Winter Comfort Food: Rice Pudding with a twist

Hello, everybody! The weather has taken a turn for the chilly here and we haven't seen the sun in days. We didn't even catch the super moon! So sad. But although winter is my favorite season, I do need some sustenance to make it through these long, cold nights.
                                            
First of all, KITTEHS. Aren't they adorable?? When they're not rocketing around the house shasing each other, they're snuggled up for a nap.

 The picture above made us laugh because Koshka's tail looks like it's attached to Nevery's body, which makes him look like some kind of anime mutant raccoon.
                                                    
So, back to the winter comfort food! I love to make rice pudding and the kids eat it up like nobody's business, but this time I tried something a little different. It all starts the same, though.
3 cups cold, cooked rice
3 cups milk
pinch of salt
sugar or honey to taste
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon (we like ours really cinnamon-y)
Bring to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3 eggs, beaten until frothy
Remove 1/2 cup of boiling liquid, let cool for five minutes, slowly add to egg mixture until incorporated. This will keep you from getting "fried eggs" in your pudding
Slowly reincorporate mixture to the pot.
I love raisins but nobody else in my house does so I didn't add any to the pot.
1/4 tsp espresso powder
sprinkle of cinnamon to the top
Sometimes we add brown sugar after this and bake it for about twenty minutes.

 We really just wanted to eat it, so we skipped the baking and went straight to the secret ingredient. A friend made it for me this way and I've been hooked on it ever since!

 A bit of espresso powder added to the individual bowls gives an incredible twist to the same old, same old rice pudding. I love coffee, so this is about how much I put in my bowl. Stir until completely combined. Some of the kids loved the way mine tasted and wanted it the same, some wanted none, some wanted just a bit of coffee flavor. (OH, this is decaf espresso, in case you think I'm insane. I really don't need caffeinated kids at 9PM at night.)

My oldest prefers hers chilled so she put it in the fridge and after an hour, added some clover honey. YUM. 

So, that's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend! Be sure to stop by my author pages at Mary Jane Hathaway or Virginia Carmichael, or my blog at The Things That Last.