When I was a little girl, my Sweet Mama would make tapioca pudding sometimes as a special treat. I loved it! Of course, it was sweet, and I liked anything sweet, so! I guess it was a simple enough dessert, and the milk and eggs were plentiful on the farm. I remember Mama filling a big dish of it, sometimes layering it with bananas and whipped cream. So, so good!
A few months ago, on a perfectly ordinary day, my youngest sister give me this:
I am not quite the Southern Gospel fan that she is, but let me tell you!
These gals and guys know how to cook!
So I’ve been happily perusing through it,
enjoying the stories and thinking about the recipes.
On Sunday, thinking about what to take for our potluck dinner at church,
I decided to add some tapioca pudding to the double layer chocolate cake that I was taking.
The cake was a special request from one of the teens at church
who is getting ready to go away to college.
(Don’t you just love it when someone helps you decide what to take to potluck?
I certainly do!)
So I thought maybe I would try to make the tapioca just a little extra special
and use the one that was in my cookbook.
The artist that contributed it told of making it in honor of her deceased mother,
and serving it at a surprise meal for her family.
It sounded so yummy!
So I got busy and followed the directions to a “T.”
The only thing I did differently was to stir in a small container of Cool Whip
Just before putting it into the serving container.
It really was a hit.
When someone asked me about my recipe,
I told them that I had gotten it out of the Homecoming Cookbook.
“How does that differ from what is on the box?” They asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered, truthfully. “I didn’t even look at the box directions.”
So I came home and grabbed the directions that were on the box, and —
THEY WERE EXACTLY THE SAME!
Even the parts about “Put into medium saucepan, etc. etc. etc.”
Huh!
Oh, well.
I really am a cook the uses recipes for almost everything.
And I’m always glad to find a recipe that “works” so that I can have fairly guaranteed results most of the time.
So, “Back of the Box Fluffy Tapioca Pudding” you are the best recipe ever for Tapioca Pudding.
Modified, of course, with an eight ounce tub of Cool Whip for each double batch.
Delaware Grammy 
Sounds so good!! Don’t know WHEN I’ve eaten tapioca pudding, and I DO like it.
I never thought of putting Cool Whyip in. That’s a good idea. I like tapioca pudding, but some of my kids won’t eat it. They call it fish eyes. Lol.
Good chuckle this morning. Mary I love the way you write! You have a great day there at Shady Acres.
That’s so funny! My kids love tapioca pudding. My mom-in-law never made her own, but always had some Snack Pack in her cupboard. My son called it “pud” (rhymes with good).
looks good-I like a bbq place that makes banana pudding with vanilla cookies and nannas -it’s so sweet !
My Mom made tapioca pudding too(with the cool whip),she also made the best caramel pudding(with cool whip on top and sometimes she would grate 5th avenue bars and sprinkle them on top.Yum!Now I’m hungry!