Summer Delight

I was taught this recipe my freshman year of college (who says you never use what you learn in college?!?).  One of my friends had to do a demonstrative speech and we reaped the fruits of her labor by being her guinea pigs for the pracitce round.

This simple, delicious dessert is always a crowd pleaser.  It looks so pretty and tastes so good, but requires no more work than a bit of chopping, stirring and dumping.  I've taken it many times to carry-ins and I'm always asked for the recipe.  It's also very light so you can have ten more than one helping without getting overwhelmed.

Since my freshman year seventeen a few years ago, I have made this dessert countless times.  Every time that my mom was around when I was making or had made it she never failed to ask, "What's this dessert called again?"  To which, I always replied (with less and less patience each time), "I don't know mom.  I just make it."  After the millionth 10th or so time that she asked, I finally just made up the name "Summer Delight".  I couldn't come up with anything more creative and everytime I say it, I think of Afternoon Delight, so I'm open to name suggestions.  Maybe something like Summer Trifle?  But then I'd have to re-train my mom on the name!!!  And I'm not opposed to having dessert ranked up there with "other" delights!

I am not a low-fat, no-fat, low-sugar, no-sugar type girl.  I like sugar.  I like fat.  It tastes good!  Real good!  However, this is one dessert that can easily be converted to all that low/no stuff and still be rather tasty.  Sugar free pudding w/ skim milk and lite cool whip.  I think angel food cake is relatively low fat/sugar, but I could be wrong.  Fruit is fruit...sugar, but the good-for-you kind.  That just leaves the chocolate chips, which you could possibly leave out if you're a Sugar Nazi (story for another time...let's just leave it as one of "those" moms that I encountered at my kids' pre-school), but please don't call it Summer Delight if you do.  Change the name to something way more boring for my sake, please!  Plus, dark chocolate is good for you, right?  Antioxidants and all that.

One last thing...sometimes it's hard to get good strawberries and kiwis in the winter.  Hence SUMMER delight.  I took these pictures with plans to blog back when it was summer.  Early summer, in fact.  I tried other fruit before, but it just didn't have the same ring for me.  You have to have that tarty bite of sweetness that only strawberries and kiwis create together.  I'm sure someone possesing a more distinguished pallette than I could make some suggestions (I'll drink day old coffee, reheated in the microwave and can't tell that much difference from the original stuff, so my pallette isn't up for the challenge of finding substitutions).

Ingredients:

1 lg or 2 sm packages of instant vanilla pudding *

Milk - enough to make pudding according to package instructions

Cool Whip - again, 1 lg or 2 sm *

Angel Food Cake - one, either store bought or homemade

Strawberries - 1 regular rectangular container (what is that, a pint? 2 pints? IDK)

Kiwis - 3-5 depending on size and how much you love kiwi

MINI chocolate chips (you have to buy a bag, but end up using less than half of it...the extras can be eaten by any dark chocolate lover than you know or mailed directly to me)**

*the size of pudding and cool whip probably depend more on your bowl size than anything else.  I usually buy based on whichever size is the best value at the time...it all tastes yummy in the end.

**do NOT be tempted to use regular size chips.  They get cold, hard and stick to your teeth.  Granted, there are worse problems than having chocolate in your teeth, but buying the mini chips is the way to go on this.

In a bowl that will ultimately be large enough to hold the pudding and the cool whip, make the pudding according the package instructions.

While the pudding is setting up in the fridge, clean, hull and slice the strawberries and peel and slice kiwi (or cut into small chunks).

Remove pudding from fridge.  Add  the cool whip, reserving some for topping, and stir to combine.

Now starts the layering.  I like to do 4 because it's easy for me to visually divide everyting into fourths.  If you're taking this to a party and have one of those pretty glass trifle bowls, you'll wanna break it out and be careful/fancy with your layering.  If not, just slop it in there cuz it all tastes the same in the end.

Layer 1: Angel food cake, torn/cut into small chunks/cubes (roughly 1")

Layer 2: Pudding/Cool Whip mixture

Layer 3: Strawberries and Kiwis

Layer 4: a generous sprinkling of Mini Chocolate Chips (maybe 1/8 cup-ish per layer)

**Repeat***

Top with dallops of reserved Cool Whip (but it looks pretty with just the fruit on top too).

Refrigerate.  You could serve right away, but it tastes better after sitting for a few hours or overnight.  The cake soaks up the pudding and the flavors just meld together.

Now's the part where you splash your face with flour and water and act like you've been slaving ALL day, so you get even more credit for your amazing creation!

By the way, anyone notice my slight obsession preference towards writing with strikeouts?  Anytime you can convey sarcasm thru writing, I'm on board! ;)