How to Make Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

In case you didn't read yesterday's post, Luis and I spent our weekend in Florida for a wedding. We didn't have much time to explore, but were able to slip out Saturday morning and hit up some of the shops and eat. We noticed that there were a ton of Indian restaurants along the main road and made the decision to try one called Green Chili Indian Bistro.

While the website might not suggest fine dining, we finely dined. The server persuaded us to partake of the featured buffet. Let it be known, that I eschew buffets. I hate them. But as we sat down, the scent of curry, butter, cilantro and ginger told me that maybe I should try the dishes simmering in their golden serving pots. So we went with the buffet.

It was the best decision on my life. Alright, I am over-exaggerating, but in terms of culinary experiences, then yes, it was a good decision. Luis ordered an Indian beer and we filled multiple plates full of incredibly flavored dishes. They served butter chicken, which are cubes of chicken simmered in butter, marinated, and served in a creamy tomato sauce; Aloo Bengun, potatoes and eggplant cooked in a zesty sauce; Chana Masala, which is chickpeas cooked in a tomato sauce with ginger and onions; and my favorite was a dish called Bund Gobi and Matar, which is essentially cabbage and peas simmered in garam masala and curry spices.

But what finished off the meal perfectly was the kheer, or Indian-style rice pudding that they served in tiny bowls. I may or may not have gone up for five or more servings... It was a snow white dessert that had a hint of rose water. I was stunned. The minute I got home, I began to search for the recipe. I found one today and immediately got cooking. I based my recipe off of Manjula's Kitchen recipe. I did alter a few things based on what I had in my kitchen. 

Kheer (Rice Pudding) 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of butter

1/4 cup rice (you can use any kind of white colored rice for this)

3 cups milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 cup sugar

Generous pinch of saffron

A pinch of cardamom (or allspice)

Crushed almonds (optional) 

Directions:

Wash the rice until the water is clear. I used a strainer and watched until the rinsing water was clear. Melt butter over medium heat. Add rice and saute for about 2 minutes. 

Add the milk and stir to coat. Cook until rice is tender, stirring often as the milk will sit on the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until milk becomes creamy and reduces to about half of its volume. 

Add sugar, cardamom (or allspice), saffron and let simmer for another few minutes, covered with the lid. 

Turn off the heat and let the rice sit in the sauce. It will thicken as it cools. If the sauce isn't creamy enough, simply simmer the rice covered another time. Serve warm or chilled with the chopped almonds as a garnish.

Makes about two servings. 

This recipe is gluten-free, and can be made vegan and dairy-free, provided you use almond or coconut milk and a different oil for the initial step.

A Week in My Life: Week 8

I have been kind of M.I.A. on this blog lately. But never fear, I'm back and ready to go.
Here's what the past week looked like:

Obsessing over the pattern of our new IKEA pillow. 

I made my first batch of gluten-free cornbread!

I hope I can find the time to explore some more gluten-free recipes this week.  

Where there is one, the other is sure to be close by... Can you spot the second?

Knocked out by her antibiotics... she's been one sick animal. 

Red frames really cheer me up. So do the photos inside. 

Fried platanos (plantains): the epitome of deliciousness. 

In other food news, these g-free waffles were amazing! I just happened to see them out of the corner of my eye because they weren't with the rest of the gluten-free items at the grocery store. 

New issue of bon appetit and a hearty dinner of buttermilk garlic mashed 'taters, roast chicken and mushrooms sauteed in red wine. 

Working girl. 

Luis and I flew to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the wedding of his best friend. I had some pistachio gelato while waiting for our flight at 9 am... It was worth it. 

 We stayed in a beautiful apartment building while in Florida. I could have gotten used to that!

 I kept seeing these beautiful flowers everywhere.

Relaxing during some down-time. 

I would really love to go back and have more time to explore this place. I love antique theaters. 

 Crappy cell-phone picture of the St. Petersburg marina from their Yacht Club.

I love this photo. It's a view looking into the street from inside the open hallways of the apartment building.

 photo courtesy of Tricia Fog
 
Cocktail party during the wedding. I'm always taller than him in my heels. 

 photo courtesy of Tricia Fog

Slow dancing...

 photo courtesy of Tricia Fog

Fast dancing! Needless to say, it was a great week!

Today is [inspiring]

image source

I try not to get too personal on this blog. I never wanted it to be one of those online journals where you come and complain about your bad hair day or how your relatives drive you insane. Because, honestly, there's very little in my life that I feel deserves complaint. Honestly. 

As I've mentioned on this blog before, I am graduating in May. While that is extremely exciting and reassuring, it's also scaring me to death. I'm spending these next few months doing some real soul searching and attempting to find direction. Despite all that, I still sometimes feel lost. 

Then I read this article from the two inspirational co-founders of The Everygirl and their journey within the world of blogging and online content. For me, blogging has opened my "third eye" when it comes to direction and purpose in my life. Every time I read about a blogger's journey into self-employment through their blog, I become incredibly inspired! They are proof that it's possible. But what's different about The Everygirl is that it's a legitimate business; they create content, design spreads, create photoshoots, meet with advertising agents, clients, etc. In approximately one year, their site has taken off and is now a go-to blog/magazine in the blogging world. 

I am so inspired by co-founder Danielle Moss' advice to their readers: "Try not to be so hard on yourself and know that you don’t need to have all the answers right now. You aren’t where you thought you’d be, but that’s ok . . . These things will happen when they should, and in a few years, you’ll be happy they worked out the way they did.

Never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough, beautiful enough, or smart enough to do anything you set your mind to. Never ever stay in a relationship because you’re afraid of being alone. Do not base your happiness on anyone other than yourself. Find someone who looks at you in a way you never thought possible and never settle for anything less.

Surround yourself with friends who will love and support you unconditionally. Always follow your heart. Work hard, don’t forget to smile, and give yourself a break when you need one. Stop second guessing yourself. You will make mistakes, and you will also make some pretty great decisions, too. Life is going to keep getting better for you. Just stay true to yourself and you will find your way."

And that, my friends, is exactly what I needed to hear.

Gluten Free Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Cornbread

Yes, you read that correctly: gluten free! I must say that I am super proud of this recipe. Despite having a certain food intolerance, I believe that cornbread should always be in someone's regular diet. What's not to love? There's the crumbly-yet-moist texture, and the cozy corn flavor.

When I was little, we would make cornbread from the Jiffy box mix. We always kept two or three boxes on hand in our pantry for cold days, or even bad days. They come out of the oven warm and steaming and gold.

Nowadays, my cornbread making skills are a little more advanced, and the mixes that come in the boxes contain wheat; I'm forced to become more creative.

Gluten Free Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Cornbread

For this recipe I used cornmeal and a gluten free flour by Bob's Red Mill. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup of gluten free flour

2/3 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine softened butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixture, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in sour cream and milk. Reduce speed to low; add all remaining ingredients. Beat just until mixed.

Pour batter into greased cast-iron skillet (or 8-inch square baking pan). Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm!

Look at that beauty? 

Enjoy!

A Week in My Life: Week 5

Here's what the past week looked like:

Cooking with wine. There's no other way to do it. 

 My new favorite snack: Honeycrisp apples and organic honey.

I have no idea how Vee got up here... This shelf is about three feet higher than me (I'm 5'7"...). I mean, I know cats can really jump high but... dang. 

Enjoying a honey banana smoothie (with a dash of nutmeg!) and my new bon appetit magazine! 

Found this gem inside the magazine: nacho heaven!!!

We got tons of snow this week. It was crazy. 

So pretty. 

I experienced a massive craving for Cocoa Puffs this week... So. Random. 

Is there anything more tranquil than journaling in the morning?

Utilizing our Nutri-Bullet that we got for Christmas. What an easy way to get your daily doses of fruits and veggies.

Setting up for a "photoshoot".  You can see the end result here.

I love sleeping kitties.

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach & Parmesan

It may be a bit late in the day for a scrambled egg recipe, but if you're anywhere near the Midwest, you're in need of some good, hot comfort food. The snow is coming down here.

I, for one, have cancelled all of my plans for today and am holed up in my apartment, watching the snow pile up on the cars lining the road. It's relentless! Mother nature is laughing at us. 

So, I'm laughing back by filling my kitchen with hot, delicious food (I currently have banana-nut muffins baking in the oven). Eggs are the classic, go-to comfort foods; they're so easy! You can put pretty much anything in them and the result will be favorable. Well, maybe I shouldn't make such a bold statement. Someone might challenge me with a nasty omelet rendition. Either way, this concoction was too sumptuous to let it sit alone in my head. It must be shared. 

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach & Parmesan
Adapted from bon appetit magazine

2 large eggs
1-2 cups of spinach
Olive oil
2 good pinches of grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes

Whisk eggs together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat a glug of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and stir to coat them in the oil. Toss until they are wilted, about 1 minute.
Add eggs and cook; stirring until just set. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

1 serving

Stay warm!

Today is [calm]

I have been fortunate enough to have the past couple days off which has allowed me catch up on some around-the-home projects. I'm trying to keep busy; there's nothing worse than losing momentum in the middle of the week. 

Today is calm. I woke up to a room full of morning sunlight. There's something so beautiful about the way it comes pouring in through the window above our bed. It makes you feel invincible, even if only for a moment. 

I've had to nurse our sick kitty back to health this whole week. We took her to the vet and she has an upper respiratory infection. Poor thing has to breath through her mouth... It's both the saddest and cutest thing I've ever seen. She's still curled up on that picnic basket. The cats fight over that spot because it's right in front of the heater. Oh, the life of a cat.