Tomorrow I am looking forward to greeting 2-22-22. Yes, indeed, it calls for a celebration, so we are going out to dinner! Since I married my spouse, Ervin, we have always had a ‘thing’ for numbers. In fact sometimes it even means phone calls to our friend, Ida, in Colorado. The number business started for Ervin back in the early 80’s when he was driving a bus for Liberty, Missouri schools. One of his driving buddies had the infatuation with numbers. They even got in trouble a few times for saying it over the bus radios. Funny, the things we humans do. For us it’s a fun way of looking at the calendar and making things special in our lives.
In writing last week I promised a special recipe. Well, this is it! Just starting this paragraph is a bit difficult because it’s about my mom, Betty, and my grandma, Lucy. As a child growing up I was surrounded by good food. My grandmother and my mom always had a meal on the table. There was never a Hardee’s or a McDonald’s to rescue you on a day you didn’t feel like cooking.
Hopefully you had something in the freezer for those days. When we went to grandmother’s house for Sunday dinner you entered through one of about 3-4 screened-in porches. This is where Lucy would have her desserts sitting, with a big white tea-towel over the top. We were not allowed to lift that t-towel either, until dessert time. If it was cold temperatures Grandmother stored lots of her things like desserts on the screened porch. Today, I do the same thing, but I only have 1 screened porch, and the weather in the Ozark winters doesn’t allow for it much.
My favorite dessert, and probably my dad’s favorite was the rice pudding. It is certainly nothing like what you get in any restaurants today or in the pudding cups, at the store. This pudding renders a pretty tight bind. When we ate it at the farm, (and for me, still today) we would put a little milk or light cream over the top at serving time. Whenever mother would make a batch you would find my family eating it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between. Actually, it’s a pretty awesome breakfast, especially if you warm it up a bit.
Now I will tell you it takes a while to master this pudding. I’ve never felt like mine turned out like my mother’s. It takes a bit of practice, because the preparations are just a little different. BUT, I promise you it is so yummy, and it really feeds the soul. Don’t give up on it. Keep in mind it is very economical to make especially if you raise your own chickens. And, yes, you can leave out the raisins, but I think it makes the pudding.
Perhaps one of the ways I’ll honor my mom over the next few weeks is to treat you to some of the ‘farm’ recipes I enjoyed growing up. And…. I already know what next week’s column is going to be! Dad doesn’t know it but we picked out the feature this past weekend, while I was in Lewistown. In fact, I’m going to make next week’s dish and take it back to him in a few days. I’ll close on that before I spill the beans.
Well friends let’s embrace a good week and as my friend, David LaFevers quoted: “Let’s do ‘good things.” Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Lucy’s Rice Pudding
3/4 cup rice, (never instant)
2 cups water
Salt, OK, how about 1/4 teaspoon to a third—
1 cup raisins
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup sugar
Cream or Milk, (Start with 1 cup, too thick, add more.)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, I usually switch to like cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg
OK, here comes the ‘unique’ instructions: Place the rice, water and salt in the top of a double boiler. Cook until the rice is about tender. Stir once or twice and be sure it stays covered with water. When the rice is about tender, add the raisins and cook just a little longer to plump the raisins. Lastly add the eggs, sugar and spices, with the cream or milk. Cook until the eggs are set. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool and firm.
Tips from Debbie:
Whenever you stir rice don’t use a spoon instead use chopsticks or the end of a wooden spoon. This keeps the rice from compacting, and allows you to ‘fluff’ the rice. (This tip is from my friend, PJ who was raised in Malaysia and beyond, as a missionary child.) She grew up on rice, like we were mashed potatoes.
Raisins: They can always be soaked before implementation. If I know I’m making the pudding I’ll do it overnight. You can soak the raisins in lots of things, hint, hint.
Nutmeg: I was never super fond of the spice so I use more cinnamon and just a tad of nutmeg. You can do as you like on that one.
Sugar: If you know your substitute ratios change it out.
This is difficult, I want to go make a bowl of this yummy dish right now! Oh yes, I always double the recipe, because one batch is never enough!
