Rice-a-Roni - The Source

The man who invented Rice-a-Roni, Vincent DiDomenico, died recently. Turns out he had an Armenian neighbor in California long ago who made a dish like this one: Dove's Eye View: Roz Bi Shaghria. DeDomenico's sister-in-law adapted the neighbor's pilaf, and he boxed it for commercial sale.

Now I'm not saying that making Arabic/Middle Eastern rice pilaf is automatically cheaper than Rice-a-roni, but it's just as simple, and since you control the ingredients, it can be healthier.

Don't forget the spiced meat and nut mixture to decorate the top: Heshwah.