Pumpkin rice pudding

That's right, it's autumn and in my house that means the kitchen will always have the warm sweet smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. I still had a few ziplocks of homemade frozen pumpkin purée and a gallon of milk that was going to expire soon, with the air cold and crisp and me and my boys bundled up in cozy socks and sweaters (I refuse to turn on our heater yet) I decided the best route to take would be to make a rice pudding. As I made my original rice puddin recipe I just tweaked it a bit to give it the pumpkin taste. Louis came home and was delighted at the sight of a warm cup of rice pudding greeting him at the table. 

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2 cups rice

2 cups water

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp pumpkin spice

2 tbsp maple syrup 

2 cups of pumpkin purée 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp orange zest

2 tsp vanilla extract

6-8 cups milk 

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat, pour in the rice and pumpkin pie spice. Pour in the milk/water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil cover the pot and turn the heat to low, let cook until you can see the rice and only a small amount of liquid is left over. Now add in the sugar, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract. Mix it in and break up some of the rice. Add in the extra milk and stir it around so there are no large chunks of rice. Let simmer on low heat until it thickens (about 8-10 minutes). Serve warm and you can sprinkle with a little cinnamon and crushed graham crackers.