Simply Rich Rice Pudding

I think I'm finding my Mommy-groove. 

Staying at home with The Bean is the hardest, most exhausting, most rewarding thing I think I have ever done.

By the time Mr. S got home tonight, not only were we all alive, but I knew what we were having for dinner, had fed and cleaned up Little C, had swept the floor, and run errands. I felt like Super Woman after a hard day's saving the world.

Let's talk about that dinner. It was tasty. Just pan fried a pork chop, some zucchini and shallots, and heated up black beans. Tossed them all in the cook-and-serve flour tortillas, and bam. Delicious nutritious dinner. And there was even a few spoonfuls of beans left over for a little person's lunch the next day.

But what's for dessert? We're out of ice cream and there's no boxes of brownie mix left.... Let's get creative with leftovers!

You can make this two ways. One is South Asian inspired (read coconut and cardamom), the other is a little more similar to what your mom made. But the both start the same way:

Take that leftover rice from the other night. You know, when you forgot how rice quintuples in quantity when cooked.

Add a can of coconut milk (or evaporated milk for those that go the traditional route).

Pour in a cup of regular milk.

Add a can of sweetened condensed milk.

Heat over medium flame.

Scramble egg with a whisk in a bowl. Take a cup of the warm milks and drizzle into the egg while whisking furiously (it's called "tempering").

Take that warm eggy milk and whisk it into the pot of rice and milk.

Whisk/stir until thickened.

Remove from heat and add vanilla if desired.

Serve warm or cold, sprinkled with ground cardamom (South Asian version) or cinnamon (traditional version). And fruit. 

Or whatever you want. Do your thing.

Simply Rich Rice Pudding

1 c of uncooked rice, cooked according to package directions

1 can coconut milk or evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 c milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Ground cardamom or ground cinnamon for sprinkling on top

In a medium saucepan, stir together cooked rice and the 3 milks. Put on medium heat. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Take 3/4 c of the warm milk mixture and drizzle into the egg, whisking furiously. Then pour the eggy milk into the pot, whisking furiously. Continue to stir as  pudding will begin to boil and thicken. Remove from heat when thick. Add in vanilla if using.

Serve with a sprinkle of cardamom or cinnamon.

A Very Cherry 4th of July

How was your holiday weekend? We had a fantastic and cherry-filled 4th of July, 5th of July, and even 6th of July!

Mr. S loves cherries. Please refer to this post to see how cherries render my otherwise incredibly intelligent husband to caveman status. It's hilarious.

To his sheer delight, cherry season aligned perfectly with the holiday this year. They went on sale for $1.49 a pound on the Wednesday before the 4th. I dutifully loaded up The Bean and we adventured to a grocery store chain we'd never been to in a quest for cheap cherries. $12 worth of cherries later, I'd say we were successful.

So I spent most of the morning on the 4th elbow deep in cherries. 

Thank goodness I own a cherry pitter. Found on sale at the end of the summer a few years ago, I'm certain that I paid about $5 for it. But now I'd probably pay a king's ransom. If you've ever spent time pitting cherries with a knife, you know what I'm talking about.

"I think I'll make a cherry pie." Three cherries pitted mangled later... "I think I'll make a little cherry tart." Another two cherries pitted... "To heck with this! I'll serve ice cream and set out a bowl of cherries!"

But the magical pitter will have 4 cups of cherries pitted in no time flat. Oh great and wonderful mono-tasker! I shall never doubt your worth again.

So we did make a cherry pie, from Joy the Baker's recipe. There are no photos. It went quickly!

And then I made a cherry trifle. Cause nothing says 4th of July like fruit and cake and whipped cream all layered up. Mmmm!

It's a pretty easy process-

Make chocolate cake from a box mix (or you can bake it from scratch, but box is perfectly acceptable). Cut into little squares.

Cut up some peaches and slice the cherries in half. Beat up some whipped cream. Be sure to remember the vanilla.

Have everything out and ready to layer!

I start with a layer of chocolate cake, then some cherries, a layer of peaches, then a layer of whipped cream. Repeat.

Not the most beautiful side shot, but you get the idea. You can decorate the top with a little piece of everything that went in it. That way folks can see what goodness lurks beneath the whipped cream.

We brought the trifle to a party on the 4th up at a dear friend's ranch. It was beautiful. We didn't stay till it was dark enough for fireworks, but left just as the sun was setting. What an amazing view of the valley. 

Oh, and the trifle was a hit. We only had one small cereal bowl's worth of leftovers. (Which Mr. S finished off promptly the next morning)

Chocolate Cherry Trifle

(Makes 1 gigantic bowl of trifle)

~2.5 lbs cherries, pitted and sliced in half

3 peaches, chopped into bite size pieces

1 from-a-box chocolate cake, made as instructed and sliced into 1 inch chunks

1 pint heavy cream

1/3 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mint to garnish (optional)

Whip the heavy cream with a beater until peaks just start to form. Gently add the sugar while beating. Add vanilla and beat until you achieve soft peaks. Don't over beat! (The cream separates and it's messy). 

Layer a good amount of chocolate cake bits in the bottom of a large clear serving bowl. Layer in half the cherries. Next top with half the peaches. Then smooth on half the whipped cream. More cake, cherries, peaches, and cream. Decorate the top as you please (mint garnish here if desired). 

Let sit in the fridge for several hours. Or take straight to the party. Either way works just fine. 

(And if you eat the leftovers for breakfast the next morning, I promise not to tell)

Homemade Play Dough

Well, big changes around our house. Mr. S and I have decided that I should raise The Bean full-time. 

Which, I think, is AWESOME. Especially since she's obviously going to give me free dental exams. Sweet!

I had an amazing childhood, that I attribute - in large part - to my mom staying home to raise us. I can't wait to offer a similar one to little C. 

So, day one of my SAHM (stay at home mom) gig went ok - the temperature was through the roof, so we did a lot of quiet toy playing. Nothing too strenuous.

But on day two? Today we made play dough.

It's pretty easy and quick - took me about 25 minutes - and you feel like Super Mom once it's done. Woot!

The recipe I use is a tried-and-true, Sunday School and VBS winner. The elegant and amazing Lois Conrad introduced my mom to it, and I think we kept the flour and salt industries afloat for much of the 90's. 

Here's how it goes - 

Measure out flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and water - dump into a large skillet.

Stir it up over medium heat, smoothing out as many clumps as you can. Scraping the bottom of the pan often. 

Soon the bottom of the gravy-like mixture will start to thicken and pull away from the pan as you stir - that's good! Keep stirring! 

A goopy lumpy mess will happen, just keeeeeeeeep stirring! You need a strong arm or a relief stirrer, so be sure to plan appropriately.

Finally it will form a play dough esque ball. Stir just a few minutes longer, pressing the ball to the bottom of the pan to ensure that it's cooked through.

Dump the white ball on the counter and get ready to color. Knead the ball until smooth. Divide into however many colors you want (knowing full well that they'll all get mixed together soon anyway). Add a few drops of color and knead until solidly colored. 

Add more color as you like and knead until you're happy. Release your play dough to the littles - Enjoy!

Homemade Play Dough

(Recipe can be halved for a smaller batch, but why would you do that?)

2 c flour

1 c regular table salt 

4 tsp cream of tartar

2 c water 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients (except for the food coloring) in a large skillet or saucepan. Stir constantly until mixture forms a ball. Remove from pan and knead until smooth. Add food coloring as desired and knead in. Store in a sealed plastic bag or container. Will keep for a week or much more, depending on usage.

Yay!!