Sesame Nuggets and Rice Pudding

Something new was on our dinner table tonight! Dear daughter and I both like tofu but I've never fried it myself, though I've eaten inari-age a number of times back in California. I had a pound of extra firm tofu and I've been stumped on how to prepare it - nothing sounded good to me. Tonight, I pressed it for an hour while DD and I watched Star Trek TNG (love that Jean-Luc, dontcha know!) and then cut it into four half-inch layers, and each layer into nine squares. Then I "breaded" them with sesame seeds and fried them in three batches in a half-inch of vegetable oil until they were golden brown on both sides. As they were draining on paper towels, I sprinkled them with Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning salt. They reminded me of chicken nuggets, but I know what they contain, not like the not-food nuggets you get at Mickey D's (parts is parts, right? - not!). They were delicious! DD liked hers with soy sauce and I liked mine with teriyaki sauce. Pucci, our spoiled shih tzu, liked his plain. I think I'll try this again, but perhaps with different flavorings - maybe Italian breadcrumbs?

I made rice pudding in the pressure cooker again, and I think I've perfected my recipe - it must be good because DD ate it all in less than two days.

Pressured Rice Pudding

4 C milk or water and milk mixed
1 C raw, long grain white rice
pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 - 1/2 C raisins or other dried fruit, chopped
1/3 C of sugar or to taste
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Put the milk, cinnamon, salt, fruit and rice in the pressure cooker and bring to 15 lbs pressure. Cook at pressure for 10 minutes. Quickly release the pressure and open pot. Stir in the vanilla and sugar very well, making sure to really "beat" the rice. This releases the starch and makes it creamy. Taste and adjust sugar if necessary. This will thicken as it cools - if it is too thick, you can stir in another cup of milk or cream.

I had about a cup of heavy whipping cream in my fridge, so I used part water and part milk, about half of each, and then stirred in the cream when everything was cooked. This made it a little soupier but it was outstanding - really really REALLY yummy!

I don't know how many stars DD gives it - she wouldn't stop eating it long enough to tell me.