Bubbles!

Have you ever enjoyed bubble tea?  It's a fun treat.  There are recipes all over the internet, but it's not too hard to improvise, either.

Find large tapioca pearls at an Asian grocery store.  Cook according to package directions (usually some simmering and soaking).  This time I strained the pearls, dropped them into glasses, 

and poured on some strawberry lemonade.

The lemonade was improvised, too.  I mixed it from frozen concentrate (I use A LOT more water than the can suggests, making almost a gallon from 12 oz.), and pureed it with partly thawed frozen strawberries. 

Easy-peasy, and lots of fun! 

The bubbles are slightly gooey and slightly chewy.  They can be scooped up with a spoon, but it's especially fun to slurp them up with a fat straw.  Surprisingly, I haven't been able to find these straws at any of the Asian markets that sell the tapioca.  I finally found some at my local grocer, called "milkshake straws."  Who knew?

We've made several variations so far.  Lauren likes bubbles in hot, sweetened tea.  I've shaken them with jasmine tea, crushed ice, sugar, and cream.  We even imitated a Starbucks drink by mixing lemonade, iced tea, and passion fruit nectar (usually found in the Latino foods aisle).  The sky's the limit--have fun!