Weekend report and rice pudding

Written over the weekend:

Saturday:

Dear Friends,

Today was full of phone calls and grocery shopping and cooking. I’m tweaking the beef burgundy recipe. Friends (Mary Kaye, who I met in the art quilt group, and her husband Leigh) are coming to dinner, but first we’re seeing a movie at the Tower Theater — a Sacramento landmark.

Yesterday I looked Clark’s photo straight in the eye, which I haven’t done since he died. He looked back at me and smiled. I think he motivated me to do this dinner thing. We used to have friends to dinner often. I even tried on a dress! (Not that I’ll be wearing it.)

I hope you are also having fun.

Oh, and I left Zing by himself for 5 minutes, with just one tiny bark. 

Love,

k

Sunday:

Dear Friends,

Today was busy, in a relaxed way. Zing was at Grateful Dog while I went with friends to a movie (The Red Turtle — animation with absolutely no words, just music and nature sounds. Different for these days that are so full of words.) and then we talked, had dinner and talked more. I “improved” the Beef Bourguignon with less wine, a different brand of bacon, and shredding the beef at the end. But the star was rice pudding perfect comfort food. The whole thing was delightful. As Mary Kaye said, it’s kind of rejuvenating to make new friends at this stage of life.

Just now as Zing and I walked, we turned the corner at 7th and N and heard a crash directly behind us. I turned and saw a red car swirling in the intersection. Then it stopped and a man got out yelling and waving his arms. A man got out of the other car. I think one of them ran the red light. No one seemed hurt. The police arrived almost immediately. 

And the streets were empty. Just those two cars.

Love!

k

Rice pudding

from the Columbus Dispatch ages ago

(from Louis Pappas' Famous Greek Recipes)

1/2 C. uncooked rice

1 quart milk 

1/2 C. sugar**

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T. cornstarch

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 T. butter

grated rind of one lemon (This is my addition -- not in the original recipe -- and you could also add

orange rind.)

cinnamon

Cook rice in 1 C. boiling water 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. (Don't cook too fast, as I did recently. Then the rice grains are a little too hard all the way through.) Add milk.* Return to boil, cooking gently over reduced heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar** and vanilla and lemon rind. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tsp. (or more, if needed) water and add to rice mixture. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often; remove from heat. 

Add 1 C. of hot rice mixture to egg yolk, then return to pan. Add butter (I skipped the butter.)  Cook, stirring often, until mixture coats a wooden spoon. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cool. Then refrigerate. Before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon.

* I was short 1/2 cup of milk, so I added 1/4 C. heavy cream and 1/4 C. water. I think this made it extra creamy this time.

** I usually taste it and add a little more sugar at the end.