Lee Greenwood's Favorite Dessert

More than 30 years ago, my mom found a recipe in the newspaper for "Lee Greenwood's Favorite Dessert" (you know, the guy who sang "God Bless the USA"?). 

God bless the USA... and this dessert!

It was so good that we have made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every single year since. And even though it is so flippin' good, we only make it those two times each year -- it makes it more special that way!

I think most people call it "Chocolate Delight", but at our house, it will always be "Lee Greenwood".

So by popular demand, here's the recipe for Lee Greenwood!

I don't know how many this serves. Five, six, ten? It depends on how hungry you are. I make it for five people and there's about half leftover so I guess 10 folks or so.

I also don't know any kind of nutritional information because when it comes to Lee Greenwood, I don't care if it has a jillion calories. But if you are watching your weight, you can always use fat-free/sugar-free instant pudding, low-fat milk, and reduced fat Cool Whip. In fact, this is how I make mine every year and it tastes just as good as the full fat kind

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

1 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1 1/4 sticks of butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine ingredients. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (I use the disposable aluminum kind so I can just toss it when the goodness is gone . Bake @ 325 degrees for about 13 minutes. Now I say "about" becuase here's the deal with the crust. It is a delicate thing. You don't want it too "done" or else your pecans will taste all burnt and nasty. You have to watch it very carefully Take it out of the oven when the top of the crust starts looking "dry". Seriously don't overcook it. Then cool the crust completely (like in your fridge) or else the next part won't work right.

Layer One:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

12 oz. Cool Whip

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well until blended. Then fold in the Cool Whip with a spoon or rubber spatula-thing. You have to fold in the Cool whip by hand because if you mix it in with a mixer, it messes it up. Don't ask me why, it just does. Spread mixture over cooled crust.

Layers Two and Three:

2 small boxes of chocolate instant pudding

2 small boxes of vanilla instant pudding

Make pudding according to "pie directions" on the box. That basically means you make each box with 1 1/3 cups of milk. Now the thing that is important about this is you have to make each box separately. Again, I don't  know why, but it makes a difference in the taste. Hey, I don't argue with Lee Greenwood -- we've been making this for over 30 years. You make the chocolate pudding first, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 3 minutes. When it just starts to set, pour it on top of the cream cheese/Cool whip layer. Repeat for the second batch of chocolate pudding. Then you make the vanilla pudding (again, one at a time) and put it on top of the chocolate layer. Then stick the whole thing in your fridge and let it get nice and cold. I usually make mine the night before: any recipe that has nuts in it has a better flavor the next day. That's it!

This dessert is so good that your tongue will jump out of your mouth and slap you upside the head. Seriously. I hope this becomes your favorite dessert too!

Oh, and if anyone knows Lee Greenwood, can you ask him if this really is his favorite?

Doesn't that just look like a big old messy pile of goodness?

"30 Days to Christmas: Procrastinator's Editions 2014" Review

Are you a procrastinator? I know I am and I always have been. Even as a kid, I would put off everything: homework, class projects, cleaning my room. I wish I could say I have changed since then, but nope -- I am still the worst about putting off until tomorrow what I should be doing today.

Sometimes in everyday life, this is OK. However, holidays are not a great time for procrastination. This is why I find myself fighting the crowds at the store at the last minute! So I am super-excited for this awesome ebook 30 Days to Christmas: Procrastinator's Edition excerpt from one of my favorite sites, ListPlanIt.

This is an eBook intended for anyone who has a hard time getting started early on Christmas planning (like me!) or just prefers to wait until the holiday season is in full swing.  It includes a companion workbook containing 15 interactive lists that help you keep track of gifts, your holiday menu, craft projects, and more. It even has a list to help you keep track of your gift-wrapping supplies (Am I the only one who gets ready to wrap only to find that I am out of tape? I NEED this list!).

I am loving this book. It breaks down what normally could be daunting tasks into manageable days. But it's not just about things to do -- this book reminds you to slow down and enjoy the little things like watching a holiday movie or looking at holiday lights. It even makes time for charity which is what the season is all about!

But my favorite part have to be the lists. I am all about lists, and these are fab. I can keep track of my gift-giving budget, addresses for my card list, and my Christmas cookie ingredients list all in one place.

And right now, if you purchase this ebook, you can get 25% off a membership at ListPlanIt which is an amazing site. If you need lists to keep your life in order, you can find them at ListPlanIt!

Check out an excerpt from 30 Days to Christmas: Procrastinator's Edition here!


Ready to order? Click here!

Disclosure: This book was provided to me for free for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission.

Gobble 'Til Ya Wobble Chalkboard Signs

It's almost turkey time!

Every year, I host Thanksgiving here at my house. Even though I am only cooking for 5 people, I make enough food for at least twice that so the saying "Gobble 'Til Ya Wobble" takes on real meaning this time of year!

I used the Deflecto wet-erase easels and chalk markers to make these fun Thanksgiving-themed easels showing my menu and my motto for the day.

I dressed up the first with some pretty ribbon from Webster's Pages and a cornucopia sticker that I mounted on chipboard.

On the second, I attached a little paper-pieced turkey on an embossed background and then put the whole thing on the chalkboard.

These easels are so cool -- the wooden legs are a beautiful wood and the chalkboard surface is a black plastic-like material that you can clean off with just water (which is great if you don't like your handwriting and you have to erase it a hundred times to make it look right... not that I would know anything about that). Those people at Deflecto are geniuses, I tell you!

I hope all of you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Materials used:
Deflecto chalkboard easels and chalk markers (provided by Deflecto)
Ribbon by Webster's Pages
Adhesive by Thermoweb
Sticker unknown
Paper piecing -- this pattern came from an online source but I don't know where! If you know the creator of this pattern, let me know so I can attribute it to him/her! 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.