Arborio Rice – Bead Yarn & Spatula

Slow Cooker Sunday: Rice Pudding

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday recipe I am bringing you dessert. Rice Pudding… One of my favorite desserts. And this is probably the simplest Slow Cooker item I have ever made hence this super short blog post.

In the bowl of my slow cooker I added all of my ingredients: Arborio rice, whole milk, water, sugar, salt and a cinnamon stick. Now, the true title of this rice pudding recipe was for a Moroccan Rice Pudding, but, since I opted not to use the orange water that was listed in the ingredient list I am assuming it’s just a plain rice pudding. I gave everything a good stir and then set it to cook on low…

And after a short 4 hours my rice pudding was ready. Now, you might be tempted to leave it on longer since the rice will be tender, but, there will still be a considerable amount of milk left, but don’t. As the rice pudding cool it continues to absorb the liquid and it will be creamier.

You can opt to top it with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or toasted walnuts or almonds. I opted to eat mine as is and I must say it’s one of the best rice puddings I have ever had. I feel that using a cinnamon stick as opposed to ground cinnamon allowed for a cinnamon flavor that wasn’t as pungent and more of an essence. If that makes any sense… I hope it does! I hope you try it and that you like it as much as I did.

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup short grain rice, such as Arborio

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter*

3 1/2 cups milk**

2/3 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

*I used unsalted butter

** I used whole milk

Directions:

In the bowl of a 4-Quart slow cooker add all of the ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Top with your favorite topping: cinnamon, nutmeg, toasted almonds or walnuts.

Recipe from Crock-Pot

1 Can of Pumpkin, 2 Recipes, 1 Day

My apologies to anyone who is not a fan of pumpkin as this is my second pumpkin post this week and third in a month! For those of you who can’t get enough of pumpkin read on and for those of who you could do without another pumpkin recipe just scroll down and look at the yummy pictures. Oh, as a warning there will be at least one more pumpkin recipe coming soon.

For most pumpkin recipes a full can of pure pumpkin is not necessary so you’re left with a cup or two remaining. What do you do? You can put it in a Tupperware and hope you remember to use it before it goes rancid. Or, the best solution obviously would be to use it up right away. Sometimes that’s easier said than done depending on what recipes you have on hand and/or what you’re in the mood for. But, if you don’t mind enjoying some pumpkin in the morning and then again at dinnertime I have just the recipes to use up that one can of pumpkin in a day! Pumpkin French Toast and Pumpkin Risotto. Both of which require a bit of time and the risotto some patience so they are best suited for those times you have extra time and patience on your hands.

I began the day by making the Pumpkin French Toast. I came across this recipe on People magazine’s website and it comes from fellow blogger Sally McKenney Quinn of Sally’s Baking Addiction. I began by whisking together milk and eggs in a bowl and then whisked in the pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Once it was well combined I transferred the mixture to a shallow bowl. After slicing day old challah bread into fairly thick slices I dipped them into the mixture, a few seconds on each side, and then cooked them on a skillet that I heated on medium heat and greased with butter. I enjoyed them topped with butter and more maple syrup and it was an absolutely delicious breakfast.

Later in the day I used up the rest of the pumpkin by making Pumpkin Risotto. I came across this recipe on People as well, but, in their magazine as opposed to their website. I began by doing a little prep work… I measured out 1 cup of Arborio rice & pumpkin, chopped a small yellow onion, minced 1 garlic clove and chopped fresh sage.

After bringing 5 cups of vegetable broth to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan I let it simmer while I sautéed the onions in olive oil in a large skillet. Once the onions were soft I added in the garlic and cooked it for about a minute and then added in the rice and 1 cup of the warmed broth. I reduced the heat of the skillet from medium to medium low so the mixture could simmer while I stirred it often. Once the broth had been mostly absorbed I added in another cup of broth and continued stirring until once again it was almost absorbed. I continued doing this until I finished the broth and the rice was tender. I will say that even without the pumpkin the risotto tasted delicious at this point, so if you’re not really a fan of pumpkin don’t add it and you’ll have a delicious basic risotto. Once the rice was tender I stirred in the pumpkin, salt and nutmeg. I also seasoned it with pepper and continued stirring it until it was hot and then finally topped it with the chopped sage.

Pumpkin French Toast

Servings: 4
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Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 Challah bread, sliced into 8 slices

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Once combined, add in the pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Continue mixing until well combined and then transfer to a shallow dish.

Grease the skillet.

Take one slice of the challah bread and dip it into the mixture and let sit for a few seconds, flip the bread and let soak for a few more seconds. Transfer to the prepared skillet and let cook until golden brown on each side. Repeat with each slice.

Best served warm with butter, maple syrup, regular syrup, confectioners’ sugar or your favorite topping.

Recipe can be found here.

Pumpkin Risotto

Servings: 4
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Ingredients:

5 cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat bring the broth to a gentle boil and let simmer while preparing the recipe.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté onions for about 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for addition minute, until fragrant. Stir in the rice and 1 cup of the heated broth and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers. Stir often, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat with an additional cup of broth and continue stirring. Repeat this step until the rice is tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Stir in the pumpkin, salt and nutmeg. Season with the pepper and stir the risotto until hot. Top with the sage and serve.

Recipe can be found in Chloe Coscarelli’s book Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen

Fall Equinox = Pumpkin Treats

My favorite season has arrived…Fall! There are many reasons why I love this time of the year. There’s the foliage, the apple picking, the concord grapes, all the different types of squashes available at the supermarket, the great hair days (the crisp cool air of the Fall is perfect for curly hair), the return of scarves (they are my third favorite accessory behind shoes and handbags) and one of my favorite flavors – Pumpkin – becomes available in just about anything and everything! So, I decided to welcome Fall this year with two pumpkin treats – a new recipe, Pumpkin Rice Pudding and an oldie (but goodie) from last year, Pumpkin Doughnuts.

I don’t think I know anyone who likes rice pudding as much as I do, or for that matter I am not sure I know anyone who likes it period. I guess it’s like bread pudding, you either like it or you don’t. I actually did try my hand at a Pumpkin Bread Pudding a few years ago but wasn’t all that thrilled with the minimal pumpkin flavor it had. Maybe I’ll have to revisit that recipe one day soon, but, back to the rice pudding. I came across this recipe while flipping through the circulars of my Sunday newspaper. The recipe was specific for Minute Rice, but, since I didn’t have any and honestly didn’t want to buy any I decided to revamp the recipe using Arborio rice which I already had on hand from make rice pudding not too long ago.

I began by cooking the rice until it was al dente, about 15 minutes.

In another saucepan I combined evaporated milk, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract and brought it to a simmer.

I then added the rice to pumpkin mixture and cooked it over low heat until the mixture started to thicken. I then transferred the rice pudding to a large bowl and cooled it to room temperature before refrigerating it.

Since I had about 2 cups of pumpkin left I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin doughnuts so it wouldn’t go to waste. Hopefully I won’t suffer from pumpkin over-load too early in the season!

So, what’s the most out-of-the-box pumpkin flavor item you have seen on your store shelves?

Pumpkin Arborio Rice Pudding (Adapted from here and here)

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1 12oz. can evaporated milk

1 cup pure pumpkin

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Stir the rice occasionally and cook until the rice has absorbed the water but is still al dente, about 15 minutes.

2. In another saucepan, bring the evaporated milk, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract to a simmer. Add the cooked rice and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until the rice absorbs most of the milk mixture and it starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Makes 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for the pans

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil two 6-compartment doughnut pans (or use 1 pan and bake in batches). Whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix).

3. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each compartment of the prepared pans. Bake until the doughnuts are golden brown and spring back lightly when touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Comfort Desserts

It’s been about a month since I last posted and it’s not for the lack of baking, beading or knitting. I did a bunch of baking for a friend’s birthday earlier this month but stuck to treats that were among his favorite and ones that I have blogged about before- my newly discovered pumpkin doughnuts, mini chocolate-chip cheesecakes and a strawberry shortcake birthday cake. As for knitting, I recently completed two scarves which I plan to post about soon – a ruffle scarf for a friend and a cowl neck for myself. I liked the ruffle scarf so much I am planning on making one for myself. And finally beading, after about a four month hiatus I finally picked up some beading needles and started making jewelry again. But in between all of that I did try out two recipes for what I like to call comfort desserts – a pound cake and a rice pudding. I know rice pudding is not most people’s cup of tea when it comes to desserts, but it has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. Both of these recipes are super easy to follow and turn out some delicious treats.

Grandma’s Pound Cake

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 Minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

6 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Mix flour and baking powder; set aside. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each until blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended.

Pour into 12-cup fluted tube or 10-inch tube pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.

Arborio Rice Pudding

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Total Time: 40 Minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup water

pinch of salt

1/2 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup Arborio rice

2 cups whole milk

4 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Few dashes ground cinnamon

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but it still al dente, about 15 minutes.

Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add the cooked rice and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set. Serve with whipped cream and a dash more cinnamon.