Perfectly Pleasing Potluck

Last week we had potluck day and parent-teacher conferences at school. On the same day. Which happened to be the day before I had 850 grades due. Needless to say, it was a busy week. I love potlucks, not only because they give me a tasty meal, but I get to try a new recipe without having to eat the entire thing if it isn't fantastic :-) However, like I said, it was a busy week, and I wasn't sure where I was going to find time to bring something.

Since I'd been doing grades in every spare moment I had all week long, I hadn't had time to plan in advance what I'd bring. So, it came down to me warily eyeing my row of cookbooks at 8:15 the night before. As always, I was looking for a dessert, but it had to be quick and easy, and ideally use the crockpot, since that was the kind of time crunch I was under. Additionally, I have a co-worker who has celiac's disease, so I wanted it to be gluten-free for his sake.

Needless to say, I wasn't terribly hopeful I was going to find anything to fit all these categories, but I knew the best place to start would be the old Fix It and Forget It crockpot cookbook. Generally, this cookbook has not been my friend because the bulk of the recipes center around large (read: expensive) hunks of meat, which is just not the way I cook. Knowing this, I knew there was not a lot of hope that a gluten-free dessert would appear in the pages of this meat-laden book, but surprise, surprise, in the 12 page dessert section, there were two whole pages of something that fit the bill: rice pudding.

I couldn't believe my good luck. Not only was it a dessert that was gluten-free and made in the crockpot, it served 10 and was made in approximately 3 hours, which fit right into my time frame. I do know that some people do not have a taste for rice pudding, but this was just too perfect not to try.

Due to the order of things that needed to be combined, I just took the few ingredients with me to school. First, the milk, sugar, and rice boil together on high for several hours. (Every time I walked by that morning, it smelled wonderful :-) Then during the last half hour (when I had a prep), I added in the last cup of milk with the eggs, vanilla, and salt. It was just right by the time we were ready to eat, and since people had parent-teacher conferences, they wandered in and out the rest of the day. Every time I walked through the hall, there was someone else with a cup of rice pudding in they're hand :-) Lucky for me, I work with a group of teachers who actually do like rice pudding. Even my gluten-free friend said it was one of his favorite things :-) Give it a shot! It's just right for a cool fall day!

Crockpot Rice Pudding

1 c. white rice, uncooked

1 c. sugar

8 c. milk

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

2 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

cinnamon or nutmeg

1. In slow cooker, combine rice, sugar, and 8 c. milk. Cook on High for 3 hours.

2. Beat together eggs, 1 1/2 c. milk, vanilla, and salt. Add to slow cooker and stir. Cook on high for 30-40 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve warm.

[NOTE: Non-crockpot rice pudding requires a good amount of stirring during cooking, like risotto, but this recipe does not, which makes it easier. However, this recipe is not as smooth and creamy as the recipe I usually make, while I'm standing by the stove cooking something else. Two different recipes for two different purposes...]