I don't miss LA

On Saturday morning, Jurisslave and I got up way too early so we could head up to Los Angeles for our friend NotMya's baby shower.  The drive up was pretty uneventful, but we arrived over 30 minutes only due to some miscommunication.

I know NotMya from our college days, and Jurisslave knows her from law school.  It was nice for both of us to catch up with our respective group of friends. Being in San Diego means we don't always see much of our friends who stayed in LA.

As the shower wound to a close, we got back in the car to make the trip home.  Which was awful.  It took us 2 hours to get there, and 4 to get home.  Jurisslave brought Jurissbaby with us, who was quick to let us know how unhappy she was to spend so much time in the car in the only way a 6 month old can.  At one point, Jurisslave turned to me and said that if NotMya has another baby, we'll just send a card.

There's something so homey about...being home.  It's safe, familiar, the cars move on the freeways... Kind of like a pudding.  If you think about it, sticking a pudding in a child's lunch box is a way to send home to school with them.  And it's something we carry with us our whole lives.  Doesn't a spoonful of pudding always bring you back?  For me, tapioca pudding has that same safe, familiar feeling of being home.  Even though it is nothing I grew up with.  This tapioca cream is a little more liquidy than your typical pudding, but still brings the comfort.  Which is especially nice when you've spent long hours in the car with a crying infant.

 

Tapioca Cream (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

3 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1/8 tsp salt

5 Tbsp sugar

2 cups milk

2 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix the tapioca, salt, 3 Tbsp of sugar, milk, and slightly beaten egg yolks in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 6 minutes until the mixture comes to a full boil; remove from the heat.
3. Beat the egg whites until foamy.
4. Slowly add the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar to the egg whites and continue beating until stiff but not dry.
5. Slowly stir the whites into the hot tapioca mixture.
6. Add the vanilla and blend.