Tapioca Ice Cream

So I would like to be a real, live, grown-up food blogger someday, but before I can be that, there are a few things I need to get, be, and do.

First and foremost, I need a light for my photos. I know it. I could fake it a little last year when I lived in a warm, bright place by taking my food outside. But here in grey, rainy Oregon? Not a chance. In fact, here in grey, rainy Oregon I need two lights. One for my photos, and one for myself.

I would also like, although I do not NEED need, some cooking gadgets. You know, things like pasta makers and ice cream freezers (although lucky for me, you don't need one to make ice cream!). Stuff that makes making cool stuff easier. You know, like that kind of stuff.

But what I really need in order to be a real, grown-up food blogger, to be a real, grown-up cook, really, is to make up my own recipes.

Easier said than done. There are so many incredibly delicious things out there that people have already made! I could spend my whole life copying other people and eat well every single day. Did you know, for example, that this exists?

But hey, I can be creative too. And while I'm being creative, you know what sounds good? Tapioca ice cream.

So I made it. It was an experiment, and I totally made it. And it was fantastic! The little frog eyes got cooked with the cream and all stirred in with the ice cream. They gave the finished ice cream a really interesting texture. It did come out a little more vanilla-y than I'd have liked, I think more tapioca flavor would have been a good thing. Maybe next time I'll replace some of the cream with homemade tapioca pudding, rather than just adding the pearls.

So yes, cooking. It's a process. And so is blogging. And so is taking photos. And it's all worth doing.

We'll see what comes up next time on...Anna's experiments!

Tapioca Ice Cream

I used this basic vanilla ice cream recipe from the Food Network, and added 2 tablespoons of tapioca pearls to the mixture. Be sure they get plenty of time cooking in the pot!

Then I prepared it, ice-cream maker free, according to ice cream guru David Lebovitz's method.

And then my husband ate every bit of it (this step is optional).