size of the bag assuming they were 1lb bags. While my mistake only cost me a few pennies, it is a simple reminder that you have to look at the size of or the weight of each container when comparing prices.

Conclusion

Not everything is cheaper at your local $0.99 or Dollar Tree store, but stop in and take a quick look around next time you are near one. This will give you an idea of which items the store carries that you use everyday making nurticious meals for your family. Knowing which items are available for $1.00 or less will help you to stretch your food budget and stock your minimalist pantry without breaking the bank. Just remember to check the labels and compare prices ounce per ounce when making buying decisions to maximize your food purchasing power. 

On this quick stop at our local Dollar Tree we saved we saved $5.76 or 45% compared to comparable items found at our local Walmart, and buying more with less is always a good thing! As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Other Money Saving Articles On Our Blog:

Buying More With Less: Strategies To Stretch Your Food Dollar.

Spices: Save Up To 80% By Shopping At Your Local Ethnic Supermarket.

Cheap Ground Beef Can Be Just as Healthy as Lean.

The Minimalist Pantry Series On Our Blog:

The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 1): Dry Good Essentials.

The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 2): Canned Goodness.

 
The Minimalist Pantry (Phase3): Finishing Up.

Red Beans And Rice

If you read my article on the 'common bean', then you known that the combination of red beans and rice provides a complete protein source that is both healthy and nutritious. The other thing that I love about this dish is that it is minimalist pantry friendly and is extremely affordable to make. Beans and rice dishes are popular in a wide variety of countries and cultures because they are not only filling, but it is very affordable to make. Most recipes for red beans and rice call for some form of meat to be added to the dish, whether it be smoked sausage, ham, chicken, rabbit or whatever you can shoot and bring home doesn't really matter. In fact, if you want to leave the meat out and go vegetarian this dish will still provide a complete protein source for your family.

This particular dish is very popular in the southern United States especially in Louisiana and East Texas where we live. A Cajon and Creole tradition, there are many variations on this recipe. Last week I was making my cornbread dressing to put in the freezer in anticipation of thanksgiving and I had an extra eight ounces of breakfast sausage so I decided in true 'Culinary yoU' fashion to use the leftover sausage to make my version of a quick, easy and cheap version of red beans and rice. I have included directions for cooking your red beans in both a pressure cooker or a dutch oven, allowing you to choose the method that best works for you.

Red Beans and Rice

Now in traditional Cajon and Creole cooking celery, onions, and bell peppers (known as the trinity or trifecta) are sauteed in butter or oil and are a major component of gumbos, jambalaya, dirty rice, red beans and rice as well as a wide variety of other dishes. I do not have any bell peppers in the garden right now, but I have a ton of banana peppers so I used them in place of the bell peppers. So don't fret if you have to do a couple of substitutions, cooking on a budget means using what you got in the pantry and the fridge especially leftovers. My original recipe calls for using 1lb smoked ham cubed, and 1lb of smoked sausage cut into ½-inch slices, so if you want to make a more traditional red beans and rice then use both of these as opposed to the breakfast sausage.

1lb or dried kidney beans

8 ounces breakfast sausage

2 quarts of water

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 large green or red bell pepper, diced

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 teaspoons of dried parsley or 2 tablespoons freshly chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Carefully pick though your dried beans and remove any small rocks or other debris. Then cover the beans with cold water about 4 to 5 inches above the top of the beans and soak them overnight. The beans will absorb a lot of water and expand so make sure you cover them well. In the morning rinse them throughly and place them in your pressure cooker or large dutch oven and add the 2 quarts of fresh water.

Diced the onions, celery and bell peppers and set aside. Then in a large sauté pan, brown your ham and sausage (in this case I used 8 ounces of uncooked breakfast sausage) and remove from the sauté pan leave the oil or grease to sauté your celery, onions and peppers in. Sauté your vegetables just until the onions are translucent, then add the contents of the sauté pan and the remaining herbs and seasonings to the pressure cooker or dutch oven that contain the beans and the water. Do not add the meat at this time, we will add it just before serving.

Chef's Note: You can add the ham pieces to the beans when cooking, but some pre-cooked smoked sausages will develop a 'mealy' texture when cooked for long periods of time or when pressure cooked as the fats in the sausage are cooked out. That is why I add my cooked meats at the end of the cooking process.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

Place your 10lb weight on your pressure cooker, or of you have a Fagor set the dial '2' (12lbs) and bring the cooker up to temperature. Then cook the beans for 30 to 40 minutes and remove from the heat. Once the pressure has been released, take a potato masher and slightly mash some of the beans or us a spoon and mash some of the beans on the side of the cooker. The beans should be smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings the way you like them, then add you meat and cook on low for 10 minutes or until the sausage, ham, or other meat is hot. Serve over hot rice.

Chef's Note: Red beans cooked in a pressure cooker do not have to be pre-boiled as the pressure in the cooker will destroy the phytohemagglutinin toxins that are contained in the beans during the cooking process. For more information of the toxins in red beans see my article 'Beans, Beans The Musical Fruit! An Inexpensive and Healthy Protein Source'.

Dutch Oven or Stockpot Instructions

Bring the beans to a boil and boil for 30 minutes (per USDA recommendations), then reduce the heat and simmer until done (30minutes to 2 hours). Once the beans are soft, take a potato masher and slightly mash some of the beans or us a spoon and mash some of the beans on the side of the cooker. The beans should be smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings the way you like them, then add you meat and cook on low for 10 minutes or until the sausage, ham, or other meat is hot. Serve over hot rice.

Cost Breakdown

Red beans and rice is an inexpensive meal that is not only filling, but healthy (if you use less fatty meats) in addition to being downright cheap. This recipe cost me approximately $2.63 for six to eight servings, that $0.33 per serving (for eight servings) and $0.44 per serving (for six servings). 1lb dried red beans $1.00 (1lb bag $1.00 Dollar Tree), 8oz dried rice $0.24 (20lb bag $8.92 Walmart), 8oz breakfast sausage $1.29 (16oz package $2.58 Save-A-Lot), plus $.10 for miscellaneous herbs and spices. I do not know about you, but I think that is a whole lot of bang for your buck!

Now adding 1lb or smoked ham and or 1lb of smoked sausage would bring the cost up considerably, however making it vegetarian brings the total cost down to $1.34. Thats $0.22 for six servings and $0.17 for eight servings, and now you understand why beans are such a vital part of the diet of many cultures around the world.

Conclusion

Beans are a cheap source of protein, and when mixed with a carbohydrate such as rice, they are a complete source of healthy protein. Due to the fact that dried beans are easily stored and are readily available in most countries around the world you can find some form of a bean and rice dish in just about every culture. Here in the United States, particularly along the gulf coast states, red beans and rice has been elevated from a necessary staple to more of a comfort food status as we became more prosperous as a nation.

However, if you are struggling to make ends meet and need to stretch your food dollars, then red beans and rice can be a important part of your menu rotation. It's cheap, east to make and a downright delicious dish that I am sure your family will enjoy. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Articles On Our Blog:

Beans, Beans The Musical Fruit! An Inexpensive and Healthy Protein Source'.

Homemade 'Ranch Style Beans': Come Get Ya Some!

Additional Resources On The Internet:

United States Department Of Agriculture: Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook:Phytohaemagglutinin. Food and Drug Administration. 2012. Retrieved 20November2015.

Canning Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken soup is good for the soul....Well at least that is what the popular line of books written back in the 1990's would say. Well I cannot vouch for that, but I can tell you that Chicken soup is good for the tummy, especially when it is beginning to turn cool outside and the leaves begin to change colors. My wife says that soups are a cool weather food and she does not care for them during the summer months, but I think soups should be enjoyed at all times of the year.

Recently here on the farm, we butchered seven rooters so we had lots of backs and bones to cook down and turn into chicken stock. As is usual, I canned some of the chicken meat leftover from the bones and made some chicken and dumplings. I still had a little white and dark meat left over and decided to make some chicken and rice soup.  The thing is, I knew if I made a big pot and put it in the refrigerator we would have more than we could eat. I could freeze it, but our freezer space is precious, so I decided to can 4 pints of chicken and rice soup.

I can hear you screaming now “You cannot can rice in your soup!” Well, yes you can, it is just not recommended by the USDA. In fact, there are a lot of things that you can preserve via canning that the USDA does not approve of. Primarily, because the risk of food poisoning is higher if you do not follow proper sanitary procedures and or techniques. So heed my warnings, if you decide to can soup with rice, you do so at your own risk however minimal it might be.

Having said that, people have been canning rice in soups for many years without any problems, you just have to be careful. I always can my soups with dry uncooked long grain rice. Something you have to be aware of is that dried rice, generally absorbs 2 to 3 times it's volume of liquid when cooked. The container (pint or glass jar) has a limited amount of room for the expansion of dried foods such as rice, and beans when they cook. Therefore it is important to measure the amount of dried rice you put into each pint or glass jar before adding the liquid. In my recipes, I use 2 tablespoons of dried long grain rice for a pint jar, and 4 tablespoons per quart jar. You can put less rice in the jar, but never more or you run the risk of having jars that overflow or not to seal properly.

I know when you look at this amounts of rice used in these recipes they appear insufficient, but I promise you that these amounts are accurate for safe and reliable canning of rice in soups. Rice like many grains, will continue to absorb liquid after it has cooked, and in most cases the rice will absorb almost all the liquid in the jar if you use the recommended amounts of dried rice (2 tablespoons per pint, 4 per quart) in each of these recipes.

You could soak your rice over night, and rinse it to remove some of the starch. This technique might also reduce some of the liquid the rice absorbs when it is being processed, but I have not tried this yet, but may do so the next time I can a chicken or rabbit and rice soup. I have a friend, who cooks his rice ahead of time, but I have never made my soups that way. I was always afraid that the 75 to 90 minute processing time would turn it into mush, but he assures me the texture is fine. I may try this technique in the future, but again, in this article I am only going to explain the actual technique that I use.


Getting Everything Ready (Mise En Place)

You will need a pressure canner to can your soup as it will contain meat (a low acid food), and all low acid foods must be pressure canned. The appropriate number of pint of quarts jars, lids, and rings. For this recipe I am going to assume you already have made your chicken stock and are ready to can your soup. If you would like further information regarding making your own chicken stock and canning it safely check out my previous article: Canning Rabbit: Beef, Poultry and Wild Game. http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Canning%20Meats.

If you haven't cleaned yours jars, then do so before you get started. Once your jars are clean we are going to sterilize them. Fill your pressure canner about ¾ full with water and put on the stove and set it on high. We will remove some of the water later, but I like to use my pressure canner to sterilize my jars before canning. If you do not want to use your pressure canner to sterilize your jars, then fill a stockpot with enough water so that you can submerge your jars in boiling water. I like to go ahead and sterilize my jars and set them aside on my racks just before I add my ingredients.

Once the water in your pressure cooker or stockpot begins to boil, reduce the heat until the water simmers and using your jar tongs place no more than 3 pint jars in your pressure cooker or stockpot at a time and leave for 30 seconds to sterilize the jars then remove to a rack to cool. If you do not have a metal rack, a bath towel folded in half to protect the counter will work, however be careful not to knock the jars onto the floor. At this point I also sterilize my funnels and other equipment by dipping them into the water and placing them on my canning racks with the jars.

When you are ready to can your soup, take a small saucepan and fill with water and set it on high and heat it just until it starts to boil. Turn off the heat and add your rings and lids. If you are using your canner to sterilize your jars and already have it ¾ full of hot water, then remove enough water until you only have about 3 to 4 inches left in the canner. If you did not use your pressure canner to sterilize your jars, then fill it with water until it reaches the 3 to 4 inch mark. Now, I realize, that 3 to 4 inches does not sound like a lot of water, but as you add your full jars of meat, the water level will rise. Most pressure cooker manufacturers also recommend adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water in your pressure canner to prevent water stains in the cooker and on the tops of the jars. I must admit I am not very consistent with my use of vinegar, and the occasional water stains are easily wiped off the tops of the jars.


Chicken and Rice Soup

Before starting the canning process you need to already have the raw vegetables you wish to use copped as well as your chicken cooked, cooled, and cut up and your chicken stock needs to be hot and ready. The amount of chicken and chicken stock you will need depends on the number and size of jars of soup you want to can. When canning my chicken and rice soup I layer the cooked chicken, raw vegetables, and rice in the jar, and then fill them with the hot chicken stock. Therefore, I will list the amounts of the ingredients I place in each pint or quart jar.

Chicken and Rice Soup (Pint Jars)

1/3 cup chicken, cooked, and diced
¼ cup onion, diced
½ a carrot or 3 baby carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons long grain rice
1 tablespoon celery, diced
¼ teaspoon minced garlic

Layer all ingredients into pint jars, then fill with hot chicken stock leaving 1 to 1 ¼ inch of head space. Add lids and rings then place in pressure canner and process for 75 minutes on 10lbs of pressure.


Chicken and Rice Soup (Quart Jars)

1/2 cup chicken, cooked, and diced
1/3 cup onion, diced
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) long grain rice
¾ of a carrot or 5 to 6 baby carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons celery, diced
½ teaspoon minced garlic

Layer all ingredients into pint jars, then fill with hot chicken stock leaving 1 to 1 ¼ inch of head space. Add lids and rings then place in pressure canner and process for 90 minutes on 10lbs of pressure.

Now, this recipe for canning chicken and rice soup is pretty basic, but very versatile, and it works, and I have used it many times. Feel free to use whatever raw vegetables in the soup that you and you family like. You can increase the amount of the vegetables somewhat if you you like, but remember you do not want to increase the amount of rice. In addition you need to take into consideration that if you increase the amount of the vegetables significantly, you will have less room for the chicken stock.


Conclusion

So why can rice in your soups when dried rice is already shelf stable? There are three reasons why I can some of my soups with rice. First, I like to have soups canned and ready to eat, so that I can just open a jar pour it into a container and take to work for an easy, fast, nutritious lunch. Second, rice is a relatively cheap filler and adding it to soups is a delicious way to stretch your food dollar. A 1/2 cup of cooked, chicken, beef, or rabbit meat does not easily feed two or three people, but put it in a quart jar with rice and vegetables and you have a filling meal. When I have small amounts of leftover or extra meats is generally when I can rice based soups. Third, I like to have soups on the shelf in our pantry that are ready to eat that I do not have to heat up in the event that we are without electricity for whatever reason.

The bottom line is that you can can soups with rice if you are careful and practice safe canning techniques. I know there are a lot of people out there that are not going to be happy about that statement, but I stand behind it. I have canned rice successfully in soups and know many people who do as well. Having said that, if you choose to can rice in your soups, be aware that there are risks involved, and that the risk is yours and yours alone!

If you are wanting to learn about canning, be sue and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.


Additional References:

To Pressure or Not To Pressure, That Is the Question: Preserving Your Bounty Safely. http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Pressure%20Canning

Canning Rabbit: Beef, Poultry and Wild Game. http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Canning%20Meats

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

As my wife and I have really started living on a budget and paying attention to where our food dollars go I have really been surprised at the amount of money we used to waste on convenience foods. Having worked in restaurants for more than 18 years, I learned to make most things form scratch. It is far cheaper to make your own soups, sauces, skillet dinners, and casseroles that it is to buy the pre-made at the local grocery store. The downside to such is that it does take a small amount of planning and time to cook from scratch as opposed to using convenience foods. If you are struggling to make ends meet and feed your family, learning to make some of those convenience or comfort foods at home can really help you to stretch your food dollar.

Last week my wife and I were doing our shopping at our local supermarket when I noticed a young woman who had three kids that were on the rice and beans isle looking at the vast variety of per-packaged box dinners. I was on the isle to grab a 20lb bag of rice when I watched her start loading her shopping cart with a variety of selections of Rice-A-Roni, Hamburger Helper, and Zatarain's rice and pasta dinners. As I stood there with my 20lb bag of rice that cost me $8.98, I watched as she put 22 boxes of these dinners in her cart and moved onto the next isle. After I found my wife and put the 20lbs of rice in our cart, I went back to the boxed dinner isle to look at the prices of these items, because well...I am nosy. Anyway, the current prices (8/4/2015) for some of the items she had in her cart are as follows: Rice-a-Roni 6.4 ounce box all varieties $1,00, Hamburger Helper 5.1 ounce box all varieties $1.25, and Zatarain's 8 ounce box all varieties $2.36. Lets just say that she had an equal amount of each of these pre-packaged box dinner dinners her total estimated cost of this purchase = $33.66 just for a little rice, pasta and some dried spices.

Now, I am not lambasting her in anyway, I do not know anything about this young lady, but I really felt compelled to help her. The thing is, I did not know if she would have even been interested in my help and I definitely did not want to embarrass her in anyway, so I let her walk away. On the inside, I dying to ask her what she would think if I could show her away to purchase all those items she just picked up for half the price. Maybe I couldn't help her, but if you are reading this article, I can definitely help you!

Cost Analysis

I have already listed the prices of the various boxed dinners earlier. In this article I am going to focus on the rice based boxed dinners, and will do another article on how to make your own hamburger helper style dinners at a later date. Most of the Rice-A-Roni brand packages contain rice, vermicelli, dried spices, and occasionally dehydrated vegetables, while the Zatarain's do not have any vermicelli, rather they are all rice based. All of which you can purchase separately, if you cannot find dehydrated vegetables you can substitute fresh vegetables. To make it easier to see the potential savings your could reap, I am going to break the cost of each of these items into the basic unit of ounces. 

Rice-A-Roni ($1.00 per 6.4oz box) costs 15.6 cents per ounce, while Zatarain's ($2.36 per 8oz box) costs 29.5 cents per ounce. Plain long grain rice cost 3.1 cents per ounce when purchased in a 5lb bag or larger, at my local Walmart. Vermicelli costs $1.27 per pound or 7.8 cents per ounce. So to make our own recipe of Rice-A-Roni, we will use by weight 4oz long grain rice (4 x 3.1 = 12.4 cents) and 3oz of vermicelli by weight (7.8 x 3 = 23.4 cents) combined with the dry spices. Now the amount and therefore the cost of the dry spices used are so small that the cost is less than 10 cents per recipe. So to make a homemade recipe of Rice-A-Roni, plain chicken or beef flavor would be 45.8 cents (12.4 + 23.4 + 10 = 45.8 cents). I allocated 10 cents for the dried spices, but the cost is actually lower.

So we see that our homemade Rice-A-Roni costs 54.2% less than the name brand (45.8 cents versus $1.00). That is a huge cost savings! Thin pastas such as angel hair, or thin spaghetti can be substituted for the vermicelli reducing the cost even more. In my area, several times a year dried pastas can be purchased on sale for as low 88 cents for a 16oz box (5.5 cents per ounce) reducing the cost by another 31%.

So I ask you, would you rather make your own Rice-A-Roni for 38.9 cents (when pasta bought on sale for 88 cents a box) to 45.8 cents per meal or spend $1.00 if it took you the same time to prepare it? So if you want to reduce your food budget by at least 50%, then lets get started!

The Ingredients

While saving you money on your food budget is one of the goals of this blog, helping you to make more informed and healthy choices for your family is another. As always we want to look at the list of ingredients of recipes in which we are creating as opposed to the commercial versions. The following is a list of the most popular commercially prepared rice box dinners (Chicken and Beef) as well as our homemade version. Most of the time, the homemade version is not only a healthier alternative, but is cheaper as well, but this is not always the case.

Rice-A-Roni Chicken Flavor – Rice, durum wheat semolina, salt, sugar, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, onions, monosodium glutamate, natural flavor, parsley, garlic, chicken broth*, chicken fat, turmeric spice (for color), hydrolyzed corn gluten, niacin, disodium guanylate, disodium inosate, ferric orthophosphate, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, turmeric extract, folic acid, riboflavin.

Rice-A-Roni Beef Flavor – Rice, durum wheat semolina, salt, sugar, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein (corn, soy, and wheat), potassium chloride, maltodextrin, salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, carrots, caramel color, beef broth*, garlic, hydrolyzed gluten (wheat and corn), niacin, disodium guanylate, disodium inosate, ferric orthophosphate, ferrous sulfate, milk, thiamin mononitrate, turmeric extract, folic acid, riboflavin.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni – Rice, vermicelli noodles (durum semolina, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), onions, garlic powder, parsley, turmeric (for color), butter, sugar, and powdered chicken bouillon*.

*Chicken and Beef bouillon contain quite a few additives including monosodium glutamate (MSG). For further reading on the ingredients of powdered bouillons, see my previous article: 'Restaurants Use Them, So Should You?' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Bullion.

If you are concerned about the amount of additives in the homemade version of these rice box dinners, you can reduce the number by using canned or homemade chicken broth. Of course using a commercially prepared broth increases the cost of the meal significantly. In fact, using a canned broth actually makes if cost more to prepare your Rice-A-Roni from scratch, however you must weigh the costs of the meal versus any health concerns you have regarding the ingredients.

Prepackaging Your Ingredients

Once you have bought your pasta and rice, the first this you have to do is take your pasta (vermicelli, angel hair or thin spaghetti) and break it into ½ to 1-inch pieces. I do this by hand, you do not have to be super accurate with this but one cup of pasta should way about 3 ounces. Make the pieces large if you wish, it just increases the cost a small amount. Once you have all of your pasta broken into small pieces, it is time combine it with your rice and spices and make your Rice-A-Roni mixes. The easy or quick way is to combine the rice, pasta and dry ingredients into zip lock sandwich bags. The original way is to separate your rice and noodles from the dried spices and flavorings and add the dried spices and flavorings after sauteing the rice and pasta. To cook either version of your homemade Rice-A-Roni, simply follow the directions as listed below.

In the 'Original Version' the spices are placed in separate plastic bag and placed in the bag with the rice and pasta.

Chicken Flavor (Package Mix)

¾ cup long grain rice

1 cup vermicelli pasta

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Beef Flavor (Dry Package Mix)

¾ cup long grain rice

1 cup vermicelli pasta

1 tablespoon beef bouillon

1 teaspoon dried carrots

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Mexican Style (Dry Package Mix)

¾ cup long grain rice

1 cup vermicelli pasta

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried bell pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)

 

Cajun Style (Dry Package Mix)

¾ cup long grain rice

1 cup vermicelli pasta

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

2 teaspoons creole seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Asian Style (Dry Package Mix)

¾ cup long grain rice

1 cup vermicelli pasta

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon dried carrots

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon sesame seeds

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon brown sugar

Now, there are a vast quantity of different flavors offered by McCormick who owns the Rice-A-Roni brand of rice and pasta dishes on your grocers shelves. I have only listed the most popular ones and the varities that my family likes best, but I have a few other recipes I make such as 'Chicken Briyani',and 'Dirty Rice-A-Roni'. These homemade mixes are easily customizable and can be made to suit you and your families individual tastes and preferences, so experiment and have fun with them.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni (Easy Version)

1 package dry Rice-A-Roni mix

2 cups water

½ onion, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce (Only for Asian Style Flavor)

Saute the onion in the butter over low heat just until it starts to become translucent, add the dry mixture to the pan with the two cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork and serve.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni (Original Version)

1 package dry Rice-A-Roni mix

2 cups water

½ onion, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce (Only for Asian Style Flavor)

Saute the onion in the butter over low heat just until it starts to become translucent, add the pasta and rice to the pan and saute, stirring often, until the vermicelli is golden brown. Then add the water and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork and serve.

From Side Dish to Complete Meal

Originally developed as side dish, your homemade Rice-A-Roni can become a complete meal by adding cooked meats to the dish after sauteing the vegetable and pasta just before adding the water. Diced or cubed chicken and ground beef are some of the most common additions. A small portion of leftover steak or pork chop diced or cubed is another great addition to these rice and pasta mixes and an excellent way to stretch your food dollar. 

Because we have a large extended family, ground beef is a staple in our household. We purchase it only when on sale and in significant quantities. We then cook, rinse, drain and and bag in 1lb packages and freeze for future use. When we need it, we simply take out of the freezer and thaw in the microwave for a quick complete healthy meal. For more information regarding the nutrition and health implications of ground beef in your families diet, check my blog article on 'Can Ground Beef Be healthy? You Bet!' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20Beef

Conclusion

If your family enjoys Rice-A-Roni style pasta mixes you can save a significant amount of money (50% or more) by making your own mixes. Making your own mixes is not only quick and easy, the best part is you have total control regarding which ingredients you wish to use. I hope you have enjoyed this article although it is quite long, and I hope it inspires you to make your own rice and pasta mixes from scratch. Thanks again for visiting our blog, and if you like this article please feel free to share it with your friends. Btw, you can actually find some good recipe suggestions for using your homemade Rice-A-Roni on the official Rice-A-Roni website, so if you need some help, check it out (see link below).

References:

Rice-A-Roni and Pasta-A-Roni Recipes, Golden Grain Company. http://www.ricearoni.com/recipes/

'Restaurants Use Them, So Should You?' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Bullion.

Can Ground Beef Be healthy? You Bet!' at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20Beef