Grandma's Tasty Rice

This is comfort food. My Grandma was the first to acknowledge that she wasn't a cook- she cooked what she had to in order to have food on the table. In fact, she was 4'11" and only weighed about 100 pounds because she said she ate only because she knew she had to, not because she enjoyed it. I had no idea what she was talking about, and still don't... :-)

But there were a few recipes that we all loved of hers. A chicken and rice casserole and her wonderful Christmas cookies come to mind, but mostly everyone loved Tasty Rice. It had to be at most family get-togethers and then we all made her give us the recipe so we could make it to take places. And people always love it as much as we do.

My cooking has changed over the years and I no longer buy soups in cans that the recipe called for, so I have adapted the recipe to work only with bullion. It's not quite the same, but it works. I'll list both the original and adapted versions at the end of the post.

It's so simple, you won't believe it. If you have a meat dish that needs to bake, put this rice in right next to it and all you have to think of is a salad.

Start with beef bullion, butter cut into a couple pieces, and some marjoram and put in a baking dish. This is the only recipe I use marjoram regularly for- the original recipe called for ground marjoram, but I looked and looked a few months ago and could only find whole, so I just rub it with my fingers over the bowl.

Add rice, a can of Consomme Soup, and water. Do not stir (Grandma underlined this on the recipe she gave me).

Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. That's it, folks!

When you take it out of the oven, it looks like this. Then you stir to distribute the butter and bullion and serve. Mmm...it's kinda creamy and kinda not and when it hits your mouth it's hard not to eat too much. Good luck!

Original Tasty Rice

• 1 Beef Bullion cube
• 1/4 cup butter, cut up
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 can Consomme soup

1. Place the bullion, butter, marjoram, rice, soup, and one soup can of water in a baking dish, preferably one with a cover. Do not stir or mix.
2. Place in the oven, covered, at 350 degrees for one hour.
3. Stir before serving.

Slightly Altered Tasty Rice

• 3 tsp. beef bullion
• 3 TB. butter, cut up
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups water

-Follow the same directions as above.

Jami