Rice Pudding

Many people in my family have signature desserts. They're the desserts that everyone is asked to bring to every family event because they're SO good and because it just wouldn't be a family event without them. If you're looking for Cherry Cheese Pie, then you should talk to Maureen. If it's Carrot Cake you want, I'm your man. And if you're in the mood for Rice Pudding, without a doubt, your "go to" person is definitely my sister-in-law, Marianne. She's the authority! And her Rice Pudding is the best you'll ever taste!
Thanx Mare!

1/2 gallon whole milk (8 cups)
1 cup rice, Carolina long grain
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Remove milk mixture from heat. Add egg mixture to milk mixture slowly, whisking while you add so the eggs won't scramble. Let cool. (It will thicken as it cools.) Add cinnamon if desired.

Tips from Mare:
I've had a few times when it didn't thicken up so I put it back on the stove for a few minutes at simmer and just kept stirring it. Most times that will do the trick.
When making the milk and rice mixture, I think the key is to let it come to a fast boil (stir often) over medium heat and then once it comes to a fast boil, lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. I start mixing the eggs, sugar and vanilla when the milk mixture has simmered 25 minutes, figuring that it will take me 5 minutes to mix everything up. Also, mine NEVER thickens when I make a double batch.

Tip from Joey:
If you add the egg mixture too quickly to the hot milk mixture, you'll end up with scrambled eggs. To prevent this from happening, you should temper the egg mixture first. This simply means to gradually warm the egg mixture by slowly adding some of the hot milk mixture in a few small amounts. After you add a little of the hot milk to the eggs, then you're free to stir the two mixtures together and your eggs will be less likely to scramble.