TURKEY-RICE PILAF (Dated Nov. 26th, 2009)

Wild rice, green peas, and pine nuts are three of my favorite things. Pair them with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, white wine vinegar and chicken broth for a winning 'what I am going to do with this leftover turkey' dish.

1 (6oz.) pkg. long-grain and wild rice mix
1 (10oz.) pkg. frozen English peas
3 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper
cabbage leaves

Prepare rice mix according to package directions; set aside.
Cook peas according to package directions; drain well, and set aside.
Combine rice, peas, and remaining ingredients, except cabbage; toss. Serve hot or cold on cabbage leaves.
Serves 6.

"Rice is born in water and must die in wine. ~Italian Proverb

RICE PUDDING

My Mama Joe made the best rice pudding. It was pure and simple and sometimes she added raisins and sometimes she did not. She would first cook the rice on her old wood stove and it was always creamy and some where beyond decadent. If you hung around the kitchen as I always did, I was after all the baby of the whole pack, she would dish you up a bowl of that milky rice spiked with sugar and a pat of homemade butter. I dream of her and her kitchen. I would always end up in the rocking chair which sat in the middle of the kitchen floor with that bowl of rice. I've tried to mimic it over the years but it will never be the same as hers. I can and do however make rice pudding on occasion. Just had to share.

3 cups cooked creamy rice
3 eggs, slightly beaten with a fork
2 cups evaporated milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 cup plump raisins
ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and pour into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden around the edges and set.

“I haven't had the rice pudding of my life today. But I guess I lost that opportunity with the end of my childhood.”-William Rice