Mum's Rice Pudding

for Recipe Monday (started by the lovely amityville boronia) I can't go past rice pudding. Yum. The smell reminds me of growing up and clamoring around the oven, waiting for the big casserole dish to come out smelling like vanilla and cinnamon (and of course that pudding skin that clings to your spoon). I've seen a bunch of recipes, and you can bake or boil it, but this is the way I like it (and it's excellent for using up leftover rice if you make too much, like I always do);

you'll need..

Lots of cooked white rice (although I've heard brown can be good too), however much you have

Milk & Cream (or just skim milk, or soymilk), enough to cover the rice

Sugar (Brown is good, or try honey), about that much

Cinnamon or Nutmeg (or both), to taste

Vanilla essence, just a touch

Bung it all in a big oven-proof dish and pop it in the oven. That's it. Wait an hour or two till it's bubbling and thick and pull it out to fill the kitchen with vanilla cinnamon goodness.

.

It's great hot right away, and cold from the fridge later. Have it on it's own or add whatever you have, like;

- berries and natural yoghurt

- stewed apple and sultanas

- banana and almonds

- passionfruit and crumbled meringue

- canned peaches

Oh Yum.

(Yes, this is the way I cook. I don't remember recipes much and tend to lean towards things that can be chucked together. I tried to explain my pizza dough recipe to a friend yesterday. 'It's some flour, and milk, and eggs and dried herbs', 'how much flour?', 'Oh, you know. like, half way fill the bowl?' 'how many eggs?', 'umm... one. or two.'. It makes for interesting cooking. )