November 14, 2013

What Happen To Thanksgiving?

Now that Halloween is over, I am sure by now you have seen your first Christmas commercial or been to a store that is already fully stocked with artificial trees, wrapping paper & silver bells ..... BUT I REFUSE TO SKIP THANKSGIVING! It's only two weeks away. Did you forget? I am sorry, but it is as if Thanksgiving has become the red-headed step child of the holidays.
 
I like Thanksgiving.... the whole being grateful for the things you have and the people in your life thing; yeah I kinda like that! Lets not forget the FOOD. I mean, helloooo, I am from the South; we like to eat down here and we like to eat good food.

So to get everyone in the mood and to start thinking Thanksgiving I am posting my favorite holiday recipe. The recipe goes back as far as my mind can remember and has always been one of my favorite family traditions. Nowadays my children enjoy it and my oldest son has become a real pro at making it as well. It has many names here in the deep South, but in our family, we call it:
 
Yum-Yum Cake
 


 
For the Crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of finely minced pecans

First Layer:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)

Second Layer:
2 (3.9 ounce) packages of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of whole milk

Topping:
1-2 cups of Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)
Additional chopped pecans, for garnish, optional
Grated chocolate or Heath bits, for garnish, optional


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together the flour, pecans and butter until mixture resembles cookie dough. Spread into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch glass Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, about an hour.

Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. Add 1 cup of the Cool Whip and mix together. Spread this layer over the cooled crust.

Mix together the two boxes of pudding with the 3 cups of milk until slightly thickened,
about 3 minutes. Carefully spread over the cream cheese layer.

Spread the remaining cup of whipped topping on top. Cover and refrigerate - best if refrigerated 24 hours. Before serving, grate chocolate over the top and sprinkle with additional chopped nuts. Cut into squares.

 
 
 




12 comments:

  1. This looks yummy indeed! My sister, Debbie, makes this at holidays, and it is scrumptious. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment today! Love, Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely my favorite! Sadly it is loaded with calories. :(

      Delete
  2. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving! It means I get to see two of my sisters. This dessert was a childhood favorite - we call it Mississippi Mud Pie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard it called Mississippi Mud as well. :)

      Delete
  3. Hi! Julie, I am a Louisiana girl too. I found you at the Four Seasons Blog Hop. I love this dessert! I have never made it myself. My Mom would always buy it from I think a BBQ place. I can't wait to try your recipe and make it myself. Pinning! Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by Denise! Always good to "see" another Louisiana girl! I hopped on over to your blog and read a few of our fabulous looking recipes.... cant wait to try some of them out. You know we Louisiana girls love our food! :)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous10:21 AM

    this looks so delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I believe I will try this. Looking at the recipe I know it will be delicious.. Thanks for sharing and joining 4 seasons blog hop. Cheers. Pin

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is one of my favorite desserts. We call it Chocolate Dream. It's funny that I love it so much because I hate chocolate pudding. I think it's all about the cream cheese and yummy crust layers. The chocolate is not over bearing. I too love Thanksgiving and haven't started decorating for Christmas yet. At least not physically. I've been doing lots of it in my mind. lol! So happy to have you share with SYC. Happy to be a new follower.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Jann. I have heard this gem of a recipe called so many things over the years, but one thing is for sure..... Delicious is a good word for it! Thanks for following! More to come. :) Julie

      Delete
  7. Looks yummy Julie! Thanx for joining THT.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks delicious!! Can't wait to give this a try:) Lynn @ Turnips 2Tangerines~

    ReplyDelete

Sweet Strawberry Comments