Porridge.
Porridge.
When I was nine, my favorite thing in the world was my American Girl cookbook. I wanted to be just like Kirsten with her blonde braided pigtails, homemade dress and lace-up prairie boots. Well, one of the recipes from my beloved cookbook was for “Swedish Rice Porridge” and to this day, I still remember exactly how that porridge tasted. It was good….a little plain…but with cinnamon sticks, golden raisins and brown sugar on top it was definitely doable. I was so proud for making it all by myself even though no one else in my family but me seemed to want any. (my mom always called me special)
Sometimes I still feel like that little girl in the kitchen, so excited to make special things and feeling that sense of accomplishment when I pull a batch of perfect chocolate chip cookies out of the oven or create a fun new breakfast dish.
So, this isn’t Kirsten’s Swedish rice porridge. Something tells me they didn’t have crock pots around in 1870. And as I continue reading this book, I’m continuously reminded of how much I love living in this century.
Let’s be honest. I love my iphone way too much.
But….this porridge! I love how old fashioned and super comforting it is on chilly mornings. I had never attempted to cook rice in my slow cooker before and considered it an experiment the other day as I had my hands deep in elephant ear dough. Make the porridge on a Sunday afternoon and then you’ll be set with healthy, filling breakfasts all week long. I like to eat mine with additional milk, cinnamon, sliced banana and maple syrup. It’s practically a dessert in a bowl and gives the ol’ oatmeal a little break.
Head to PBS Food for the recipe! And Happy Saturday!!
Rachel
December 3, 2011 at 5:13 amI loved Kirsten, for her combination of Little House on the Prairie and Scandinavian roots. My family is Norwegian, and we always make a porridge-like rice pudding for Christmas eve, topped with berry syrup, cinnamon and cream at the table. I love eating it for breakfast leftovers. This looks awesome (and a smidgen healthier)!
Luv What You Do
December 3, 2011 at 5:15 amThat reminds me of my favorite Crockpot Breakfast Porridge recipe with rice oats and tons of other grains. I haven’t made a batch yet this season.
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
December 3, 2011 at 5:18 amThis is great!! Love the recipe 🙂
Kath
December 3, 2011 at 5:39 amI loved Kirsten too – she was my first AG doll!
Lindsay @ Nourish
December 3, 2011 at 7:42 amLove it!! Would never think to use wild rice. Can’t wait to try this!
Stephanie Murphy
December 3, 2011 at 8:10 amAaahh this porridge seems sure to hit the spot. My breakfasts are always sweet, warm, and cozy pretty much all year round!
I too loved all things American Girl in my childhood. I recently received the Christmas catalogue in the mail, and flipping through brought back all of the memories.
Joelle (on a pink typewriter)
December 3, 2011 at 8:47 amI used to adore the American Girl dolls! I wanted to be just like Molly. 🙂 I totally had the cookbook too!
Evan
December 3, 2011 at 8:53 amYum! How comforting.
American Girl Dolls were my jam, too! Samantha was my favorite, despite my blonde hair and blue eyes (for me, the grass was greener on the other side), but there was a little hidden food culture in the brand that I loved. Petit fours, tiny tea sandwiches – the Victorian food of Samantha’s story pulled me in. I guess that’s why Fanny’s Last Supper is one of my favorite epicurean reads of late?
Jessica @ The Process of Healing
December 3, 2011 at 9:06 amPorridge… maybe I’m special too because that sounds delicious! I remember when I first made “vegetable soup” by combining lots of canned veggies in a pot. It’s proof of my grandmother’s love that she tried it and deemed it delicious… because I’m pretty sure it was most definitely not.
Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous
December 3, 2011 at 10:00 amI love anything in the crockpot, so simple!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope
December 3, 2011 at 12:06 pmThat looks amazing! I love how thick/dense it looks. Crockpot meals are the perfect winter comfort foods!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
December 3, 2011 at 1:54 pmI know your grandma is from MN…land of wild rice. I grew up eating tons of it (grew up in MN) and it reminds me of my childhood. Your version looks wonderful and brings back great memories!
Moni'sMeals
December 3, 2011 at 4:29 pmFantastic! Who is not down with Porridge, huh!?
Crockpot=brilliant. 🙂
alicia
December 3, 2011 at 9:30 pmloved american girl dolls!! i wanted to be josefina.
Emmy (Wine and Butter)
December 4, 2011 at 1:57 amHi Jenna – this is off topic but I made your rustic mushroom stuffing for our belated Thanksgiving meal yesterday. it was so fabulous and was (with the cranberry sauce!) prob my favourite part of the whole meal. Seriously considering making it for dinner this week (my husband will inform me its a SIDE but I wont care!) ALl your readers should make it!!!
kristen @ verbs and vignettes
December 4, 2011 at 10:21 ami got hooked on farro when ashley from the edible perspective shared her recipes.
rice is a completely different story, and i can’t wait to try it this way. my mom used to make rice for me, like her mom made for her. warmed up the morning after, with milk and sugar on top. it seems like such an old, comforting breakfast, just like you said. 🙂
Liz
December 4, 2011 at 2:57 pmThat looks delicious. I don’t think I can “whole hog” here … oatmeal has health benefits which wild rice, unfortunately, does not. (Yes, true wild rice has a number of great nutrients, but not the particular benefits I want.) I think I am going to try this recipe, but with steel cut oats!
Liz
December 4, 2011 at 6:34 pmThat was supposed to be “GO whole hog here.”
Ruth
December 4, 2011 at 8:40 pmThank you for this post/recipe! I was obsessed with Kirsten when I was little – and definitely made her porridge many times 🙂 And I probably served it to my family wearing a dress that looked like hers! I can’t wait to try this out (thought I’ll stick with my normal clothes this time)
amy walters, aDESIGNdock
December 5, 2011 at 6:18 amI love the jadeite bowl! I just finished eating a bowl of oatmeal out of a little one like this…pretty dishes always make things more tasty!
Deborah
December 5, 2011 at 8:25 amI adored American Girls when I was little – and I love how all the toys from our childhoods are now popular again! I never liked any kind of hot cereal as a child, but thank goodness my tastes have changed! This looks awesome!
Bree
December 5, 2011 at 9:58 amThanks for posting this one! I’m in the middle of studying for finals and it was so easy to just throw everything into the crock pot and let it go. The only thing I would say is not to swap out the milk for soy milk. It separates instead of making it creamy.
Liz
December 5, 2011 at 7:19 pmLooks great! 🙂