comfort food.

School is getting harder, the weather is getting colder, and I am craving some comfort food. Warm, sweet, and carb-y foods make me think of sitting by the fire without going through the trouble of lighting one. Recently, I have been making bento lunches, japanese lunchboxes usually loaded with small "side dishes" and a rice based somethingorother. I make rice in a rice cooker, not on the stove, and I always end up making too much - even for a whole week. Japanese sticky rice is the perfect base for a simple, comforting desert.

The obvious way to go is a rice pudding, right? I make something even easier. Warm up some rice with a pat of butter. Sprinkle with any kind of sugar you like. I recommend brown sugar, or if you can get your hands on maple sugar, that would be even better. In the picture, I used maple flakes, which are large, crunchy sugar flakes, best compared to crushed up maple sugar candy. You know the kind that is molded into shapes and melts in your mouth? It melts into the rice, spreading the flavor throughout. To make it super special, you can use coconut rice - rice made with coconut milk instead of all or a portion of the water. It is creamy and more suited for sweets or as a good contrast for spicy foods.

If the idea of sweet rice freaks you out, think of it as the same concept as hot cereals with sugar. To me, rice has become a comforting, homey food which a good portion of my diet is based on. My life is like that song.

I'm turning japanese.

xoxo,

allie