Friday, January 11, 2013

Mom's Secret Rice Pudding Recipe

This is a photo of my mother from probably around 1952 (I'm guessing). For the record, my mother did not drink much alcohol at all. However, she did spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That mixer on the counter lasted throughout her lifetime.

She was a good cook despite the fact that she only owned one cookbook. Most of the meals she made were standard fare she had learned to cook from her mother without a cookbook. As a child, I remember Mom's meatloaf with great fondness but she also baked chicken, fried porkchops, boiled cottage ham with cabbage and potatoes. She worked for hours to make heavenly stuffed cabbage. She served an assortment of vegetables, though cauliflower in cream sauce was one of my personal favorites along with her green beans in cream sauce with bacon. She often served lima beans with breakfast sausages for supper and on Fridays we sometimes got a concoction of tunafish in a cream sauce with peas. I forget what the official name of that dish was, but she jokingly called it chicken of the sea to fool my sister who hated tunafish.

As time went on, she added "newer" dishes like chili to the menu. She made pizza from scratch, too. Everything she cooked was tasty and filling--and she cooked enough for an army. (Maybe because she grew up in a family with five brothers!)

When it came to baking, my mother's creations were the stuff of dreams. She should have opened a bakery. Her pies, cakes, cookies, breads, doughnuts and cream puffs were better than anything else I've ever sampled. Dessert was served everyday. None of us in the family were overweight.

I had a great childhood.

Mom had one secret recipe. She had gotten it when she was young and worked as a waitress. The owner of the restaurant gave it to her and asked her not to give it away. However, as the years went by, my mother gave it away to anyone who asked for it. So it really wasn't much of a secret, but she always called it that.

So for all you lovers of rice pudding, here's the best rice pudding recipe ever, Mom's secret recipe. :^)

1 Quart of Milk
1 Quart of Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Rice

Bring the mixture together in a pot on the stove, and let it simmer for 1 hour. (Mixture should become thick. Also you need to stir it every now and then.)

THEN, in a small bowl put:

2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar

BEAT!

Pour in some of the hot rice mixture into the small bowl and blend so eggs DO NOT curdle.

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the mixture on the stove and let it simmer about 15 minutes.

COOL.

Add 3 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla. Pour into a pan and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Enjoy!

9 comments:

grace graupe-pillard said...

Lovely that you said you had a "great childhood".

Penelope Marzec said...

Grace,

I really believe I did. What wasn't to like? Sure, I got spanked, but I still knew my parents loved me. I did plenty of chores, but that was good because I learned a lot.

Sure wish I could eat dessert everyday now. :^(

Rose Anderson said...

I love rice pudding. This looks SO easy! Thanks for sharing. :)

Rose

Irene said...

You were lucky to have a good cook mothering you. I love my mother, God bless her, she's 92 and still kickin', but she was a lousy cook. It may in part be because my father limited her in what she could cook, but even now that she can cook for herself, she just doesn't bother much. Sigh
Rice pudding is gorgeous, will have to give it a try.

Penelope Marzec said...

Irene,

Yes, I was lucky. My mother seemed to be able make something out of nothing. :^)

I think it is more fun to cook when there's someone to appreciate the fruits of your labors. The majority of eighty and ninety year olds I know eat frozen dinners all the time--unless they go out to eat.

MarkD60 said...

I want to hear more stories like the one about the homemade go-cart!

Penelope Marzec said...

The homemade go-cart was also the cause of my sister's broken collar bone. My brother was driving, my little sister sat behind him, and I was pushing the cart. My brother took a sharp turn around the corner and my sister fell off the cart. She started bawling. So we called her a crybaby and told her to go home. :^(

Unknown said...

That was such a beautiful story of your childhood. I will have to try out the Secret Rice Pudding recipe and let you know how it turns out. I am blessed to have a honey that cooks for me on a daily basis. He and I have been together for the past eight years. My Mother passed away at 48 and I was only 19, and I wish that I would have paid more attention when she was cooking!!
Life is too short!! Live every moment as if it is your last. My Father lives with me and he is 78, and he loves to eat just about anything you put in front of him. Bless His heart!!!

Penelope Marzec said...

Penny,

I am sorry you lost your mother at such a young age. Having my mother nearby when my children were growing up was truly a gift.

Nice that you still have your father with you. Yes, enjoy every moment!