Vanilla Cinnamon Rice Pudding

     Have you ever been to Rice to Riches in NYC? If you haven't I highly recommend going there if you are ever in The City. They sell rice pudding like an ice cream shop sells ice cream. They have a long list of flavors, and toppings called Jesus Poop! Ha! Jesus Poop! That is hilarious! Anyhow, the stuff they sell is quite delicious and I love to go there when I'm in NYC. 

     I would like to tell you that I was inspired by their delicious rice pudding to make a version of my own. But that's not what happened. Simply put: It was rainy and dreary outside. I was bored. I had all the ingredients. ... and then I found five dollars.

No mom, I didn't really find five dollars. It's just what people say to make a boring story more interesting.

     This rice pudding I am about to share with you had very, very humble beginnings, but I think I whipped up a pretty tasty bowl of creamy, vanilla-y, and cinnamon-y rice pudding. Here's how I did it:

You will need:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 2 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup arborio rice, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Start by dumping the rice...

the sugar and salt...

the heavy cream, and the milk into a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it reaches a soft boil.

Kinda like this. Now, reduce the heat to a simmer. 

Stir occasionally. This picture is what the mixture looks like after about 25 minutes of cooking. These bubbles form on the top, so stirring occasionally keeps them deflated. It also keeps the mixture smooth and ensures it is not burning.

Continue simmering for 35-40 minutes or until the mixture reaches a nice creamy consistency* At this point I had already made myself sick off the stuff because it was so creamy and good I couldn't keep the spoon out of the saucepan and away from my mouth!

*Depending on whether you like to eat your rice pudding hot or cold will help determine how long you need to cook it. If you like to eat your rice pudding warm, right off the stove, then cook it the full 40 minutes. The pudding will be thick and creamy. However, if you like to eat your rice pudding cold, after it's been refrigerated, only cook it for about 35 minutes. The pudding will be only slightly thick and still creamy. The reason for this is that when you refrigerate the pudding it firms up quite a bit. Therefore, you want to have a good bit of liquid left when you remove if from the stove, so when you refrigerate it it retains it's creamy consistency. I planned on eating mine warm because of the dreary/rainy weather so I cooked it the full 40 minutes. Although I do enjoy it cold as well.

Remove the pudding from the heat and add the vanilla...

 and cinnamon. Mix to combine, and serve immediately-- or refrigerate. Whichever you like! 

The finished product!

Served with an italian lady finger... I only stuck the cookie in there for the pictures, but I actually really liked the crunch it added when I ate it with the pudding.

Creamy comforting goodness. You know, when eating it hot it could be related to (a very distant cousin of) really creamy, sweet cream of wheat-- or non-healthy oatmeal (you know, smothered in butter with lots of sugar). I think this fact  allows me to eat it for breakfast. Definitely so.

Thank you for reading! Love y'all!