By February in Birmingham. The city has hills which Prattville does not and I am still getting used to driving in hills. The campus is walkable from the apartment and I have started walking when I have afternoon classes, twenty minutes, which gives me thinking time between school and home.
My research practicum has assigned a mentor, a professor named Dr. Ochoa who studies early childhood interventions in under-resourced communities. She read my transfer application and my community college research proposal and she said: your question about attachment and language development in childcare is worth pursuing. She said we could start a small observational study at a local daycare that partners with UAB. I said yes immediately, which is the kind of yes I am getting better at, the one that comes before the doubts.
I made jambalaya this week for the first time, a full pot, rice and sausage and shrimp and the holy trinity, built on a dark roux. It took all of Saturday afternoon and the kitchen smelled magnificent and Priya came out of her room and said is this jambalaya and I said yes and she said I did not know you could make jambalaya and I said I am still learning. She ate two bowls. Her roommate, the tech woman named Diane, came out when she smelled it and I made a third bowl and we all ate at the kitchen table together for the first time. Shared kitchen, shared table. It is slower to build than a table of your own. But it builds.
The jambalaya only happened because I had seasoned rice I trusted — rice that already knew what it was supposed to be before the sausage and shrimp arrived. That Saturday taught me something: a good pot of food doesn’t just feed people, it moves them. Diane came out of her room because something smelled true. This seasoned rice mix is the version I keep stocked now, the one that goes into everything from a weeknight side to the base of a full Louisiana pot. If you’re building a table in a new place, start here.
Homemade Seasoned Rice Mix
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules (or 2 cubes, crumbled)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for a little Louisiana heat)
- 2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional, for richness)
Instructions
- Mix the dry blend. In a small bowl or jar, combine the rice, bouillon granules, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir until everything is evenly distributed. The mix can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months — make a double or triple batch and keep it on hand.
- Bring to a boil. Pour the seasoned rice mix into a medium saucepan and add the water or chicken broth. Add butter if using. Stir once to combine and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer low and covered. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, place the lid on tightly, and let the rice simmer undisturbed for 18–20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender.
- Rest, then fluff. Remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit, still covered, for 5 minutes. This step matters — it finishes the cook and keeps the rice from getting gummy. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork before serving.
- Serve or build on it. Use as a straightforward side dish, or let it be the foundation for something bigger — stir in browned andouille, sautéed shrimp, or the holy trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) to move it toward Louisiana territory.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 175 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 430mg