Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is an easy dessert to make and it is delicious too. Though the ingredients are simple, the flavor is slightly sweet and very vanilla tasting. The texture is creamy and the rice makes it interesting in your mouth. Makes about six 1/2 servings.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 Cups milk. For best results use 1%, 2%, or whole milk. You can use skim milk, but it will burn more easily and won't be creamy.
1/2 Cup long-grain white rice
1/4 granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon.
1/8 teaspoon table salt

1. Put the milk and rice in a medium/large saucepan and set it over high heat. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring gently every 2 minutes. Simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is very thick with mostly the rice and hardly any milk is visible, 30-35 minutes. Remember to scrape down the sides of the pan regularly with the spoon.
2. Toward the end of the cooking, stir more frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking or scorching.  Once the pudding is done cooking, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt, until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour the pudding into a medium bowl. Put a large piece of plastic wrap over the bowl and press it directly onto the surface of the pudding.(to prevent a skin from forming.) Refrigerate until well chilled. You can also eat this warm.

Variations:

• I like to stir in 1/2-2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips 5 minutes before taking the pan off the heat. 
• You can also put some fresh berries on top before serving.
• Sprinkle either cinnamon or ground nutmeg on top before serving.
•  You can stir in raisins 10 minutes after the rice and milk have been cooking, so they will plump up and become somewhat "juicy".

From: William's-Sonoma The Kid's Cookbook