Rice Pudding

Rice pudding. Some love it, some hate it. I am obsessed with it. I perfected this delicious recipe when I lived in Brazil for a while. Down there, they add in egg yolks as the very last step for a thick, custard type rice pudding. Now that's what I'm talking about.
I used long grain white rice in this batch, which worked out great. I have also made it with white parabolized rice  which worked as well. But I one day I would like to try Jasmine rice and see how delicious that would be.  I also used skim and 2% lactose free  milk in this because of my milk sensitivities instead of whole milk and it came out just as creamy. Oh the possibilities...
**Disclaimer: You may want to double this recipe, because this batch was gone within an hour...

Rice pudding

1 cup uncooked white rice

3 1/2 cups skim or 1% milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups whole milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Bring uncooked rice and 3 1/2 cups milk to boil. Stir constantly while scraping the bottom until milk is almost completely evaporated. The rice will appear creamy and thick. Take off heat and set aide. 

2. In a saucepan combine the sugar, flour, salt and whole milk and whisk together until smooth. Add in cooked rice. 

3. On medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to thicken. Turn to low heat and stir for 5 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and immediately add the egg yolks. After the egg yolks are incorporated, add the vanilla. Chill for 30 minutes. Served chilled. Enjoy!

Ginger Creams

Every year it seems like the preparation for Christmas starts earlier. So, shouldn't I be able to indulge in my usual holiday favorite treats a little earlier?! Hmm. I think so. 

And so I give you the Ginger Cream. This fluffy cookie is the marriage of a gingerbread cake and a drop cookie. Not as pungent as dark molasses gingerbread, but just enough ginger that it just screams "CHRISTMAS!" (or "Christmas is COMING!" in my case.) This delicious morsel of Christmas comes from my sweet Grandma Jean. I NEED to make them every year. They are just that good.
I can tell that this is the first of many holiday cookies that I will make (and eat) just because I CAN...I mean if Kohls can put up decorations and blast Christmas music two months before the beloved holiday, it gives me permission to eat..I mean "test" my holiday cookies the day after Halloween...right? 

Ginger Creams

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup water room temperature

1 1/2 cups  heaping powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

3.In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Once incorporated, add the egg,    then the molasses.

4. Then alternating, add the dry mixture and water until batter is all incorporated. 

5.Drop heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake for ten minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes.

6. To make glaze mix together powdered sugar and milk, alternating until glaze is smooth. Stir in vanilla and spoon over cooled cookies. 

Yield 12 cookies