Red Velvet Cake Trifle

I would post a picture of my most recent run of this, but there's none left! Will add one to this post next time. This is such a pretty recipe, especially at Christmas (or if you're a Georgia fan!).

Red Velvet Cake Trifle

1 red velvet cake mix (and ingredients as called for on the box)
1 cup chocolate chips
2 packages cheesecake flavored instant pudding/pie filling
3 cups milk
1 block cream cheese, very soft
12 - 16 oz. whipped cream
chocolate syrup

Line a jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper; mix cake according to package directions; fold in the chocolate chips; pour into the pan and bake until set (about 18 minutes). Cool on a wire rack.

Whisk the pudding mixes and the milk until it begins to thicken. Add the cream cheese to this mixture; stir or whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Once the cake is cool, section it into two halves. One half will be used for this recipe, and the other one can be wrapped in the parchment and plastic wrap for use another time. It can be frozen for several weeks. Cut the half that's being used now into bite-size cubes.

Layer as follows in a large glass bowl, punch bowl or trifle bowl:
- 1/3 of the cake cubes
- 1/3 of the cheesecake mixture
- a good drizzle of the chocolate sauce
- about a cup of whipped cream

Repeat two more times; can garnish with white chocolate curls, red sugar sprinkles, more syrup, cake crumbs, just whatever. Chill until ready to serve; best made the day before.

Here are some other things I've discovered in making this recipe:

- The original called for chopped up Hershey's Treasures chocolates; I found this to be expensive, messy, and difficult to eat because the pieces hardened in the refrigerator. I switched to the syrup and never looked back.
- In a pinch, any complimentary pudding flavor/s could be used (white chocolate, vanilla, even regular chocolate).
- I recently made the following substitution due to lack of the complete ingredient list. It still turned out very yummy! The cream cheese "goo" layer consisted of: 1/2 tub cream cheese icing, 1/2 container spreadable cream cheese, 1 package cheesecake flavored pudding/pie filling, and a little less milk.

Sweetest Thing ...

So, today is our anniversary. We celebrated Friday night with a fun date night -- dinner at a new restaurant, shopping on Market Square, treats from Starbucks on the way home. Tonight, we had Living Christmas Tree practice, so there wasn't much hoopla. I stopped on the way home from school and got Randy a card; he brought me flowers. The kids were watching us exchange these things along with sweet words for each other, and Hudson gets an idea. As we're getting ready to leave for church, he comes to me with a red piece of construction paper. It's folded horizontally like the start of a paper airplane.


The side I see first says: frum Hudson and olivia
There's a heart drawn beneath the words.
I turn it over.
This side says: hape anavasre dad and mom
The d's in dad are in the shape of hearts


Hudson twiddles my hair as I study his effort. So sweet. It was all I could do to keep from crying. I show it to Randy. We thank him for this gift, and I say ...


Me: Hudson do you know what 'anniversary' means?
H: (silence)
H: Ummm, yes! Yes, I do. (with unconvincing giggling afterwards which means he really doesn't know what it means!)
Me: Well, what does it mean?
H: Ummmm ... is it ... (thinking) ... (adding his finger beside his mouth to help with the thinking) ... is it the day you got married?


We all cracked up. He guessed it! And here is his card ...

Tradition

Even before we had kids, Randy and I have taken a Sunday afternoon in late October or early November to go to the mountains. We go other times of the year, too, but those are random and don't count as "the trip". For this excursion, everything is kept simple and the same from year to year. We cookout -- nothing fancy; just some burgers on charcoal. We take pictures -- the obligatory poses beside the creek. And, we marvel at the fall colors -- whether good or not so much.

This year's trip was this past Sunday, and it was perfect! Yummy burgers? Check. Kids in the creek? Check. Fall color? Check. The leaves were so bright they almost hurt my eyes!

Stealing Home

I love to watch O steal home ... she's gotten so much better at it than her first attempt 18 months ago. That time? Head first. But safe! These pics were take at our last tournament of the year this past weekend in Crossville. The pitcher threw a high one, and the catcher missed it; O set out to steal home, and was successful. Our team took 2nd place; so proud of those girls! Randy figured out that we played more than 90 games with the Astros this season. Wow! Can't wait until spring practice begins ...

Got an Author on our Hands

Eager to see how this one will end ...