Awhile back, Jason and I became obsessed with rice pudding after eating at the infamous Rice to Riches restaurant in New York. When we moved to Miami, it became our main goal in dessert life to find or create the perfect rice pudding recipe. We spent months slaving over the stove, debating whether to cook the rice in water first or just milk, use cream, add raisins, what to do, what to do….
Eventually, we came across an old recipe book and found a simple recipe for stovetop rice pudding. We did some tweaking and here’s what we came up with. And you lucky devils get the final pick!
2 cups milk 1 cup cream 1/2 c long grain rice (we use Jasmine) 1/4 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla nutmeg
Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan until just boiling. Do not scald. (It helps to use a candy thermometer so you don’t go overboard on the heating. Hot milk likes to boil over pretty quickly and make a big ol’ mess). Add the rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook over low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Let sit for 10 minutes or so to thicken. Spoon into dessert bowls and top with a pinch of nutmeg. Serve warm. OR let cool down and refrigerate overnight. It’s super yummy cold too.
I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and knew right away I had to make it. The writer mentions that she first had Moroccan stew at Chez Omar in Paris, and when I read that I was all “OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO! I ate at Chez Omar in Paris too!” (well I said that in my head anyway).
So, it was Moroccan Stew for dinner the other night and it turned out nicely. We added some carrots to the recipe, thinking you can really never get enough orange in a butternut squash stew. The problem was, I was too cheap-o to buy saffron and couldn’t for the life of me find any preserved lemons. The flavors came out a little bland, although they it was much better the next day. So, if you decide to make this recipe, spring for the special ingredients. I think it would make it much, much better.
Also, as an added bonus, you get to make couscous, which is pretty much the most fun grain to cook. It fluffs up so quickly! Like magic!
I’m pretty sure every craft-dork out there has always wanted to make their own journal. (I know I have) So I was super excited when I came across this tutorial on how to make one out of stuff you already have.
Here is my version of Diane Gilleland’s Woven Scrap Journal. I think next time I’ll do a better job of color-coordinating, but this works, I guess. I used some old sheet music for the paper and some pages from the latest Anthropologie catalog for the inside covers. whaddya think??
I can never get enough of this tune. Enjoy, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
And if you haven’t done your service for the day, buy yourself or someone you like a lot a pair of Toms shoes, where for every pair of shoes you buy, one pair is donated to a child in need.
Emma is a free-lance flutist and teacher in Pittsburgh, PA. Her dork-a-thon qualifications include: a BFA in dance, sewing, knitting, crafting, color guard, baking, yoga, herbal tea, home remedies, Oprah, writing, Tomb Raider, dessert, long walks, blues music, baskets, and bargain shopping.
Jason is a freelance tuba player and computer nerd living in Pittsburgh, PA. If that wasn't enough, his other dork-a-thon qualifications include: A degree in computer science, punk rock, t-shirts, photography, Google Reader, orange juice, opera, guitar, plaid shorts, flip-flops, shaving once a week, naps, Madden 2K8, southern cooking, Georgia Football, free food, graphic design, and Asian cultures.
Awhile back, Jason and I became obsessed with rice pudding after eating at the infamous Rice to Riches restaurant in New York. When we moved to Miami, it became our main goal in dessert life to find or create the perfect rice pudding recipe. We spent months slaving over the stove, debating whether to cook the rice in water first or just milk, use cream, add raisins, what to do, what to do….
