Rice Pudding Recipe

After trying Jell-o's version of one of my most favorite desserts, I decided it was time to make it from scratch like we used to do when we had lots of leftover rice... and we just happened to have raisins, too. Here is a recipe I got from the food network, tweaked just a little to make it more user friendly:

Ingredients:
•3/4 cup raisins
•2 tbsp rum extract
•2 tsp vanilla
•1 cup water
•1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
•1 tbsp unsalted butter
•1 1/2 cups whole milk
•1/2 cup brown sugar
•2 eggs, beaten
•1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• half and half for serving

Directions:
Cook the rice in 1 cup of water over medium high heat until tender, about 20 minutes, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the inside of a small casserole dish and set aside. In large bowl mix together rum extract, vanilla, milk, sugar, eggs, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the raisins and the rice. Pour into the buttered baking dish and bake for about 1 hour. Serve warm. Very, very yummy for my tummy.

animal bones

Okay, I know I have put up three posts today. But since I've actually had some free time lately, I am trying to give the blog as much love as possible before I go MIA once again...

I was browsing the Etsy forums the other day and found a thread about vegan food, and I learned a little bit about what animal byproducts go into processed foods. Needless to say, I was a little disgusted.

So I did a little of my own research on this topic. I found out that gelatin (the stuff that is used to make jell-o, custards, marshmallows (yes, even PEEPS!) is made from the bones, connective tissues, organs, hooves and some intestines of animals like cows and horses. A lot of glues also contain these same animal byproducts.

For me, that thought was a little hard to "stomach"....
pun intended.

So, after researching, I found a gelatin substitute! Its called agar agar, and its made from boiled and dried seaweed. It is used in the exact same way gelatin is-- in cooking and also to make adhesives. And its animal free. yippe, skippee. It comes in a powder form or in long strands.



I found a recipe for home-made envelope glue that I am going to use to make some of my own hand made envelopes that are animal free. I don't know about anyone else, but simply put, it is comforting to know that when I seal an envelope, I'm not licking the remains of dead animals.

If anyone is interested in this simple glue recipe, here it is:

Ingredients:

-6 tablespoons white vinegar
-4 oz. agar agar powder (found at most whole food markets)
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or any flavor that you like!)

Directions:

Bring vinegar to a boil in a small pan. Add agar agar and stir until dissolved.
Add extract and stir until mixed. Remove from heat, allow to thicken SLIGHTLY.
Brush on thin layer onto back of an envelope flap. Let dry. Moisten to adhere. Store excess glue in a sealed container and melt again for future use by putting in a pan of warm water.

the end!