Creamy Jello Pudding Dessert and Happy Mommies Day!

    Happy Mother's Day!! This has been a SUPER crazy week for me. My Mom had surgery on Monday. I have either been at the hospital or at my parents house all week. I come home to sleep and shower and that's it. So needless to say blogging hasn't been a top priority this week!
     The good news is that Mom is doing well and making progress each day. She had to have hernia surgery (three hernias!!!) They were just another "lovely" side effect from her cancer surgery last summer. However, she can heal now and get back to being on the road to feeling great!
     Mom requested that I make this amazing pudding dessert that we love. So of course she has had a rough week AND it is Mother's Day so I made it (and also gf mac N cheese that she loves)!! Who is going to tell their Mama no on Mother's Day?? Ummmm, not THIS girl!

Creamy Jello Pudding Dessert

1 C. Gluten Free Flour Mix
1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 C. Butter (melted)
2 T. Granulated Sugar
1 (8oz) Package Cream Cheese (softened)
1 C. Powdered Sugar
1 C. Cool Whip
2 (3oz) Packages of Milk Chocolate Instant Pudding
3 C. Milk

First Layer: Mix flour, xanthan gum, granulated sugar, and butter. Spread in a 9x13 in pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to fully cool after baking.

Second Layer: Mix together the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in the one cup of Cool Whip. Spread this over the cooled crust.

Third Layer: Mix the 2 packages of pudding together with the 3 cups of milk. Spread this evenly over the 2nd layer.

Fourth layer: Cover with the remaining Cool Whip from the package.

Optional: Sprinkle chocolate shavings or chopped nuts over the last layer.

Refrigerate.

First Layer: The Crust, don't worry if it cracks like mine did. You are covering it up with yummy other layers and nobody will see the cracks!!

Second Layer: Cream cheesy goodness

When you go to spread the layers on put small globs of the filling on, and then smooth it out. The crust won't be as likely to break if you do it this way.

Connect the globs together to make your layers :)

Third Layer: The chocolate pudding yummyness

Fourth Layer: Cool Whip

I decorated with chocolate shavings. Extra chocolate is always good!

Look at all those creamy layers...yum!

Four layers of amazing creamy chocolaty goodness.

This dessert is pretty easy to make and sooooo yummy and rich. It is a favorite of my family. I hope you enjoy it!!

-Jessica

Red, White, and Blue Sweet Risotto

     I will confess that this recipe doesn't have many pictures to go with it. I had never made risotto before, except for the box stuff that comes with a seasoning packet. I had visions of Chef Gordon Ramsay screaming at me while making my risotto. If you have ever watched Hell's Kitchen, then you know that is about all he does....scream at people, taste their risotto, and yell at them some more because it is a failure. So I was a touch stressed out when thinking of making risotto from scratch. I had no time to grab the camera, I had to STIR!!! However, the end result is sooooooo yummy. I think even Chef Ramsay would approve.
     This recipe was inspired by a recipe that Whole Foods posted on their Facebook page this week. I mostly stuck to their recipe, however I used what I had at home. I used regular sugar, a blood orange, and the milk that was in the fridge. In other words, I didn't go out and buy expensive organic this and that to make this. I did have to go buy coconut milk, that wasn't anything that I had on hand. I also decided that I would use both strawberries AND blueberries in my recipe. The more fruit the better, right? Right! I hope that you like my version.......

Red, White, and Blue Sweet Risotto

6 cups Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup Arborio Rice
Zest and juice of 1 orange (I used a blood orange)
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1-2 cups blueberries, washed

Over medium heat combine the milk, vanilla, and sugar. Warm until simmering and then reduce the heat to low. Keep warm. In a second pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and cook until toasted, stir often to keep from scorching.(3-5 min.). Add the orange zest and juice. Stir constantly until juice is absorbed, then begin adding the milk mixture 1 cup at a time. Let the milk absorb (stirring frequently) and then add another cup until all 6 cups have been added and rice is thick and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk. Let it set for about 5 min. 

In a small bowl, spoon sliced strawberries and blueberries. Top the fruit with risotto and garnish with a few more berries. Serve warm, but also good cold. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Combine milk, sugar, and vanilla. Get this mixture warm before starting the rice.

Stir Stir Stir...........YES CHEF!!!

Put the berries in the bottom of your bowl and top with warm sweet risotto.

Garnish with more berries and enjoy!

 Ommm nommm nommmmm!!

     Be sure to invite some friends over to help you eat this, it is highly addictive if you end up with leftovers. Enjoy!

-Jessica