What Happens When Strawberries and Blueberries Get Married?

that’s easy…they create this delicious trifle

Happy 4th of July week readers, all three of you, well, four if you include my mom. I hope this post finds you rested from the weekend and looking forward to the mid-week holiday.

This writer actually has some really great memories of the 4^th of July…fireworks, homemade ice cream, Disney World.

Wait, what?

I know, I know, Scott and I (and about 20 of our good friends) decided it would be a GREAT idea to take our kids to Disney World in the dead of July and simultaneously play in a baseball tournament. Since I’m telling the story, I get to say it first, it WASN’T my IDEA and it WASN’T a great IDEA, but we will reserve blame and judgment until the culprits come forward and confess.

The good news is we won the tournament.

That’s not really good news when I think about how blooming hot it was, and we nearly got caught in a hurricane.

Well, that’s kind of a stretch. A bad storm came up during the game and they made everyone, and by EVERYONE, I mean EVERYONE at the ballpark take cover in a cinderblock bathroom.I thought we were headed to Kansas with Dorothy and Toto in a cinderblock bathroom.

You would think Mr. Disney World could do a little better than what felt like a cinderblock Port-O-John stuffed with 100 people, kind of like when I sometimes have to stuff myself into some Spanx when I have to dress up really fancy.

I’m sure glad that’s not very often, but when I do, boy do I feel sorry for those Spanx.

Anyway, Disney World truly is the most magical place on earth, in fact, it’s so magical that it magically removes all the money from your bank account.

David Copperfield…Walt Disney…one and the same.

Does anybody remember what in the cat hair I’m supposed to be writing about?

Wait. I scrolled up and it’s a 4^th of July trifle that you will love more than you love my salsa.

I’m back.

Listen, this recipe was handed down from my great grandmother, Hattie Tarver, and it will quickly become one of your “go-to’” recipes when you need something quick and delicious.

Wait. I forgot the four people reading this blog are my family and they know my great grandmother didn’t pass this recipe down any more than I’m a backup dancer for JLo. I mean, I don’t think they had condensed milk out on the prairie, which is where Granny Tarver lived, so that is a real big stretch.

But it sounded vintage and nostalgic, though.

This Double Berry Trifle (I just made that name up while I was typing) is kind of made up by me, as well. Except with this recipe, I stayed in the kitchen ALL DAY perfecting the ingredients and measurements.

Isn’t that what my Food Network idol, Barefoot Contessa does? I bet she has someone to clean her bowls for her, though.Unlike me, who just had Scott licking the spoon at the end, so that’s kind of like someone doing the dishes for you.

He probably put it back in the drawer after he licked the filling off, but that’s not what this blog post is about either. I truly can’t take my randomness today.

Double Berry Trifle…here we go…this recipe is super easy and can really be mixed with any fruit you would like.

Listen, I will feature trifles on my blog for nearly every holiday, because, well, they are delicious, easy and you can make them really festive. Sometimes, I even use different containers to make it look like I spent a lot of time on preparation.

For instance, I use mini-mason jars sometimes, for showers and parties, and just layer away.

One time, when my son allowed me to have the prom dinner party at our house, me and my preparation tribe actually layered the trifles in wine glasses.

Talk about a preez-EN-ta-TION! The kids loved them! I’ll have to try and do that again soon so you will be inspired to host the prom dinner party at your house.

That’s probably not enough to inspire you to have that momentary lapse in your good judgment, but you might want to make them one night for your family, as a special treat, you know, after you were kind of in bad mood and lost your temper over some small nuance, and maybe you want to make up.

Yeah…that sounds easier than feeding nearly 50 teenagers a sit-down dinner.

I made a Betty Crocker WHITE cake mix, straight from the box. A cup of water, a half cup of cooking oil, three eggs and PRESTO…you have the base for this recipe.

If you would rather use a yellow cake mix, go for it. In a pinch for time? I will buy pre-made pound cakes in the bakery at any grocery store, and they are good and make this even easier.

For today’s Double Berry Trifle extravaganza, I chose blueberries and strawberries, in keeping with the July 4^th festivities, but I’ve used peaches before and they are also superb.

After marrying the berries, sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the top and mix well. This gets them good and sweet and makes a nice little syrup.

While your cake is baking for all you Helen Homemakers, mix one box of instant vanilla pudding (5.1 oz) with three cups of milk and let it get firm. It doesn’t take very long, so again, if you are in a pinch for time, this is your kind of recipe.

After your pudding firms, you want to fold in a tub of Extra Creamy Cool Whip (8 oz) and a can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz).

Don’t look at me…I never said this blog would be about tofu and grass malts.

After your cake has cooled, cut it into squares and we are ready to assemble.

Now, here’s the really hard part. Start the layering process beginning with cake (crumbled), then berries, then filling.

• 

• 

• 

Repeat.

Now, depending on the depth of your trifle bowl, you might can get three layers. I got two for this one, and it looks amazing.

So, here’s to Monday and helping you gear up for the 4^th! This recipe gets better after it sits in the fridge, so give it a rest in there.

And if your taste tester is as cute as mine, then serve him up a bowl for helping you clean the dishes!

Question: What July 4^th dishes do you prepare for your family?