New Fav: Cream of Rice

In my attempt to eat gluten free (or with minimal gluten), I have been forced to try new foods that I probably would not have otherwise even considered. Yellow squash, zucchini and fresh mushrooms are now a staple in our house. Rice can be found in my pantry at any given moment. Believed it or not, before going on a GF diet, we rarely ate rice! I'm actually intrigued with rice. I would like to experiment with different types to make breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert recipes (rice pudding). Speaking of rice...I recently discovered something that I am now in love with. You've heard of Cream of Wheat, right? Well, Cream of Wheat is obviously no longer on my grocery list due to the gluten in wheat. However, there is such thing as Cream of Rice and it is yummy and versatile. I've discovered that a warm bowl of cream of rice flavored with brown sugar, raisins, a pinch of salt and a smidge of butter is soooo good. Oh, and a splash of vanilla flavored Silk makes this a tiny bit sweeter and creamier. Mmmm....Sometime soon I'd like to make a savory version of cream of rice using breakfast sausage or diced ham, scrambled eggs and a little shredded cheese. I guess cream of rice is somewhat like grits in that you can make it sweet or savory. Thinking of grits makes me think of polenta. I want to try to perfect making mush (polenta) the way Grandpa H liked it. He liked his sliced, pan fried and drizzled with maple syrup. It's interesting how certain foods make you think of certain people.. Grandpa also liked butterscotch pie. When I was a kid there was a lady in my hometown named Lola who made and sold her fabulous homemade pies. Every year for Grandpa's Birthday Mom would phone Lola and ask her to make a butterscotch pie. I didn't care for the butterscotch pie as a kid, but I'd try it again to see if my taste buds have changed. :) I think Mom also made polenta for Grandpa's Birthday. Did we eat polenta and butterscotch pie in the same meal? Sounds weird doesn't it. I'll have to ask Mom about that.