There’s something strangely comforting about watching certain movies over and over again, even if they’re not particularly good or even one of your favorites. Even if it would shame you if everyone you know knew that you couldn’t turn away from “Notting Hill”
Sunday afternoon, I stayed home from Jeff’s soccer game to curl up on the couch and watch “You’ve Got Mail.”
It was just so cold outside and soooooo warm inside.
The perfect conditions to make some Arborio Rice Pudding. And eat it.
OK, so, fess up and share my shame. What movies lull you in and make you watch them over and over again? A romantic comedy, perhaps? Some corny action movie or really bad sci-fi/horror movie or something starring Patrick Swayze? As Kyra Sedgwick says every week on “The Closer”
Arborio Rice Pudding
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”
Makes 4 servings
- 1/4 cup Arborio rice (Use 1/2 cup for a thick pudding.)
- 2 cups water
- 3 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- Dash of cinnamon
- Put the rice and water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and cook the rice, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain the rice in a strainer and rinse it. Set aside.
- Rinse out the saucepan, then pour in the milk, stir in the sugar, and set the pan over medium heat. When the milk boils, stir in the parboiled rice. Reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture bubble away gently, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. (As the pudding gets close to done, the rice kernels will be visible in the boiling milk. The pudding will thicken in the refrigerator.)
- Remove the pan from the heat, and add the vanilla, raisins and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Serve immediately, or press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours.
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I’m thinking that if my rice pudding looked more like yours I would have curled up with it too! I loved You’ve Got Mail! – but I can never resist Cary Grant and/or Katherine Hepburn. The Philadelphia Story, Bringing up Baby and Arsenic and Old Lace are all sitting there happily on my DVR in case they’re needed. If you need a corny action movie, though, it’s that one where Sylvester Stallone helps people escape from the bombed-out tunnel under New York (can’t remember what it’s called, but I watch it whenever it’s on).
“Mallrats”. It’s the one movie I will watch over and over. It actually helps that my husband absolutely hates it.
Your rice pudding looks great!
I did exactly what you did — kept the rice amount the same and halved everything else. The pudding turned out great. No matter how many times I see “You’ve Got Mail” or “Sleepless in Seattle,” I will watch them. Ditto Cary Grant. And dare I admit, “Legally Blonde”?
Audrey: The Philadelphia Story is one of my all-time favorites! I LOVE Cary Grant. I’ve seen To Catch A Thief, North by Northwest and Notorious many, many times. Your choices aren’t embarrassing at all.
Oh, wait. Stallone. ;)
Rice pudding plus a movie — definitely sounds like you made the right call! Yeah, I’m a sucker for a romantic comedy. Love Actually would be at the top of the list. Any Hugh Grant movie. All the way down to cheese such as Thirteen Going On Thirty. I’m pretty much my husband’s worst nightmare in the movie department.
Pinkstripes: I will always have a soft spot for Mallrats. Jason Lee is hilarious.
Judy: I love Cary Grant! And Legally Blonde is perfectly acceptable, especially now that Reese has an Oscar. Gotta represent for the hometown girl.
LOL. Ummm… how about switching the channel, just now, then reading your post, and I’m watching Ever After. Earlier it was You’ve Got Mail. I love the Cutting Edge… ok, so just about all of them. :) Your rice pudding looks like what my dad would have preferred mine looked like. Before he tried it the only thing he said was, “are there raisins in it?”
Cathy: Hugh Grant makes any movie he’s in better. I love the part in Love Actually where he’s dancing by himself to the Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (for My Love.)”
Holly: The Cutting Edge! I’d almost forgotten about that one. And Ever After… I can get sucked into almost anything with Drew Barrymore, including Poison Ivy.
Your rice pudding looks delicious!
I am a sucker for all Tom Hanks movies and I cannot turn off the TV if The Notebook is on! :)
LOL – Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings (ie all the fabulously floppy-fringed Hugh movies) rank highly for me, but for a classic, Casablanca is my all time favourite. Your pudding looks great – I wish I’d eaten it warm too.
Yo Mama never made rice pudding with Arborio rice.. I think Minute Rice was the end-all-be-all at Krogers when you were a little girl! A hunk of this (cold) put in the microwave and zapped for breakfast is wonderful, too.
Your rice pudding looks delicious. I never thought of eating it warm! I always get hooked into Maid in Manhattan or the Wedding Planner. I’m not really a Jennifer Lopez fan either.
That has to be the most wonderful looking rice pudding I’ve seen! Looks so good I can almost smell that cinnamon – and I’m with you, I think it tastes better nice and warm. Curling up with a nice steamy bowl of that and watching an old Audrey Hepburn movie would be my idea of a great evening (Roman Holiday or Breakfast at Tiffany’s).
I watched You’ve got Mail too the other day…
But I must admit, and Im ashamed to admit it, but whenever The Day After Tomorrow is on, I have to watch it. Its not a good movie at all… But it’s always on cable and then i just sit down and watch. UGH!
your pudding looks really nice!
AirForce One. Harrison Ford as the President… but the best, the part that makes me all giddy in my tummy -and if i’m hormonal slightly teary- the end where the soldier says, “Liberty 241 changing call signs, Liberty is now AirForce One.” Even remembering it makes me get that hitch at the bottom of my throat.
i can’t believe i just admitted that in a public forum.
Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
I could watch and watch and watch.
Your pudding looks great.
First, your pudding experiment turned out a whole lot better than mine. As for movies I could watch again and again, let me preface my response by informing you that I am a female. My movie list, but for one movie, might lead you to believe otherwise:
Pride and Prejudice, with Keira Knightley (the one chick flick)
The Hunt for Red October
Murder at 1600
Silverado
Open Range
Any James Bond movie
Any Dirty Harry movie
See what I mean?
I love these comments. I love You’ve Got Mail. I also like Sliding Doors and When Harry Met Sally. Love Actually and My Best Friend’s Wedding are up there, too..
Your rice pudding looks great!
Yummy lookin’ rice pudding!! Man, if I had to narrow down my repeaters:
Clueless
Four Weddings & A Funeral
Sense & Sensibility (the more recent one w. Emma Thomson, Kate Winslet)
Oceans 11, 13 (I’m always up for watching any movie with George & Brad)
The Matrix
Bourne Identity trilogy
Cristine: I’ve seen bits of The Notebook but haven’t seen the whole thing. It sucks you in, like a vortex!
Cakelaw: I love Casablanca, too. Jeff and I saw it on the big screen on one of our first dates.
TnTrash: I forgot to mention it’s good for breakfast. It has all the food groups, doesn’t it? ;)
BMK: I get hooked with The Wedding Planner, too. I think it’s the clothes!
Laura: I’m a big Audrey Hepburn fan, too. I love Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I wrote a paper on her wardrobe for a college film class.
Sabrina: The Day After Tomorrow! I saw that with a bunch of friends at the theater. So bad!
Chocolatechic: Yes to both Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman. There’s NO TELLING how many times I’ve seen them.
Madam Chow: Pride and Prejudice is SUCH a chick flick, it takes the rest to balance things out. ;)
Anne: The Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan/Hugh Grant triangle is powerful.
Sister Jenn: I NEVER would have guessed AirForce One. Really?
Jodie: I’ve seen When Harry Met Sally more times than Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan put together. I’ve even got the Harry Connick Jr. soundtrack, unless my sister’s ripped it off. Again.
Linda: The Oceans movies! Yesssss. I watch them again and again, and I still don’t completely get the caper. ;) And The Matrix always gets me. Go, Keeenooonooo, Go!
Your rice pudding looks much better than the original! I’m a sucker for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, too. I’ll take Hugh Grant any day too, lol. :)
My movies that I MUST WATCH when they are on TV?
Clueless
BIG
Ghostbusters 2
Defending Your Life
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead
Scrooged
Groundhogs Day
Bridget Jones’ Diary
and of course, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. It could be August, I don’t care.
But seriously, how did you get your pudding so perfect????
Teanna: What a great list! I get sucked into Groundhog Day and Bridget Jones’ Diary, too. And Christmas Vacation is a classic.
My pudding turned out thicker because of the extra rice, which was a happy accident.
Katrina: Ferris! I’ve seen that movie sooooooo many times. One of my all-time favorites. And there’s no telling how many times I’ve seen Footloose. Everybody cut, everybody cut …
I think my vanilla pudding would have been much better with a little cinnamon added too.
Favorite movies to watch over and over have to be Footloose (love it!), Rainman, Ferris Buhler, to name a few!
Heartburn……
and if you watch it, make sure it’s rented and not on tbs/tnt or some cable channel because they cut the whole sub-story about finding the best rice-pudding recipe out completely.
Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson and rice pudding. it don’t get any better than that.
Shari: I’ve never seen Heartburn, but I keep reading about it lately. Putting it on the “to watch” list, along with “Waitress.” Thanks!
Okay, I heated one little bowl back up (what else was I going to do with it after all?), threw in some raisins, some cinnamon, and stirred it until it was nice and warm and smelling really nice and tasted it…it still tastes like rice. LOL. Good try, though…
I could so watch movies with most all these suggestions…although I do not like movies that make you cry…I never get it when people say, “Oh, go see it, it’s so sad, you will cry through the whole movie!” I think, “Now why would I WANT to do that????” I love fun movies. Here are two that aren’t on your list so far: Sweet Land and The Illusionist…but I really think I need to go put in You’ve Got Mail while I am cooking Whisk Wednesdays here now as I know it by heart so I won’t have to concentrate too much on the movie…love your posts. Now I love your taste in movies!
I am glad you included raisins!!!
Movies I’ll watch anytime they come on… basically any terrible chick flick, to be honest :) But your rice pudding – my word that looks fabulous!
I am ashamed to confess this, but my BFF and I went to see “Centerstage” in the theater – twice. It’s a total chick flick.
Your pudding looks spot on! Excellent job!
Caitlin: Yes, any terrible chick flick will do.
Kayte: Smart ass! To each her own. And I’m adding your two movies to my list.
Maria: Dorie seems addicted to raisins, so I didn’t think they’d hurt. ;)
April B: Center Stage! I’d forgotten about that one. Don’t feel bad. I saw The Lake House at the theater.
Lynne: Thanks! The previews for Nicole Kidman’s new movie, Australia, remind me of The African Queen. Love that movie. And I’m with you on the Coen brothers. Hilarious.
how could you include raisins!!!! :0) I also halved teh milk but kept the original amount of rice and found it to be a good consistency
Any brat pack (say anything!) or Jane Austin movie gets me. Your pudding looks delish
Yummy looking rice pudding. My favorite old movies-The African Queen and Casablanca. For off the wall movies-anything Cohen Brothers makes!
lovely pudding–i would double the rice next time as well.
my movies…*when harry met sally,* *anne of green gables, parts 1 and 2,* and *shakespeare in love.* ahhh. now I’m revising how I’ll spend the rest of my evening:)
Add me to the Breakfast at Tiffany’s lovers. Also Philadelphia story and any of the Thin Man movies.
Great looking rice pudding… perfect to have while watching the entire SIX HOUR Pride & P with Colin Firth. Well, make that 6 1/2 hours to account for me repeatedly watching him in certain scenes (although I love the water/wet shirt theme, I seriously love when he professes his love and gets the big smack down).
Rebecca, Love the rice pudding. I love the fact you added in the raisins. Great post.
Thanks for sharing
zesty
Your rice pudding looks yummy!! I’m glad to see what its supposed to look like.
There are just too many movies to list. But I would definitely agree with you about the pre-collagen Meg Ryan. I liked her so much better when her lips were smaller. ;o)
Tammy: My raisins were about to expire!
Spike: Almost forgot about the Brat Pack movies! Love some Breakfast Club.
food librarian: Colin Firth is sooooo much a part of my watching Love Actually again. And again. And again.
dharmagirl: I love When Harry Met Sally. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen it. I don’t even wanna know.
Dana: I love The Philadelphia Story and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Haven’t seen the Thin Man movies, but I love William Powell in My Man Godfrey.
Zesty: Don’t listen to the raisin-haters. They MADE the pudding. ;)
Wildthayn: Get out! I know you’ll have better luck with the pie.
Aud: I can watch a holiday special any time of the year. And I’ll watch Charlie Brown, even though the music is SO RELENTLESSLY DEPRESSING.
Pamela: The tiny lips make a difference. I can’t explain it.
I should have done exactly what you did and eaten the darn pudding while it was warm – I tasted mine then and liked it, but saved the actual eating for when it was cold… and it just wasn’t as good. Your pudding does like very yummy and like a great alternative to spending time outside in the cold!
As for movies…
Love Actually is one of the only movies I care to rewatch, and sadly I have to admit to loving the National Lampoon’s Christmas movie, whatever it’s called. God only knows how many times I’ve seen that and the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Am a complete sucker for holiday specials…
Rice pudding with mix-ins – excellent! I think I am missing the repeat movie gene. I don’t have movies I watch over and over. If I have seen it I move on to something new. Because everyone is fessing up to guilty pleasures, I will share that I am very excited that NetFlix just shipped me a Harry Potter movie. Maybe I should make more rice pudding to have while I watch. I suspect rice pudding at Hogwarts would be neon green and spewing smoke. I’ll have to work on that.
I had forgotten about THE LAKE HOUSE… we went one summer afternoon when it was BYOB… bring your own bucket and they’d fill it with popcorn for $1. Went to the Dollar Store and bought a small garbage can and a row of ladies ate out of it for the entire afternoon. Memories… what fun.
As for raisins… any raisin is better soaked in TN Tea (Jack Daniels) for several hours/days.
i’m a total sucker for any romantic flick! as long as it doesn’t push it’s limits, i already fell in love with bend it like beckham, a walk to remember…and too many more i may start blushing my sweet cheeks off. HEHEHEH! although i DID think that the wedding planner and bridget jones diary was terrible!
oh and your rice pudding, my sweet cheese, it looks amazing!
I couldn’t resist either – I ate some of my pudding warm. 6 hours in the fridge? No way! Not after stressing over it for almost an hour on the stove. Hmm…movies…for some reason, the weepy mother/daughter flicks are irresistible. Joy Luck Club and Steel Magnolias come to mind.
I’ll have to try the pudding your way…same amount of rice and half of everything else!
My all time favorite movie is Phenomenon with John Travolta and Kyra Sedgewick. I cry every time I watch it. But I’m with Aud…National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a tradition at this house every Christmas Season…it’s just not the same without a visit from “Cousin Eddie”!
I never get tired of the Bridget Jones movies. And I also LOVE the movie “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” with Daniel Day Lewis and Juliette Binoche. Ditto on “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” too – that one never gets old.
Why do so many people hate raisins? I don’t love them as much as Dorie does, but I really don’t get why they are so unpopular. My mom always made rice pudding with raisins but I like it plain or not.
What a fabulous way to consume warm pudding. And the films that I don’t imagine myself ever getting burnt out on even though I watch them far too often? Disney’s Robin Hood and Sixteen Candles. Yep.
Raisins and cinnamon sounds delicious, but I’m still not sure they would convince me to like rice pudding… =) Some of my guilty pleasures have already been mentioned–Four Weddings & a Funeral, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill (all DVDs I own). And one more that I don’t think has been listed–The Princess Bride.
Carol: Oh, I love the Harry Potter movies! So much attention to detail.
TnTrash: Everything’s better with Jack Daniel’s. The Lake House was fun. I seem to remember a certain sister slumped over and boo-hooing over Keeeenoonoo.
Eunice: I still haven’t seen Bend It Like Beckham. Another for the list! I know The Wedding Planner and Bridget Jones’ Diary are stinkers, but I get sucked in anyway. Maybe BECAUSE they’re so bad.
Jessica: Awwww, how did I forget Steel Magnolias and Joy Luck Club? I used to know Steel Magnolias by heart, because my sister and I were in the play at different times. And Joy Luck Club, when she’s about to give the baby a bath and then … (sniff, sniff, ugly cry)
Nancy: Phenomenon’s a good one to get stuck on. I love me some Travolta. And Cousin Eddie MAKES Christmas Vacation for me. When his family rolls up, I’m always happy.
rainbowbrown: Sixteen Candles? YES. Any 80s John Hughes movie.
Ellen: I don’t understand the raisin hate, either, but it does seem like most of the Dorie recipes we’ve tackled have had either raisins or bittersweet chocolate. She must buy them in bulk. ;) I’ve always meant to see The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Di: The Princess Bride! Who doesn’t love that one? I saw the last 15 minutes again a few weeks ago.
First: I love warm rice pudding. I don’t think there’s any other way to eat it either.
Second: I cannot go without seeing Briget Jones’ Diary… I just can’t. Every time The Husband deploys, I plop that in and cry and drink an entire bottle of wine.
~Cat
Cat: I love Bridget’s blue soup. Is it so wrong to have Hugh Grant AND Colin Firth? Do you really have to choose?
mmm…i’d love some warm rice pudding and a movie–it’s freezing today!!
OOOHHH!!! Cinnamon. What a great addition. I have never had rice pudding, but the cinnamon may be an inducement.
The Big Chill, anything with old Sean Connery, P and P, The Grinch (dorky, huh), lots of others…..
Yeah I’m thinking I should have been a little more creative in my flavors. I had never had rice pudding, but after a few servings, I don’t think I like chewy pudding. Yours does look much more interesting.
Sucks you in movie…I have watched Bewitched so many times. Bad reviews but it makes me happy and for a little while happy was all I could watch. All I really need is a good chick flick.
Steph: It’s finally cold here, too! Long time coming.
Margaret: I’ve been meaning to see The Big Chill forever. Sean Connery’s the only Bond.
Amber: I’ve never seen Bewitched, but I loved the TV reruns when I was a kid, so I’m sure it would get me.
I’m with you on Notting Hill and You’ve Got Mail. Sleepless in Seattle is another for me. Raisins and cinnamon should be in rice pudding!
Your rice pudding looks so rice-y! (In the best way, like it’s nice and substantial.) I am going to have ti give a shout-out to Mean Girls, which I can watch pretty much any time and laugh over and over.
Your pudding looks fantastic! My mom told me I should add raisins, but I passed this time around. Maybe I’ll make some especially for her next time.
My favorite movies list is similar to yours. I love Notting Hill and Love Actually. Every Christmas I like to watch Love Actually and Elf (cracks me up everytime!). My favorite romantic comedy is When Harry Met Sally. I also love the old version of Sabrina, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Oh and the Bridget Jones Diary.