Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding

It's that time of year again - pumpkin everything!  I love it and hate it at the same time.  I love it because most of the time pumpkin foods are yummy and delicious.  I hate it because some food bloggers take it too far and make some pretty gross stuff all in the name of pumpkin.  Let's keep it real, people.  Like this Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding!

This is simply an adaptation of the Rich & Creamy Rice Pudding recipe I posted back in April of 2012.  We're using canned pumpkin in place of the half-and-half and pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.  Easy peasy.  My daughter LOVES this stuff and I found my husband eating a bowl of it late last night - which means he likes it.  :)  I only got one serving of it and that makes me sad.  Guess I'll be making more!

Wondering what to do with leftover canned pumpkin?  Here are some ideas: Pumpkin Spice Granola, Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins, Pumpkin Spiced Almonds, Pumpkin Bread, Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Soft Pumpkin Ginger Cookies, Creamy Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, Easy Pumpkin Crisp (Pumpkin Dump Cake).

PUMPKIN PIE RICE PUDDING

3/4 cup uncooked white rice (not instant)
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Garnish, optional:
whipped cream
cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add milk, sugar, and salt and cook over med-low heat until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally (about 15-20 minutes).  <---this as="" cook="" don="" if="" is="" it="" kind="" like="" long="" longer.="" nbsp="" of="" p="" pudding="" really="" rice="" step="" t="" taste.="" thick="" thin="" to="" you="" your="">
Mix the beaten egg with the canned pumpkin; whisk into rice mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.  Let cool a bit before serving warm with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.  Pudding will thicken upon standing.  If you want to serve it cold, cover and refrigerate until chilled.  You may need to stir in more milk if the rice pudding has thickened too much while cooling.  Makes 4-6 servings, depending on size.

Fried Rice

I've tried a lot of fried rice recipes over the years, trying to find one that is a copycat for the fried rice you get from a place like Panda Express or your local Chinese restaurant.  I never really found something that tasted right and was therefore worth making at home.  Until now.  This recipe, to me, is almost identical in flavor to restaurant fried rice!  My husband and daughter, who both always order fried rice, agreed and gave this two thumbs up.

Some key things to remember: you get a better result when you use day-old cooked rice (though you certainly don't HAVE to wait that long) and when you don't cook your rice too soft or sticky.  A good rule of thumb is to use one cup of water for every cup of rice.  So 2 cups of rice + 2 cups of water should yield the 4 cups of cooked rice needed for this recipe.

FRIED RICE
slightly adapted from Kittencal's Best Chinese Fried Rice With Egg

3 eggs
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
4 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium) + more, to taste
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with water.  Melt the butter in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Pour in the eggs and leave flat for about 2 minutes or until cooked through; remove to a plate and chop. 

Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet and add onion and peas and carrots; saute until onion is softened and peas and carrots are cooked through - about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add rice.

Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil evenly over rice mixture and stir or toss over heat for about 5 minutes; add more soy sauce, if needed, to taste.  Mix in pepper, chopped eggs, and green onions, if using.  Serve hot.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Another great dish I never would have known about if not for Pinterest!  This comes from the blog Buns in My Oven and her photos are definitely better than mine, but I'm doing the best I can with a beat up point-and-shoot.  This is a great side for chicken or pork and even my picky daughter ate this all up - mostly because you don't taste the zucchini.  I told her it was in there to make the rice look pretty.  This is a fresh alternative to the sodium-laden Rice-a-Roni.

CHEESY ZUCCHINI RICE
from Buns in My Oven

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup long-grain white rice (not instant)
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
1 med or 2 small zucchini, grated
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
milk, as needed

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over med-high heat.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn golden.  Slowly pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn heat to low and cover.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and add butter, zucchini, cheese, and garlic powder.  Stir until well incorporated.  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir again and add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of milk for a smoother texture, if needed.

Rich and Creamy Rice Pudding with Blackberry Sauce

I have been remiss in posting to this blog, sorry. We moved in February and I'm just now getting my groove back. With Easter only a couple days away, I thought I'd share something springy. And can you believe it? I actually got a decent photo of my food! Let me say, Pinterest is a major motivator to get your food to actually look good so people will want to eat it, lol.

And speaking of Pinterest, that is where I got the idea for this recipe. Blackberries were on sale and I bought 3 packages, not knowing what I'd do with them. I did a search for "blackberry" and came across an intriguing recipe from Spoons 'n' Spades that involved rice pudding with caramel and blackberry sauce. I liked the idea, but wasn't so sure about the caramel part. It got me thinking. So I searched for a good rice pudding recipe (I wanted something creamy and rich) and found one on Food.com that sounded right. I made a few changes, of course, because I can never leave well enough alone. Another search for blackberry sauce led me to Smitten Kitchen, whose recipe I have, again, adapted (very slightly).

This recipe is designed to be served warm. If you wish to serve it cold, just understand that the rice will continue to soak up liquid as it cools and the pudding will get really thick. This can be fixed, however, by stirring in more milk or half-and-half to reach the desired consistency just before serving. The blackberry sauce is great warm or cold. You will no doubt have left over sauce, but it's great on ice cream, pancakes, in smoothies, etc. Or you can freeze it until next time.

RICH & CREAMY RICE PUDDING
adapted from Yummy Creamy Rice Pudding on Food.com

3/4 cup uncooked white rice (any grain will do, just not instant)
2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half (or milk will work)
2/3 cup raisins, optional
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add milk, sugar, and salt and cook over med-low heat until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally (about 15-20 minutes):

Meanwhile, beat egg with half-and-half. Slowly stir into rice with raisins and cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Let cool slightly and serve warm.


BLACKBERRY SAUCE
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

12 oz (1 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen blackberries*
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice

While rice is cooking: combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan (if you don't want seeds). Scraping with a rubber spatula will help force the pulp and juice through. Heat sauce over medium heat until it boils, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use. Can be kept in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*if using frozen blackberries, reduce water to 2 Tbsp.

Cheesy Beans and Rice

This is a great side dish for taco night. Use your favorite beans (I used pinto) and either white rice or brown rice.

CHEESY BEANS AND RICE
adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 cups cooked rice
1 (16 oz) can beans (kidney, black, or pinto), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Add tomatoes, water, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine rice and beans. Stir in tomato mixture. Spread half into 2 qt. casserole dish; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Making Rice-a-Roni Go Farther

Just a few suggestions to get more out of your box of Rice-a-Roni. You can do one, some, or all of the following:

• Add 1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped onion while you saute the rice in butter.
• Add 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds while you saute the rice in butter.
• Add 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped, when you add water to the rice.
• Add 2 cups diced cooked chicken or browned ground beef when you add water to the rice.
• Add 1 cup fresh broccoli florets during the last five minutes of cooking.

You may have to adjust cooking time when adding the celery - sometimes I've found that it needs a couple more minutes to simmer.

I haven't tried adding carrots yet, but I bet if you chopped them small enough or shredded them it would work.

Please comment with any tricks you have used with the San Francisco Treat and I'll add them to this post so we can all benefit from your excellent wisdom!

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My friend, Becky, suggested browning the rice minus the butter to save on calories. Good tip!