Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Like it or not my family and friends are getting baked goods for holidays and birthdays this year. It keeps the ideas flowing for my blog and I don’t have to think about what to buy each person. I do have to remember what each person likes. Some like nuts, some are allergic. Some like chocolate, some like white chocolate, etc, etc… My friend’s birthday is this week and since she is pregnant, I figure I can make pretty much make anything and she will eat it. She has mentioned this Rice Pudding recipe I made years ago, so I thought I would try again. Seriously, this recipe is from about 10 years ago from a random email I got from my sister. So I spent my Saturday night cooking this along with some Oatmeal Scotties (Oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips). Although I followed the recipe and even let it cook one hour longer, my mixture never got thick, so I don’t know what went wrong. So instead my friend is getting a new trendy dessert called “Sweet Rice Soup”. If anyone tries this and gets it to work let me know, Baker Babe knows she still has many more baking lessons to learn. Enjoy slurping!

PS. As a side note, I was excited to see that two of the recipes I submitted to our local women’s magazine the NH Mirror were published last week, Chicken Crepes and Pecan Fingers. Of course they used my real name, so I have been fighting the paparazzi this week : )

Rice Pudding

8 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup White Rice
7 Strips lemon peel
7 sticks cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar

In a large pot, heat the whole milk, white rice, lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Turn down the heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When rice is soft, stir in sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Place over low heat and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often. Cook until thick. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. It “should” set like a pudding. Store in the refrigerator.