FLUFFY TAPIOCA PUDDING WITH TOASTED COCONUT RECIPE, TRIVIA, RIDDLE, INSPIRING STORY, HUMOR
Hello friends!
Super interesting + fascinating + heart line-up for today’s Wednesday.
Beginning with
LESLIE ELMAN’S
Trivia and Fascinating Facts. Who knew what a “dirty snowball” is? And that “starfish” can actually have 10-20-40 arms? Say what?! Fascinating, for sure. Now WE know.
QUICK QUESTION
Name 4 words – with 4 letters that begin with the letter “B”. Tick tock.
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE
Is a super cool read. Made me happy and a little teary eyed all at the same time. I reckon happiness is, indeed, a choice and in the fiber of our beings. Even in the hardest imaginable situations.
HOW MANY CHANNELS DID WE HAVE ON OUR TELEVISION SET WHEN I WAS A KID
I can answer that super fast. There were 2. Channel 2 and Channel 8. That was that and that was it. Ha. And we were grateful.
And if I fell asleep on the couch on the weekend watching TV – the Star Spangled Banner song played exactly at Midnight. Not with a great singer singing. Just outdated instrumental music and segued to a screen of snowy stuff and loud white-noise before going off-the-air for the night.
Nothing woke me up from the couch as fast as the Star Spangled Banner to run and turn the TV off before the white-noise started.
Ahhh, memories.
FLUFFY TAPIOCA PUDDING + TOASTED COCONUT RECIPE
As I wrote in the start-point of the recipe that I’ve been craving tapioca pudding. I love it. Can’t remember the last time I’ve had or, better yet, made it.
I recall when my sisters and I were young – early grade school years – our mom would often have a giant bowl of tapioca made and in the fridge for an after-school snack. OMG! We jumped with joy and gathered bowls and spoons and thought in our minds – best part of today is happening NOW!
So — I called my mom and asked her what her tapioca pudding recipe was/is. Because I don’t have it in my recipe box.
She said, “The recipe on the back of Kraft’s Minute Tapioca Box.”
I chuckled, “Really?”
“Yes, really, Cher. Doesn’t get any better, quicker or easier than that recipe.”
So there we have it everyone.
Additionally, Mom also made toasted coconut to accessorize the tapioca pudding which was/is absolutely FANTASTIC! Takes it to higher level of greatness.
I know – because it’s tapioca season – I’m so gonna make a big batch around here. And enjoy the tapioca and the childhood memories.
TRACY BECKERMAN’S COLUMN “CHIP OFF THE OLD TOOTH”
Is a hoot. Such a talented writer of fun and slice-of-life-humor I totally relate to.
THANKS ONE AND ALL
For sliding by and giving us a read and comment hugs. Grateful
HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR WEEK
We’ll catch ya Friday.
So much happy coming this Friday!
Valentine’s ideas from Stephanie and a recipe or 2 + a Behind-the-Scenes story you won’t read anywhere else.
The debut of FILM CREW 101 stories in our 5 for Friday episodes. The second Friday of each month!
POP QUIZ
- WHAT DO THE LIBERTY HOTEL IN BOSTON, THE FOUR SEASONS ISTANBUL AT SULTANAHMET AND THE HOTEL KATAJAMOKAKA IN HELSINKI HAVE IN COMMON?
a) Biggest hotels in their cities
b) Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
c) Housed in former prisons
d) Oldest hotels in their cities - ASTRONOMER FRED WHIPPLE USED THE TERM “DIRTY SNOWBALLS” TO DESCRIBE WHICH CELESTIAL OBJECTS?
a) Asteroids
b) Comets
c) Planets
d) Stars - THE FIRST OFFICIAL WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES WERE HELD IN 1924 IN WHICH COUNTRY?
a) Austria
b) France
c) Norway
d) Switzerland
QUICK QUESTION
NAME 4 FOUR-LETTER WORDS THAT START WITH A “B”
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- Boston’s Liberty Hotel, the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet in Istanbul and Helsinki’s Hotel Katajanokka are housed in former prisons.
- Astronomer Fred Whipple used the term “dirty snowballs” to describe the structure of comets.
- The first official Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
~ Copyright 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE
And the story goes like this:
A 92-year old, petite, well poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing facility today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing facility, he smiled sweetly when the room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, the director of the facility provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that been hung on his window.
“I love it,” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mr. Jones, You haven’t seen the room – just wait.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged — it’s how I arrange it in my mind.”
“I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories stored away just for this time in my life.”
Old age is like a bank account.
You withdrawl from what you’ve put in.
~ courtesy and with permission
poeticexpressions.uk.co
Thanks! Mike and the team
IT’S HARD TO BEAT A PERSON WHO NEVER GIVES UP
~ BABE RUTH ~
HOW MANY CHANNELS WERE THERE ON THE TELEVISION WHEN YOU WERE A KID?
RIDDLE ME THIS
I HAVE CITIES, BUT NO HOUSES. I HAVE MOUNTAINS, BUT NO TREES. I HAVE WATER, BUT NO FISH.
WHAT AM I?
TAPIOCA PUDDING TOPPED WITH A SPLASH OF WHIPPED CREAM + SPRINKLING OF TOASTED COCONUT
I’ve had this childhood favorite on the brain for the past week or more. For whatever reason, I’ve not had it in a bazillion years – and haven’t made it in an even longer time. I called my mom to get her recipe and here it is.
The toasted coconut sprinkled on top of the pudding is an absolute must if you’re a coconut fan.
FLUFFY TAPIOCA PUDDING
From the back of the Kraft Minute Tapioca Box:
- 1 egg, separated
- 6 TBSP sugar, divided
- 3 TBSP Minute Tapioca (make sure you shake the box before measuring)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp real vanilla
BEAT
Egg white in a medium size bowl with a hand mixer on high until foamy. Gradually beat in 3 TBSP sugar until soft peaks form.
MIX TOGETHER
Tapioca, milk, egg yolk and remaining 3 TBSP sugar in a medium size sauce pan. Let stand 5 minutes.
TURN STOVE BURNER ON MEDIUM HEAT
Bring to a full boil (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirred) and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Remove from burner.
Add whipped egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
Let sit/set for about 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled with a dallop of whipped cream (real or from a squirt can) and a nice sprinkle of toasted coconut over all.
HERE’S HOW WE MAKE TOASTED COCONUT:
OVEN METHOD OR TOASTER OVEN
Preheat oven to 325*
Place desired amount of shredded coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet or in pie tin.
Bake 3 – 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so to help flakes toast.
Remove from oven when coconut is toasted to your liking.
Store remaining toasted coconut in a small sandwich Ziplock bag or on the counter top to nibble on throughout the day!
((PRO TIP))
Go ahead and make more toasted coconut to have on hand for adding to morning cereal – hot or cold – scoop of ice cream in a bowl or wherever your fun culinary imagination takes ya!
RIDDLE ANSWER
A MAP
LOST IN SUBURBIA
A CHIP OFF THE OLD TOOTH
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
After making it through the challenges of Thanksgiving, the trials of Black Friday, and the marathon of Christmas and New Year’s, I chipped a tooth brushing my teeth.
I’d have to say that typically I am not an aggressive tooth brusher. I have an electric toothbrush. (Unlike my Roomba, which seems to have anger management issues. But that’s another column.) Since I didn’t do it and the toothbrush didn’t do it, I had to assume it was just one of those things that happens when you get into midlife that defy explanation … like when you throw your back out putting on socks, or sprain your earlobe getting out of bed.
When you’re a kid and lose a tooth, it’s a cause for celebration. Everybody cheers and the tooth fairy comes and stuffs money under your pillow, and if you’re lucky, and the missing tooth is in the front, you can spit milk out the hole at your sister. But when you’re an adult, nobody cheers except the dentist, who is going to make some serious dough fixing your chipped tooth.
That is, of course, assuming your dentist is in town so he could fix your chipped tooth.
But mine was not. Mine was on vacation all week, somewhere far away, where a semi-hysterical, 59-year-old woman wouldn’t bother him with a chipped tooth emergency.
The good news was, the chipped tooth wasn’t causing me any pain. However, the gaping void in my mouth made me look like a witch, or perhaps a pirate, or my Great Uncle Hymie from the old country who didn’t believe in climate change or dentists. While this look would have been great for Halloween, it was not so great for my regular, post-Halloween, work-related Zoom calls. It was my center front tooth, on the bottom, where everyone could see that I had a chipped tooth when I talked. And if I didn’t talk, they might suspect something was up when I smiled and they saw my tongue escaping through a hole in my teeth.
Realizing this could be a distraction on my calls, I tried to think of someway to temporarily overcome the problem. I recalled that when my kids were younger and had braces, they would occasionally use a form of dental wax to help with the discomfort. I thought that if I got some of this dental wax and molded it into the shape of a tooth, I could use it to fill the chip. It was a good idea, in theory but the problem was, when I stuck it to my tooth, it wouldn’t stay put and I kept swallowing it.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said to my husband. “I keep swallowing my dental wax.”
“So just use more,” he replied.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve swallowed so much wax I think I might be growing a candle in there. Or a box of crayons.”
“I’m sure it’s harmless,” he said. “But if it bothers you, don’t use it.”
“But I’m going to look really funny on my video calls.”
“Honey, I know it seems like a big deal to you,” he said. “But I didn’t even notice until you told me.”
I looked in the mirror and smiled. I looked like a hockey player.
“Are you sure?” I said.
“Absolutely,” he said, staring straight at my mouth. “I always tell you the tooth, er, truth.”
~ Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller,
“Barking at the Moon: A story of Life, Love, and Kibble.”
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
Fascinating Stuff
FASCINATING STUFF
- Opened in the year 705, Koshu Nishiyama Hot Spring, Keiunkan is the world’s oldest hotel still in existence. That’s nearly 1,320 years of operation, under the supervision of 52 generations of the same family owners. The inn’s founder, Fujiwara Mahito, chose the location in Japan’s Yamanishi Prefecture for its therapeutic hot springs, which still bubble to the surface for guests today.
- The modern snowblower originated in Canada. In 1870, civil engineer Robert Carr Harris of New Brunswick patented the “railway screw snow excavator” for removing snow from railroad tracks. Ontario inventor Orange Jull patented another snow removal machine in 1884, but the modern road-clearing snow machine we know and appreciate today was patented in the 1920s by Quebec by businessman Arthur Sicard, whose namesake company still manufactures snow-removal equipment.
- His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco competed in bobsleigh at five Winter Olympic Games: Calgary (1988), Albertville (1992), Lillehammer (1994), Nagano (1998), and Salt Lake City (2002). In 2005, he became Monaco’s sovereign and gave up his dreams of Olympic gold, but not ties to the Olympics. He’s a member of the International Olympic Committee and his wife, Princess Charlene, swam for her native South Africa at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
- Because starfish aren’t fish, marine biologists prefer to call them sea stars — even though they’re not always traditionally star-shaped. Most have five arms, but many have 10, 20 or even 40, and if they lose one, it will grow back. A sea star doesn’t have a brain; its arms contain its central nervous system. It doesn’t have blood either. Filtered seawater circulates through its body.
~ COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Tapioca pudding! I haven’t thought of it in a while, but it used to be one of my childhood favorites. My mom made it straight from the package too and your reminding me of this delicious delicacy and how easy it is to produce – well, I’m starting to crave it already. PS – I like your additions of whipped cream and toasted coconut.
Great artwork too!
Feb 7, 2024 I was reminded when reading Daymaker today when a friend had called me several years back with a concern that she’d heard I had NO appetite. “Surely you can think of something that would taste good?” she asks. “Well, there is. If you could fly my mom in from heaven to make her delicious tapioca pudding with whipped cream and toasted coconut, MMMM-MJMM I think that would do it.” Do you know my friend went into her high speed cooking mode and was standing at my front door with tapioca in hand that very day. As I look back on it, it took 3 events that lifted my taste buds. 1) The memory of my mom’s cooking. 2) The tapioca, whipped cream and toasted coconut. 3) And a sweet friend who cared deeply.
Bird,born,blue,bury!
Hahaha
EXCELLENT B Words, Chris!
On the fly — I came up with Bell, Boot, Bird, Bush! How ’bout that for fast thinking? Ha
Thanks for reading and sharing!