Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2/3 cup broken vermicelli and cook, stirring constantly, until golden-brown and nutty-smelling, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Rice a Roni– you’ll need one box of Rice-a-Roni. I use the chicken flavor, any flavor works. The 6.9 ounce box of flavored rice with seasoning packet.

If you’re not familiar with Rice-A-Roni — well, I’m pretty surprised, because I considered it one of the major food groups until I was about 20. But here’s a primer: It’s rice with ...