Guest Blogger: Week One!

 I'd like you to meet Cindy, my first guest blogger! Cindy is a local friend who I have known for a couple years now. We met through our FRG and quickly learned we were way too cool not to be friends. Our husband's no longer work together, as Cindy's husband got out of the army recently and my husband switched units, but we stay connected through our love for vampires. She and I can talk for hours about Eric, Jean- Claud, and Damon! Cindy is the proud mama to a beautiful chocolate lab, named Duke.


So, I've never blogged before, but I'm extremely excited to share my recipe for Dirt Cake (it's more like Dirt Pudding) with you all, for my dear friend Christina.  This recipe and many of my other culinary creations have been a hit, but this is my favorite, so, I wanted to share it first.  I feel the need to share with you that many people think this is a kid only dessert, but I can tell you that adults get just as excited if not more about it.  The picture that accompanies this recipe is from after two days of making a whole lot of dirt!  I wish I would have taken a picture of all of my creations that day but I've somehow only allowed myself this one picture, so I'll just have to describe the rest. 

When asked by a good friend of mine to make the "other dessert" for a wedding reception, I was completly horrified.  How could I make something that wouldn't compete with the cake but give those folks who don't like cake an alternative.  So I decided I'd do dirt.  With two weeks to plan and execute a dessert to feed at least 50 - 60 people, I started planning.  After much thought and scouring the internet for various different serving presentations I settled upon a flower pot.  When buying said flower pot at Walmart, it is extremely recommended that you purchase the ones without the drain holes in the bottom, but if that is all they have, layer tin foil in the bottom of the flower pot and it should prevent any drainage.  I also decided for the kiddo's that I would make them individual little cups (styrofoam cups) with lots of worms.  Many of the adults decided they wanted these because of the fact that they got to eat worms. All in all I made two flower pots, and 30 individual cups for the reception,  I've never had so many compliments on one dessert in my life.  There is nothing special to this recipe it's all about how you execute it, there are many different variations to it, but I enjoy this recipe the best. 

Dirt Cake! 

1 to 1 1/4 lb. pkg. Oreo cookies

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

3 cups milk

1 (12 oz.) tub Cool Whip (can use chocolate)

2 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla or chocolate pudding

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 gummy worms and/or other critters

Serving size: roughly 10 - 12 servings (depending on how big your bites are)

Make Pudding mix as per box directions, allow it proper time to cool before you begin the following steps.

Crush Oreos. Put 1/3 of the crushed Oreos into a new, clean flower pot. Set aside.

Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar and vanilla together. Set aside.

Combine milk and pudding mix. Fold Cool Whip into the pudding.

Fold together pudding mixture and butter-cream cheese mixture.

Layer this mixture (about 1/3 of it) onto the crumbled cookies in the pot. Next, add another layer of the pudding mixture, then another layer of cookie crumbs, continuing until all ingredients are used.

As you're layering the ingredients, decoratively place several gummy worms and critters in the "soil" so they will be seen emerging. If you have a toy (clean) garden trowel, a plastic daisy, or some edible flowers, these can also be used creatively to embellish the presentation.

Chill in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serving.