I will be honest with you… As a kid, I wasn’t a real big fan of rice pudding.  I think it was a texture thing. I always took issue with foods that I thought had a strange texture.  And, there was just something about rice pudding that I couldn’t quite figure out.

Fast forward a few years, and my tastes have changed a bit.  I can still be picky about texture from time to time (though, not nearly as much as I was when I was a kid).  But, I have developed a love of rice pudding… Especially coconut rice pudding.

I first discovered it in an Asian cookbook that I borrowed from the library.  I bookmarked the recipe and had great intentions of making it, but never got around to it.  Strangely enough, a few weeks later, I was at my parents’ house, and my mom made some coconut rice pudding for dinner. It was just as creamy and comforting as I had imagined it would be, and I was instantly hooked.

I never did get the cookbook from the library again… And, I don’t have my mom’s recipe for the coconut rice pudding.  Instead, I decided to just figure it out on my own (with some knowledge of how to make rice pudding in general).  I opted to use long grain brown rice in my version, but basmati or jasmine rice would be perfect, too.  The recipe is really quite simple, though it does require some time.  It’s mostly hands-off, though, so you can let the pudding simmer away on a back burner while you make dinner.  You’ll thank yourself later when you have a warm, creamy, and comforting dessert to enjoy!

Lately, my husband has been getting me into a bit of trouble.

You see, he’s my taste tester. He’s not afraid to tell me when something I make is awful (it has happened before… believe me!), so I know he’ll give me an honest opinion.  So, when I’m baking and working on a new recipe, I often take him a plate of samples.

A few times lately (including yesterday when I was working on this particular recipe), he has raved on Facebook about what I made for him. I’m thrilled when my recipes turn out well, and I’m always glad that he’s happy with his afternoon snack.  But, I wind up with a whole group of jealous friends, neighbors, and relatives who want to know why I didn’t make homemade oreos (or cinnamon rolls, brownies, muffins… ) for them. It’s a bit of a dilemma!

In this case, the homemade oreos that my hubby was taunting his friends with on Facebook were already spoken for… Most of the cookies were destined for the cafe at our church. But, of course, I had set aside a few extras for my hubby. Then it hit me… I had a solution to my problem! I just reminded him that if anyone wanted samples of the treats, they would have to come out of his snacking stash. My guess is he won’t be sharing my baking secrets on Facebook anymore!