Tapioca Pudding

This month's what's baking challenge had me super excited. I planned on baking one of my family's favorite desserts, however I had to pick our second favorite due to the it being so humid lately. The humidity doesn't help for the Portuguese cookies I had in mind, so my second thought was to make a nice tapioca pudding, this month and then bake the cookies next month.

A little secret about this recipe is it's so easy and so basic, that anyone could make this. Over the years my mother has adapted this recipe so that the pudding is extra creamy. One of the things she has done is use half whole milk, and half skim milk. By doing this she was able to cut back on the fat and calories. Something else she did was add more milk to achieve a creamier texture which has been a great hit in our house. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my brother and I have when we were growing up. Like always Happy Baking!

Recipe Source my mom

***TIP*** Some small pearl tapioca requires a few hours to an overnight soaking in water. Make sure that when you buy your tapioca pearls that you read the package to see if it's an instant tapioca, or what the soaking requirements are.


WHAT YOU'LL
1 cup of small pearl tapioca (Make sure that they have soaked)
4 cups whole milk
3 cups skim milk (you could use all whole milk if you like, we use skim to cut back on the fat and calories)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs beaten
3/4 cup of sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of cinnamon

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

After soaking the tapioca, combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat.

Stir until boiling and then let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Uncovered and allow it to cook at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl.

Mix in some of the hot tapioca into the eggs very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures by doing this you will avoid curdling.

Mix eggs mixture in pan with the rest of tapioca.

Slowly bring mixture barely to a boil, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat and stir several minutes at a low simmer, stirring constantly until you get a nice thick pudding consistency.

Once thick add vanilla and cinnamon and continue to stir until well combined.

Pour into serving dish and serve either warm or chilled.

Sweet Potato and Pecan Pancakes

I can not tell you how excited I was when I found this recipe. As you all know, I'm always looking for ways to get Jonathan to eat more veggies, and I could not tell you when the last time he eat pancakes...that is until now! Mashing up a sweet potato and adding it into this pancake mix is the perfect way to ensure that he gets an added severing of veggies.

My husband stated that this recipe was really good and in his own words "savory" Jonathan stated that they were "yummy, yummy for his tummy" Which makes this mommy, very happy! Drizzle with maple syrup and butter, or serve with a side of fresh fruit.

Happy eating!

Recipe adapted: Cooking Light 2006

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Add AP flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Combine the next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine milk, sweet potato, sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks, stirring until smooth; and then add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form; fold egg whites into batter. Let batter stand 10 minutes.

Heat a nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Coat griddle or pan with cooking spray.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle or pan.

Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

Carefully turn pancakes over, and cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.