Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is not because I want to celebrate any of the things this holiday is known for, I don't even like turkey, and I am certainly not over the moon about the European domination of the western world. No, it is all about the food.
I love cooking and eating a lavish Thanksgiving dinner. I start planning moments after Halloween (which, by the way, is my FAVORITE holiday and requires me to clean up my spooky decorating for days after the fact, something I am doing today while I plot Thanksgiving) and it is all about what I am going to eat. I usually try to find some new delicious recipe to make alongside my standards, but I rarely give myself the chance to test them before I make them on the actual holiday. Silly, I know. But, this year will be different! (she says with equal parts hope and sarcasm). Well today I tried out a trifle recipe I dreamed up. It is delicious AND adorable so I feel like it is a smashing success! Oh, and it is super easy so you can focus on making the perfect turkey.
Easy Pumpkin Trifle:
1 can pumpkin (29 oz)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 box Vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (to taste)
1 bag of Pepperidge Farm "Gingerman" cookies (or similar product)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
whipped cream to garnish
Simply mix the first four ingredients together with a whisk. Line a trifle dish with cookies (you can stand them up along the sides and use any broken ones to line the bottom) reserve a couple cookies to garnish the top. Pour pudding into trifle dish, being careful not to disturb the cookies. Sprinkle top with cranberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour, can be chilled up to 4 hours, but cookies will eventually become soggy. Top with whipped cream and reserved cookies when you are ready to serve.
