Ginger Rice Pudding with Maple Syrup

Call me old fashioned. But I refuse to buy into all the hype that has become the holiday season. To me, this is the time of year for indulging in great food, great drinks, and great people. I refuse to indulge in the commercialism that has taken over the true meaning of the holidays.

While many are out, battling one another for the best deals, I'll be at home, stationed in my kitchen working on an array of delicious treats.

Today, upon reading this tutorial on The Kitchn, I decided to apply this risotto cooking method to one of my favorite dishes, rice pudding.

Sweet 'n' Sour Smoked Sausage

It's been a long week. Remind me next time my phone rings on my day off that I should not answer it. It will only be bad news or somebody begging for a favor. Like being called into work on my day off. In return for working almost a full shift on my day off, I got to only work half a day. Leaving early on a Friday? Start my weekend early? Hell yeah!

The only thing that would have made today better would have been to avoid the four-year old class, who thought flushing random things was a good idea. But I didn't have to clean up the mess so I cannot complain too much. Except that my shoes got wet walking down the hallway. 

At least today ended early and I got to spend this beautiful day relaxing on my deck with a good book. My desire to relax and do nothing carried over into my dinner. 

This is a recipe that I saw in a Kroger advertisement a few months ago. I had put off trying it, not really sure why. It is nothing fancy but a perfect "I'm feeling lazy" dinner that still tastes amazing.

Mexican Rice Pudding

When I get depressed I don't want to eat but I cook. My kitchen is full of cookies, quick breads, and pudding type dishes.

Yes all of those are plural. There are oatmeal raisin cookies, oatmeal-red currant cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, banana nut bread, banana blueberry bread, tapioca, Persian rice pudding, and a Mexican rice pudding.

They all look beautiful. I'm sure they taste delicious too, I just have no appetite to eat them.

Tomorrow will make 10 months since my fiance died. 10 months since my entire world fell apart. 10 months of hell. There isn't a day that goes by that my heart doesn't ache, that tears don't roll down my cheeks wishing he would walk into my door, like nothing at all has happened. I want my miracle. I don't deserve it, but I want my happily ever after. And I want it with the love of my life.

Ok, enough depressing.

This was a recipe that Joseph brought home one day for me to make for some of his employees.

Rice Cakes

Have you ever seen a cookbook from 100 years ago?

First off, if you can get past the huge difference in formatting and wording, you need to rely on Google so that you can figure out what in the heck some of the measurements are. Things are measured by the pound, by gills (pronounced "jill"), glasses, teacupfuls, pints, quarts, and spoonfuls.

I've made European recipes that use weight as the measurements. I have made older recipes that measure flour and sugar by the pound. I have NEVER once used a "pound of eggs."

The basis for today's recipe is from page 103 of a 1832 cookbook entitled Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats by Miss Leslie, of Philadelphia. 4th Edition.

RICE CAKES FOR BREAKFAST.

 Put half a pound of rice in soak over night. Early in the morning boil it very soft, drain it from the water, mix with it a quarter of a pound of butter, and set it away to cool. When it is cold, stir it into a quart of milk, and add a very little salt. Beat six eggs, and sift half a pint of flour. Stir the egg and flour alternately into the rice and milk. Having beaten the whole very well, bake it on the griddle in cakes about the size of a small dessert-plate. Butter them, and send them to table hot.

Sounds interesting. Also sounds like it would feed a lot of people. Just out of curiosity, I cooked a half pound of rice, it cooked up to over 4 cups. I foresee rice pudding and fried rice in my near future....


These turned out very good, almost like a pancake version of rice pudding.


Rice Cakes
1 C Cooked Rice (I use a long grain white rice)
4 Tbs Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs Sugar
Dash of Salt
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg, Beaten
1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
3/4 C Milk

In a medium bowl combine rice and butter. If the rice is hot, just cut the butter into bits and stir in. Otherwise, melt the butter and add to the rice. All this mixture to cool to room temperature.

Add in the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Stir in the egg and flour. It's very important to beat the egg before you add it to the mix. Add the milk in parts until a batter with the texture of pudding is formed. More or less milk may be required.

Cook in a lightly greased skillet over medium-low heat. These seem to absorb the oil so it is important to use only what is necessary to keep them from sticking.

These don't get nice little bubbles on the surface. They don't dry out around the edges. They just get browned on the bottom. You have to watch them carefully.

They were absolutely delicious though! It made 6 medium sized pancakes.