Rice Pudding

Marilyn Glessner of Canton, Ohio, was hoping someone would have a recipe for a good rice pudding that is sugar-free. "Since I have been a diabetic for years and love rice pudding, I would really like to have a recipe for this." Carol Lou Boyd of Collins, Colo., sent in a rice-pudding recipe she found taken from a cookbook called "Fantastic Foods With Splenda." The recipe makes a very tasty rice pudding and, thanks to the sugar substitute Splenda, low-fat milk and fat-free half-and-half, it would be ideal for someone on a sugar- or calorie-restricted diet.

Greece is a popular summer destination, but with recent concerns about the nation's economy and threats of a strike by air traffic controllers there, some travelers may have crossed it off the list this year. No worries. It turns out you can experience a little piece of Greece just by crossing the Bay Bridge this weekend for the 21st annual Greek Festival in Ocean City. Yes, I know it will be hard to make it all the way to Friday without calling in sick, but this fun festival is worth the wait.

Marie Disney of Baltimore wrote: "I'm sad that I didn't pay attention when my mother was making her recipe for rice custard pudding. She made it on top of the stove. ... My family wants me to make it but I cannot find a recipe which does not call for baking it. Would someone please help?" Her answer came from Dianne Bucolo of Ellicott City. "I am responding to the request for a rice custard pudding cooked on top of the stove. The recipe that follows is one that I have been making for many years.

Rice Pudding Cake Makes: 12 servings 1 cup uncooked white rice 1 3/4 cups water 1/3 cup raisins 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup orange juice 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Dash of salt Prepare rice according to package directions in 1 3/4 cups boiling water, until slightly...

Eating pleasures this week include a top-of-the-stove rice pudding and a kiss-me-cake. Simple and not so simple, they are worth trying.Mary Connelly of Catonsville sent a note seeking "an Orange Kiss-Me Cake recipe which was a Pillsbury Bake-off winner many years ago."M. K. Grail, no address given, wanted a rice pudding cooked on top of the stove. "I know what all goes in it but not the quantity," she wrote.Both requests were winners with our readers who generously responded with recipes, many of which were similar with only slightly varied personal choice additions.

Tofu rice pudding is an unselfish request from Donna L. Van Tassel of Glen Burnie who writes that her friend lost the recipe and "I would like to help her find it."A response was received from Herbert D. Andrews of Baltimore which was chosen by our tester, chef Gilles Syglowski.The chef noted, "I am not big on tofu, but this recipe is very interesting and very good."Andrews tofu rice pudding12 ounces tofu, mashed1 cup cooked brown rice1 cup milk3 tablespoons honey1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 cup raisins1 teaspoon oil3 tablespoons crushed corn flakes or cracker crumbs2 tablespoons butterHeat oven to 350 degrees.

Having beer with dessert was a new culinary step for me.It was different than those nights, years ago, when I vainly searched the fridge for ice cream and ended up settling for a beer. That beer was the dessert of last resort.But this, this porter with rice pudding and whipped cream, was part of a planned menu. It was served by a real chef, at a restaurant.Most important of all, it was good. I could have eaten two helpings.I had the beer dessert last week when I was in Philadelphia at the Samuel Adams Brew House.

Just one spoonful of rice pudding takes Sheena Kadam back to her English childhood, when the sweet, creamy dessert was served almost weekly at school and nearly as often at home.You can hear the nostalgia in her voice as she describes helping her mother stir it on the stove. She tells of her earliest food memory ` eating rice and cream."It's the ultimate comfort food," she says.But Brits aren't the only ones who are passionate about rice pudding (though they may be more passionate than most)

Patricia Coyle of West Palm Beach, Fla., was looking for a recipe for rice pudding that is baked instead of prepared on the stove top like most she has used. The particular recipe she used to have for the baked version was made with heavy whipping cream and she said it was "wonderful!" Dorothy McMann of Perry Hall e-mailed a recipe she got when she visited Williamsburg, Va., some years ago. While this particular recipe calls for whole milk, not heavy cream, there would be no reason why you could not substitute heavy cream if you were not concerned about the calorie count.

Adrienne Galvez of Kelso, Wash., was looking for a recipe she had lost for a rice pudding that was made in a slow cooker. Norman Blakely of Fayetteville, N.C., submitted a recipe for rice pudding that he found in a Rival Crock-Pot slow-cooker cookbook. As with most rice puddings, this recipe calls for cooked rice to be added to milk and eggs. The flavorings are also traditional - nutmeg, vanilla and raisins. As instructed, I put everything in the slow cooker and forgot about it for a few hours.

Maiwand Kabob 839 Elkridge Landing Road, Suite 110, Linthicum (there are also locations in Harper's Choice center in Columbia and Arundel Mills mall). 410-850-0273. Open 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. A kebab done well, such at the ones served at Maiwand Kabob, is a find. In this type of cookery, whatever sits on the skewer - beef, chicken or vegetables - must emerge from the fire both cooked and moist. Then there is the issue of flavor. Because they spend such a short time cooking, kebab chunks get much of their taste from the pre-fire preparation.

Patricia Coyle of West Palm Beach, Fla., was looking for a recipe for rice pudding that is baked instead of prepared on the stove top like most she has used. The particular recipe she used to have for the baked version was made with heavy whipping cream and she said it was "wonderful!" Dorothy McMann of Perry Hall e-mailed a recipe she got when she visited Williamsburg, Va., some years ago. While this particular recipe calls for whole milk, not heavy cream, there would be no reason why you could not substitute heavy cream if you were not concerned about the calorie count.

Adrienne Galvez of Kelso, Wash., was looking for a recipe she had lost for a rice pudding that was made in a slow cooker. Norman Blakely of Fayetteville, N.C., submitted a recipe for rice pudding that he found in a Rival Crock-Pot slow-cooker cookbook. As with most rice puddings, this recipe calls for cooked rice to be added to milk and eggs. The flavorings are also traditional - nutmeg, vanilla and raisins. As instructed, I put everything in the slow cooker and forgot about it for a few hours.

Baking: From My Home to Yours By Dorie Greenspan The New York Times Dessert Cookbook Edited by Florence Fabricant St. Martin's Press / 2006 / $29.95 Whether it's the grand finale of a sophisticated supper or the reward for eating all of your peas, The New York Times Dessert Cookbook comes to many sweet conclusions. This noteworthy collection, edited by Florence Fabricant, has contributions from numerous Times writers and noted chefs and covers dessert in all its forms - from a humble stove-top pudding to dazzling pastries.

Judith Miller of East Windsor, N.J., was looking for a recipe that her mother used to make in the 1940s for a rice pudding that was baked and looked like a cake when it was done. Barbara Arnoff of Baltimore sent in her recipe for what she calls rice kugel, which is rice pudding baked either in a round or square pan, with a consistency solid enough that it can be cut into slices and served like a cake. The kugel can be served warm or cold. It's delicious on its own or jazzed up with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Marilyn Glessner of Canton, Ohio, was hoping someone would have a recipe for a good rice pudding that is sugar-free. "Since I have been a diabetic for years and love rice pudding, I would really like to have a recipe for this." Carol Lou Boyd of Collins, Colo., sent in a rice-pudding recipe she found taken from a cookbook called "Fantastic Foods With Splenda." The recipe makes a very tasty rice pudding and, thanks to the sugar substitute Splenda, low-fat milk and fat-free half-and-half, it would be ideal for someone on a sugar- or calorie-restricted diet.

When it comes to crab cakes, I'm a modernist: Less is more. OK, you can put in a little seasoning and enough bread crumbs to hold the thing together. But forget all the extras - the little bits of green pepper, the parsley, the mayonnaise. I'm pleased to report that G&M Restaurant shares that view. G&M is a sprawling Linthicum institution with a sit-down restaurant, a lounge and a carryout operation that sells everything from hot pizza and hot dogs to seafood platters and strip steaks.

Take a half-cup of nostalgia, mix with an equal portion of kitchen pragmatism and you've got "The Back of the Box Gourmet" (Simon & Schuster, $14.95), a collection of more than 75 recipes, from Lipton California Dip to Toll-House Cookies.This book is a treat for anyone who ever took a bite of a Fluffernutter or who watched helplessly as the sauce from sweet-and-sour meatballs made with Heinz Chili Sauce dripped onto clothing. It's a compendium of recipes formulated with brand-name products in mind.

Samos Restaurant in East Baltimore has been taking good care of folks for many years. Doctors from the nearby Bayview medical campus, beat cops, Greek-speaking locals and regulars who come from miles away all have discovered this unassuming eatery. There's no great mystery behind its success. Samos uses fresh ingredients and tried-and-true recipes, and offers good service. Situated a block off Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown, Samos used to have a hole-in-the-wall feel - one room with a handful of tables.

CHINA, Texas - Two brothers, George and Bill Dishman, are slowly driving along dusty roads a few hours southeast of Houston, down 'round the Gulf of Mexico. The land here rolls for miles in all directions, flat as a frying pan. "This is rice country," Bill says, in his easy drawl that makes the word sound more like "rise." He has on a pair of dark sunglasses and, though he's 71 years old, has a lean, youthful mien. "There used to be more rice fields, but they keep on urbanizin' and urbanizin,' " George adds, nodding at an unsightly McMansion that recently parked itself in an open pasture.