Day 58 - Baked Rice Pudding

      We had rice for dinner last night and I've been craving rice pudding lately.  NO, I am NOT pregnant.  I am looking forward to the time when we have grandchildren.  Yikes!  I feel so old when I say that, and I DON'T want it to happen anytime soon.  Back in Rhode Island whenever I'd go to a Walt's Roast Beef (they are SO much better than Arby's, I think!), I'd buy their rice pudding for dessert.  Mmm, mmm, good!  Now I'm homesick.
     I was really looking forward to this, and the recipe couldn't have been any easier!  I was psyched because I'd start it in the morning, it would bake while I cleaned the house, and this would be the one night that I could relax because I would type the blog up in the afternoon before making dinner.  But,

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

"To a Mouse" - Robert Burns

     See, last night I finished blogging shortly before midnight then sat up talking to my husband til around 1.  We were awakened at 5 am by yet another cat fight under our bedroom window.  Our cat, Charlie (my sous chef in pictures), likes to take cover under a plastic chair right next to our bedroom window.  He hides here because as tough as he attempts to be, he really is a big fat wuss, and is terrified of everything!  He doesn't even like to leave the security of our back yard and growls whenever I attempt to put him out the front door.  He freaks.  This black cat (I know because I finally saw him this morning) comes into our yard and kicks Charlie's butt.  He ended up with a scratch on his nose and I had to break it up.  So what, do you ask, does this have to do with baking rice pudding today?  Well, a lot actually.  Being up at 5 and then knowing that my alarm was going off in an hour, I decided it would just be best to stay up and be productive before taking the kids to school.  I was able to do some things before dropping them off and then completely crashed, so decided to take a nap.  I slept til noon and when I awoke, had no idea what day or time it was.  I know it's happened to you.  So, it took me quite some time to get my bearings, and never ended up cleaning the bathrooms, but managed to put the pudding into the oven after this....   



How does it go, don't cry over spilled milk?

     Yes, another mishap in the kitchen.  I turned from the refrigerator after putting the milk away and put my hand into the measuring cup (I don't know, I guess with old age depth perception goes, too) which spilled it all over me, the cookbook, counter and floor.  I was extremely grateful that I had decided to halve the recipe since I knew I'd probably be the only one eating it.  If I hadn't, instead of spilling only ¼ of a cup, it could've been 2.

     Baked Rice Pudding

    
     4 cups milk
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1/3 cup sugar or to taste
     ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional) I can't imagine my rice pudding without it and used freshly grated.
     3 tablespoons rice
        Yes, only 3 tablespoons.  Marion says, "The little bit of rice to a quart of milk is correct.  Don't use instant or converted rice."

     Preheat the oven to 300ºF.  Put all the ingredients in a buttered baking dish and stir to blend.  If you don't like your rice pudding too sweet, start with only ¼ cup sugar, then taste.  Bake for 3½ hours, stirring three times during the first hour of baking so the rice doesn't settle.

In the oven

     Notice how she didn't mention what size baking dish to use - I didn't omit it.  I was still sleepy, so that really threw me off.  I think the one I used may have been too big and remember, I halved the recipe - didn't want to waste any ingredients.  While it still had 1½ hours to bake, I ran a few errands and was psyched because upon pulling into the garage, knew I had about ½ hour to spare before removing it. 



     Yeah.  Dried up, crusty, baked rice pudding.  I am now sitting here eating vanilla bean ice cream drenched in chocolate syrup.  I knew I should have bought some alcohol when I stopped at the store, and I rarely even drink.  NOT the rice pudding I was going for.  The hole in the middle occurred when I attempted to (Ready? Get this!) stir it after it was already burnt.  HAHA!  Obviously, something cannot be stirred when dried and crusty.  Note to self. 

     I had to taste it, otherwise, how else am I going to honestly rate it.  Um, 1.  1 rolling pin.  I rate my recipes on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute best.  I realize this may be a partial rating (actually, come to think of it, aren't they all?), but this rating is due to baker's error.  I'm sure if the recipe isn't halved, an appropriately sized baking dish is used, and you are home keeping an eye on the pudding for the last 1½ that it is baking, you will determine that it deserves a different rating.  Do not allow my baking experience to deter you.  It is a simple recipe.  How much simpler can it be?  Remember, I have told you in the past that I enjoy making things more difficult than they are for myself.  I exhibited that again, today.  And it's now 10:22 pm.

     If you enjoy rice pudding, I encourage you to try it.  Happy baking!

Day 15 - Lemon Pudding

     My apologies for not blogging yesterday.  I feel horrible about it and do not want it to happen again.  I did my baking, just wasn't able to write because well, keep reading.
     Do you ever have those days when you feel like you're going 500 miles an hour, have so much to do and feel like you're head's spinning?  I didn't think so.  I knew I was the only one feeling this way!  No, I know we all have those days.  Yesterday just happened to be one for me and I was feeling like a chicken with my head cut off.
     "I want to get out of here. I want to get out of town."  Two sentences I've heard from my husband before and I know I'll hear them again.  Two sentences that can send me into a freaking frenzy!  Because he doesn't mean, "I want to go in a month or even a week, so let's start planning."  No, no.  He means this afternoon. Or tomorrow.  Or if I'm lucky, and at the very latest, the day after tomorrow.  When he says this, the "good Lynne" on my right shoulder starts screaming, "Wait, but what about..., when will I..., how will..., who will...," and what I heard her say the loudest the other day was, "BUT YOU HAVEN'T EVEN CLEANED THE HOUSE FROM EARLIER IN THE WEEK!"  I know, I know.  The "bad Lynne" on my left shoulder says, "Go on, enjoy yourself.  Go away.  You've all been working hard and it'll be good to enjoy some quick time away as a family.  Besides," giving a gentle wave of her arm, "it'll all be here when you get back."  I know, I KNOW!
     A combination of an extremely quick trip to Vegas to see the Blue Man Group (which I highly recommend), a return home in less than 19 hours and yesterday's events;  arrive home, pack child lunch, child off to school, much needed nap, different child to appointment, pick child up from baseball practice, run some errands, pick up dinner ('cause I sure as heck wasn't going to make it!), bake the pudding, wash the dishes, work on the blog - hmpf, child needs computer to finish paper due tomorrow, work on blog from laptop - grrrr...hubby needs his laptop; definitely left me feeling like a headless chicken.  And since I didn't finish blogging, a headless chicken without any closure.  Fortunately, I wasn't hormonal.
     Now don't get me wrong, I love spontaneity.  I just want it scheduled.  We had a short, good time, we we're just exhausted.  Besides, I can't be gone for more than a half a day - I need to have access to an oven.


The following is yesterday's blog entry:  Today's puppy (no, not literally) just came out of the oven and it's about 9:00 pm.  The house smells really good and I can't wait to try it, just waiting for it  to become "tepid".  Lemon Pudding from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, pg. 676; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred a. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.  The recipe calls for 7/8 cup sugar.  Not having a 7/8 measuring cup, I googled it and I found that the amount is equal to 15 tablespoons.  So when you're measuring the sugar, make sure you don't have any distractions because it'll be very easy to lose count.  I made sure I counted it out loud, very loudly, so that all family members would know I was busy.



     Lemon Pudding
     2 tablespoons butter                                   
     7/8 cup sugar

     3 eggs, separated

     1 cup milk

     1½ tablespoons flour

     1/3 cup lemon juice

     Grated rind of 1 lemon

     Heavy Cream

     Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Beat the butter until soft, then gradually add the sugar, beating it until it is all incorporated.  Beat in the egg yolks one by one. 

Add the milk, flour, lemon juice, and rind, and beat to mix well, although the mixture will have a curdled look.  Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold into the batter. 

Turn into a 1½-quart baking dish and set in a pan of hot water that comes halfway up the sides of the dish.

  Bake for 50-60 minutes. 

Let cool and serve either tepid or chilled with a pitcher of heavy cream.
     Ok, serving with a pitcher of heavy cream is odd to me, so I chose to whip it, whip it good with a small amount of sugar.  Ok, I know, that was bad, so very, very bad, but I couldn't help it because I watched some 80's videos today and I'm having some flashbacks, and I'm getting giddy 'cause it's late.  It doesn't make any sense to me to pour the cream directly onto the pudding; sounds rather unappetizing actually.  Or am I supposed to drink it while I'm enjoying my pudding?  Gag.  You decide how you'd like it.
     So now, the taste test...really, really good.  If you love lemon, this is something you'll really enjoy.  I loved that the pudding was on the bottom and on the top there was an airy cake-like mixture from the flour and egg whites.

There was quite a bit of rind, so I think next time I'll lessen that and only grate half of the lemon.  The whipped cream on the top really added to it, too by taking some of the tartness away.  It was a great combination!

Ooh, I should be rating these recipes.  Why didn't I think of that sooner?  Ok, so on a scale of 1 to 4 with 1 being the worst and 4 being the best, I give this 3½ rolling pins.
     Happy baking!