Sunday, May 18, 2008

Countess de Cool Whip

I can't whip cream. I have tried and failed on three occasions. I'm not looking for any tips (yes, I chilled the bowl first and blah, blah, blah), just confessing a shortcoming. Someday I'll try again. Until then, I will be using canned whipped cream and/or the whipped topping that never, ever lets me down: Cool Whip.

I've always loved Cool Whip. It is a key ingredient in the Watergate Salad I adore. I have spent more time than I care to admit surfing the web for more salad recipes that call for Cool Whip. I enjoy topping individual pudding cups with it. Some evenings, I steal a few of the Bub's strawberries and add some Cool Whip. My sister makes a kick ass dessert called Eclairs (in the spirit of the French pastry, but different) that features Cool Whip. Yum.

My mom was in town this weekend for a lovely wedding shower in honor of one of my cousins. My youngest brother and dad came to town as well, and last night we had a great time at a cookout at my aunt and uncle's house. My mom and I volunteered to bring dessert. Admittedly, my mom did all the actual preparation (plus the extra work involved with letting the Bub "help"), but I did choose the desserts and go with her to the store. NTB. Anyway, they both involved Cool Whip, and they were both well-received. The first was a sort of chocolate peanut butter pie called Patti Cake, that is a favorite in the family of PITA's in-laws. If you want the recipe, email me, but I could not find a link to it and am too lazy to retype it here (plus, I think it comes from a restaurant somewhere in the Greater Albany area, and I don't want to get sued or something). Bottom line: it is easy to make and quite tasty.

The second dessert was a last minute replacement for the Brownies my mom could not make because some of the ingredients she had brought from Ohio were in my dad's car, which was at a golf course 45 minutes away. This second dessert was initially chosen because I thought I had every ingredient in my pantry for it. Turned out, I was wrong and we had to make another trip to the store, but it was a good choice anyway. If you are looking for an easy, summer dessert, look no further than this recipe for Mandarin Cake.* The only adjustment we made to the recipe at the link was to adorn the top of the cake with additional mandarin oranges.

Top Chef-worthy? No. But tasty all the same. NTB.


*There are actually many versions of this recipe at cooks.com -- the one we used said to serve with orange sherbet, but we did not do so.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, I want the Patti-cake recipe. I too love Cool Whip- full of preservatives and artificial everything... love it, love it, love it. Which Watergate Salad from Cooks.com do you use, the first? any personal touches? I live for recipes!

Anonymous said...

I too heart cool whip. I actually prefer it to whipped cream.

CaraBee said...

I have been known to take a spoon to the fridge just to sneak a couple of bites of Cool Whip. And I wonder where the cellulite comes from! I'm definitely trying that salad.

Anonymous said...

I love anything and everything that falls into the "dessert" category, and that includes Cool Whip, though I don't eat it on its own. If we're not counting calories, my favorite use for it is in a trifle bowl with chunks of chocolate cake, broken up Heath bars, and chocolate pudding just layered one delicious ingredient over the next. Umm, umm, good....

Actchy said...

::peaks head out from behind corner::

Cool whip gives me the willies?

::runs away::

E... said...

I also prefer Cool Whip to whipped cream, but then, I'm also lactose intolerant. J., my non-desserting husband is recently devoted to this Cool-Whip-centric dessert: in a 13x9 pan, put down a layer of Famous Amos cookies after dunking each in milk. Then, put a layer of Cool Whip. Continue layering until you've used the whole box of Famous Amos, then top with some Magic Shell chocolate ice cream syrup. Refrigerate before serving. A friend of ours brought this over one time, and J. still swoons over it, and as I said, he does not like dessert usually. I can only handle a small square, but it IS good, in a so NOT Top Chef way. (oh, being a non-ice cream eater, I wasn't really aware of the properties of Magic Shell topping, and made the mistake of storing it in the fridge. It doesn't really work if you do that, duh me)

Steph said...

Mmmm...I used to eat frozen whipped cream at my great grandma Shelton's house. It was a very special treat!

Anonymous said...

I would love to have the recipe for the Patti Cake. I have really enjoyed my children's new obsession with peanut butter dipping because I get to enjoy it myself. Sounds like a great weekend for you with your family.BDavin

 
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