Let's Get It Started

Let me start off by stating that I in no way consider myself to be an expert chef or baker, I am simply a girl who enjoys trying things out in her kitchen and seeing what happens.  Sometimes things come together really well and I'm able to create something really delicious and  other times things don't work out quite as well and I discover that recipes and/or techniques require some tweaking before they reach edible status.  But to me that's the fun about cooking, you get to be creative and try out new things and see what develops.

For years friends and family have been asking me to make this or that for them and they always ask me how did you make this?  And my answer to them is always the same......it's really simple to make.  So after having a friend ask me for the umpteenth time how to make a particular dish for them and asking how I make it, I decided to create this blog to share some of dishes I like to make and also show how simple they are to recreate in your own kitchen.  For me cooking shouldn't be stressful, it should be easy and fun so I hope by writing this blog I can take some of the mystery and anxiety out out of the process so that you can be Simply Cooking right along with me.

So the first recipe I'm going to share is one that I have gotten numerous request for during this holiday season and probably one of the easiest to make my Chocolate Trifle.  A trifle is just a layered dessert, what could be more simple than layering ingredients on tops of each other?

 

Chocolate Trifle

Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1 stick of soften butter

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup half-n-half

1 pkg. of JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups of cold half-n-half

2 tubs(8 oz) COOL WHIP, thawed

 

How to Make:

Prepare pudding by adding the 2 cups of cold half-n-half  to the dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk  or electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Place in the fridge to set for 10-30 mins (the longer it's in the fridge the better the pudding will set.  Once pudding has set gently fold in one tub of the COOL WHIP into the pudding mix until fully incorporated.  Place pudding mixture back in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hr.  

 

While pudding is setting up, prepare cake mix according to package directions, replacing the oil with the stick of butter and replacing the water for the 1/2/cup of water and 1/2 cup of half-n-half.  Bake in 13x9-inch or two 8 inch baking pans as directed on package. Cool cake completely and crumble into small pieces.

 

Place half of the crumbled cake in the bottom of a large glass trifle bowl, then layer half of the pudding mix on top of the cake layer and repeat layers with the remaining cake crumbles and pudding mix.  Top with layer of the remaining tub of thawed COOL WHIP. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.     

 

Optional; you can decorate top of trifle with any remaining cake crumbles of crushed up cookies.  Also you can swirl chocolate syrup around the tops and drag a knife through it to create a design.

 

 

Hope You Enjoy and Keep SIMPLY COOKING!!!