Saturday, August 29, 2009

tapioca is not fish eggs

When I picked out our "unselfish" challenge for this week, I thought it would be fairly easy to accomplish. I asked the kids to lend their hands to anyone around them needing help. They are both good helpers, but I've found that being alert to know when to help is harder than it sounds, even for me! Eric is my hero in this area, as he seems to have a special ability to sense when help is needed and is always ready to give it. I'm hoping he'll have some pointers for us as we extend this challenge for another week.

One reason I picked this particular challenge for this week was because it easily lent itself to the help we wanted to give my parents after my mom's recent surgery. We are taking a meal over tonight, and the kids are going to pitch in with a few light chores. A casserole and jello salad are on the menu. A friend brought us this salad after my surgery last month, and it was a hit with everyone until I casually mentioned it was made with tapioca.

"Oh," said Eric, as he set down his spoon.

"What?" I asked, innocently bewildered by his enthusiasm turned to disgust.

"I wish you wouldn't have told me it had tapioca in it. Isn't that fish eggs?"

I don't think Eric was serious, but we have made a good joke about it, and after looking it up I have found that no, tapioca is NOT fish eggs. Here's the recipe if you're brave enough to give it a try. (A big thanks to my friend Amy B. for sharing this recipe with me. Everyone else in the family loves it!)

Orange Jello Salad
1- 3 oz. box orange jello
2- 3 oz. box jello tapioca pudding
3 c. water
1/2 to 1 container Cool Whip

Empty 3 boxes of jello and then add 3 c. of water to pan on stove. Stir and heat. Keep temperature around medium, stirring frequently. Let it come to a rolling boil for 1 min. Remove from stove and cool (not in refrigerator). Once mixture is cool, fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

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