Potted Pudding

When I was young, I loved to bake yummy things for my family (some things never change) and one of the most interesting things I made was something called "Potted Pudding". I found it in an American Girl cookbook that my sister and I had. Not sure of the exact title. (We LOVED American Girl Dolls. So much, that they are packed away in our garage, waiting to be presented to my daughters one day). Anyway, as Spring was starting to make an appearance this year, (and I mean barely starting) I thought it would be really fun to make it for Easter. You can find several recipes on the internet now, (chocolate ones, mint ones, Martha Stewart ones) but here is the one I used.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1813,157164-252204,00.html

You will need:
A new terra cotta flower pot, washed (Best to use a new one so there is no "real" dirt in there. You can also use a plastic one, but I am a little anti-plastic)
Fake flowers (This just makes the dessert a real presentation, but they aren't necessary. I decided to use them since it was a special holiday)
Plastic wrap
1 package of Oreos (Or 2, if you plan on snacking)
8 oz of Cream Cheese
1/2 stick of Butter (that's 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons)
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
2 small boxes of Vanilla Pudding (it seems like a lot, but its needed)
12 oz Cool Whip
Gummy Worms (optional)

Mix the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. It helps to melt the butter a little bit. Add the milk and pudding packets. Then add the whole thing of Cool Whip. Yumm! Place the Oreos in a large Ziplock bag and smash away until they are finely crushed. Children especially like to help with this part. Double up a couple layers of plastic wrap and place over the hole in the bottom of the pot. You don't want any of that deliciousness falling out the bottom. Then pour in some of the crushed Oreos, about 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups. Then some of the pudding mixture. Keep layering like this, making sure to end with the Oreo mixture on top. Make sure you have enough to thoroughly cover the pudding, so that the top looks like "dirt". Refrigerate, overnight or for a couple hours until ready to serve. When you are ready to serve, stick in a few stems of fake flowers and voila! Potted Pudding. I also like to put Gummy Worms in there as well, to add to the effect. This could also make for a good April Fool's joke. When I served it to my family on Easter, my husband was utterly confused as to why I was spooning out the dirt in the centerpiece on the table. Haha!

So, my daughter looks disgusted, but she is actually "smelling" the flowers. She LOVES flowers and/or weeds.

Ew! Worms!

This could be a great thing to make for Easter, April Fools, Springtime, birthdays (instead of cake), brunches or baby showers. It makes a lot, so make sure you have enough people to eat it. We made the mistake of trying to eat it after Easter dinner and we were stuffed!