Glorified Rice

Glorified Rice
Dorcas Annette Walker

As a child one religious camp stood out in my mind that my family attended each summer. It was a small camp with unpainted wooden buildings situated out in the woods. Instead of the usual cafeteria style way of serving you sat down at tables and heaping bowls of food was passed around family style. Every year without fail there was a dessert that I always looked forward to eating. It was a pale green, pudding-like dessert. It was years later as an adult, while traveling with my minister husband on the road, that I came across this dessert again and hunted down the recipe. Elated I began making the recipe that became an instant success. Out of all the desserts that I have made over the years Glorified Rice has triggered more comments, heated discussions, and questions. I’ve had people argue with me that it can’t be rice that is the main ingredient as they hate rice and never eat rice, but yet love this dessert. Best of all Glorified Rice is a healthy dessert.

Americans consume little rice compared to European countries where rice is a main staple and closely connected to the cultures of many societies. The Japanese make their third century alcoholic beverage, Sake, from rice while the Chinese celebrate a Rice Dumpling Festival each year. The origin of rice is uncertain because rice has been grown for thousands of years. The demand for rice is growing steadily, with consumption stretching beyond Asia. While Asia is still the biggest rice producer, accounting for 90% of the world’s production and consumption, you can now find rice fields in Europe, Latin America, and Australia. Rice needs a good water supply to grow, which is a concern in drought-prone areas. Rice is classified by the shape and texture of the grain. Long-grain rice is less sticky than the short-grain cultivars. The Chinese and Japanese use the short rice for many recipes while the Indians use the long and medium-grained rice. In some South East Asian countries there are some naturally colored varieties of rice while Thai has a popular fragrant rice. Many Asians eat rice three times a day. From delicate translucent noodles to exquisite desserts, rice is a versatile and nutritious food.

A missionary friend of mine from college days, whose children were born and raised around Hong Kong, confided that when visiting the United States on furlough her children couldn’t understand why Americans didn’t eat rice at each meal and would crave rice. So when they came to spend a couple of days with us I hunted up all the rice recipes I could find and invented some of my own to ensure that rice would be served at each meal. We had a great time learning about the Asian culture and eating rice in many forms. Needless to say my Glorified Rice dessert was a hit and my friend took the recipe back home with her to Hong Kong.

Glorified Rice is a no-fail recipe that can be adapted to each family’s taste buds by experimenting with different fruits. This filling, creamy, fruity dessert hints of summer days and can be used year round. My Glorified Rice recipe makes a big batch of approximately fifteen or more servings and takes around thirty minutes to prepare. Glorified Rice can either be made up the day before and chilled or served warm.

Glorified Rice

Mix together thoroughly in a big bowl:
4 c cooked white rice
½ c sugar
1 can fruit cocktail
1 can crushed pineapple

Stir in:
1 can evaporated milk
1 box strawberry jello

Fold in:
1 small bag of mini marshmallows

Mix thoroughly again before serving as the when the rice cools it congeals and gets stiffer. For color add a diced red apple. A container of sour cream mixed in will give a creamier texture. Try experimenting with different flavors of jello. Serve individually or in a large glass bowl!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by email at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.