• In my house and my grandmas, Christmas Eve is the Most Exciting Time of the Year. And it has nothing to do with presents or mistletoe. We get to see who finds the almond in their rice pudding! The recipient is destined to have good fortune for a whole year. You will need…
• 8 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups rice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup of cream, whipped
• 1 almond

Bring the rice, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a simmer, 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir every few minutes or so. Use a heavy bottomed pot if possible. When the rice is tender and the milk is mostly absorbed, let it cool completely in the fridge. (Or if you’re back-country like me, outside on the porch! Sometimes the fridge is full, ok??? Covered of course.) When the pudding is completely cooled, scrape out the inside of the vanilla pod and add that to the cooled pudding.

When you’re ready to serve, whip up your cream in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold it into the rice mixture in batches. Hide the almond inside someone’s serving, and top with fresh strawberries. Good luck!