Not Just For Breakfast

Fresh and comfortingly warm!

     The warm days are a delight and a tease this time of year.  Could mother nature just forget that it is still not yet officially spring?  Hopefully.  But the nights are cold and frequently below freezing.  The warm reminders of the previous day create the hope for a new day dawning with warmth, but frankly, it's not going to happen. 
     So now, look forward to what?  Surely, not lugging a 5 gallon water jug (1 gallon water = 7 lb Who really needs to think about this?) and a bucket of grain down to the chicken house with ungloved, by now, incredibly cold hands. No gloves this morning - yesterday afternoon was wonderfully warm, remember?  If ever there was a remote possiblility to think today would be different, it is quickly erased by freezing fingers which help to remind that it is not warm, not spring, and not likely to be warm any time real soon.
      However, if lucky though, there will be a freshly laid egg or eggs all delightfully warm to carry back to the barn.  Comfort and warmth straight from mother nature - how neat is that?

Warm comfort food dessert - low in calories, too! YUM
White Chocolate-Cherry Rice Pudding

3 ½ cup 1% low-fat milk, divided

1/3 cup dried cherries (or craisins)

2  Tbs light brown sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbs butter

1/8 tsp salt

1cup instant rice

1 (1-ounce) pkg. sugar-free white chocolate instant pudding mix

   Cinnamon sticks (optional)

1. Bring 1 ½ c milk, cherries, and next 4 ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice; cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. While rice mixture cooks, prepare pudding mix according to package directions using remaining 2 cups milk.  Stir prepared pudding into rice mixture.  Serve. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, if desired.

  Adapted from the book Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast - my new favorite book of recipes to cook.