Cooking Again – Sirloin Patties, Fried Eggplant, Steamed Broccoli, and Rice Pudding with Golden Raisins – Easy to Prepare and Serve

Rice pudding with golden raisins was to be our dessert, but I prepared it first, so it would have time to cool. This is a slightly modified version of my grandmother’s farmer’s rice, but this time I measured the ingredients to make a more authentic recipe.

Rice Pudding with Golden Raisins

Recipe for pudding: Use a medium to large sauce pan. Do not turn on the heat until the corn starch has been mixed in.

3 Cups of cooked Jasmine Rice (any kind of rice will work)
4 Cups of whole milk
1 Cup heavy cream
(May substitute 5 cups of whole milk, or any combination of whole milk, cream, and half and half)
4 egg yolks
Golden Raisins – optional
1 shy tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 Cup of honey or to taste (substitute sugar to taste)
1 or 2 tablespoons of butter
2 (or more) teaspoons of vanilla, to taste

Rice Pudding Cooking

Add the milk and cream to the rice and stir. Add the egg yolks and stir them in. Add the golden raisins, if you like them. Add the cornstarch and stir it in until dissolved. Add the honey or sugar. Turn on the heat to medium low. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to move in the pan, just before it boils. Do not allow it to boil. Take it off the heat and add the butter and vanilla. The consistency will be only slightly thicker than in the beginning, but it will thicken as it cools. Cool and serve.

I prepared the broccoli to be steamed ahead of time so that I could turn on the heat under it as soon as the eggplant was nearly done. Notice that I trimmed off the outside of the stems to make the broccoli more tender.

Broccoli Trimmings

My husband doesn’t like broccoli stems. He won’t eat them even if they are tender. I do like them, so I don’t mind giving him extra florets while I enjoy the stems. It works for us. If you don’t like stems, cut them off.

Gluten-free flour makes a good coating for eggplant.
(Wheat flour works well also.)
Slice the eggplant first and then peel it. (You may find it easier to peel it first. I get a cramp in my hand when I try to peel the eggplant first.) Next, dip each slice into a plate full of flour. Shake off the excess flour and place the eggplant slices into hot olive oil or bacon grease. (I used oil). Do not crowd the slices in the pan. Turn as needed. (If the oil or grease begins to smoke, turn down the heat.) Remove each slice that is nicely browned and add additional slices until all are finished.

Here are the beef patties ready to be cooked on the outside grill. Not knowing how to use the grill has served me well. I do not intend to learn how, because my husband does all the outside grilling for me. Not a bad deal. I like it.

All good posts should come to a happy end, and this one is no different. It will take me approximately an hour (or two) to clean up the kitchen after our breakfast and this meal. Oh me! Oh my! As I get this project underway, I’ll be thinking how nice it is that I only have to cook three times a week. We go out and party, party, party with our friends all the rest of the time. I wouldn’t have it any other way!