JANUARY THAW (CRAVING COLOR ... CRAVING COMFORT!) ~ ARBORIO RICE PUDDING

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort."

~ Sheila Graham

Antique Chinese rug

Tufenkian Tibetan and Chinese rugs, vintage pillow, and floral fabric

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ARBORIO RICE PUDDING

~ Craving comfort food, this silky rich pudding courtesy of Dave Lieberman (Food Network) was better than perfect!

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1 cup water

pinch 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 (optional)

• Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, return to a boil, and then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but still al dente, abut 15 minutes.
• Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add cooked rice and cook at simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10-15 minutes (or longer).
• 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. (4 servings)

Note: I tripled the recipe and each step took a bit longer to cook.

Persian Tabrese rug and pillows

Craving color, texture and patterns

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"The craving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire.

Colour is a raw material indispensable to life.

At every era of his existence and his history,

the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions and his pleasures."

~ Frenand Leger, "On Monumentality and Color", 1943.