Cooking rice

When I married the most wonderful man in the whole world, I didn't own a rice cooker. As the oldest child of a large family, that is the only way I knew how to "cook" rice. My husband, on the other hand, could make a killer pot of rice with very little effort.

This is the trick.

If you think you have a good idea of how much rice you need, dump it in your pot. A good estimate is 2 cups for about 3-4 generous servings, and 4 cups when you have 5-6 people or want leftovers. Truthfully, I don't measure anymore.

Fill your pot(which has the rice in it) with water til the water covers the rice THIS high.
THIS: stick your middle finger into the water until the tip rests on the top of the rice. The water should cover the first segment of your middle finger, from tip to first joint(just about an inch). It doesn't matter if you have long, slender fingers or banjo hands--this trick works for everyone. Turn the burner onto high, if you're in a hurry like me, and bring to a boil. Turn down a little bit and simmer until holes appear on the surface of the rice, like crawfish burrowing in for the winter. Depending on how much rice you're preparing, add 1-2 TBsp butter to the pot. You will hardly see any water by this time. Turn the burner off, but leave the pot there and cover with a lid. It will be ready to serve in 5-10 minutes or longer, if you've made it during the kids' naptime and want feel like you've made something for supper already!