A Rice Pudding For All Seasons

In our house rice pudding is a major food group! I make a pot of thisat the beginning of the week and the kids choose it for breakfast,snack, dessert, late night treat...and still jump up and down formore. Its wholesome and tasty and foolproof -- some days its the onlything cranky, teething Emma will eat.

Mix in thick-bottomed pot:

1 cup rice (white rice...or half white/half brown)
3/4 cup sugar (up to 1 cup if you like it sweeter)
1/2 gallon milk (skim, 2%, whole -- doesn't matter -- we use organic)

Cover and place on low heat. I put it on the lowest flame on my gasstove. Stir frequently (scraping bottom) but does not have to beconstant. Cook until a very lumpy soup --about 1 1/2 hours. Turn offthe heat and take pot off the burner.

Add to pot:
1 cup raisins or currants (optional)

Blend together (I use blender):

6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Pour the egg mix into the hot rice soup and mix and fold constantlywhile it thickens into pudding. Dust liberally with cinammon, coverand let cool.

NOTES:

• Don't worry about the eggs cooking, they will! Eggs cook at approx 150*F and your hot rice soup is over 200*F.
  
  
• Play with this recipe a lot...it is very flexible. If you like thepudding creamier, cook less time before adding eggs; want it thicker, cook longer so more milk is absorbed by rice.
  
  
• You can substitute honey or maple syrup for sugar, just reduce quantity since they are sweeter than sugar.
  
  
• Want it lower fat -- use skim milk and only egg white (increase to whites of 8 eggs)
  
  
• Only add raisins after the rice is cooked; if you put them in at the beginning they will disappear being cooked so long. They still plump up nicely in the hot milk. You can leave them out completely if desired.