Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk, Rum, and Christmas Spices

I don't like white rice. At all. I hate the taste and the smell. I used to like rice. But three-four years ago I ate too much rice and got a stomach ache, a really bad one. Since then I've hated rice.
On Sunday, I felt courageous enough to buy black rice. Which doesn't taste like rice at all. It tastes nutty and is crunchy. I also like risotto rice because it doesn't taste like white rice either. I like black rice. I like risotto rice. White rice, not so much.
So you can be as perplexed as I was when last night I declared "I'm making rice pudding with coconut milk!" (I also don't like coconut milk due to a Thai food poisoning mishap a few years ago). But part of me, the really smart part of me, knew that this was going to be an awesome rice pudding. So awesome that I would enjoy eating rice with coconut milk.
Maybe I was inspired by the fact it's November aka Almost Christmas. And here in Sweden, they eat rice pudding around Christmastime. So maybe I was subconsciously being Swedish and craving a creamy, Christmas-spicy dessert? I become more and more assimilated everyday.

Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk, Rum, and Christmas Spices
I was inspired by Alton Brown's recipe but altered to become the best thing I've ever tasted.

1 cup of uncooked white rice (we had Jasmine rice so I used that)
1 cup of whole milk (plus more as you go, keep the carton nearby)
1 cup of coconut milk
50 grams of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (I used vanilla bean)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of rum

Place your one cup of milk and one cup of rice in a non-stick pot). Bring to a boil with the lid on.  Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, the mixture will begin to thicken so stir frequently.
Then add in your coconut milk, butter, sugar, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and rum. With the heat on medium-low let the mixture simmer with the lid on. Stir occasionally so it won't stick. The mixture will begin to thicken and once it does, taste your rice. If your rice is ready to eat then you can go ahead and serve it. I like it warm.
But, if you had rice like I did and it was still crunchy but you already had a really thick mixture, add some more milk. And let it simmer. Stir and stir. Every time my mixture got really thick and goopey, I added a bit more milk, about 1-2 tablespoons. I would then stir it again and let it simmer. This lasted about 10-15 minutes.
Once your rice is soft (not mushy), remove the pot from the heat and serve into bowls.

It's an incredibly rich and creamy dessert. It's easy to make. It's cheap to make. It's satisfying and indulgent. My husband, who eats rice pudding every Christmas, said it was the best he's ever had. And me, the white rice hater, has a new love for rice. Well, rice pudding at least.