Tasty Idea for April Fools

Every Mom dreams about a successful April Fool's Day. From freezing your children's orange juice to messing with their alarm clocks, there are a thousand ideas out there for Moms to try. I thought I would add a tasty idea to the mix.

And the best part is: it works.

When I was about eleven, a neighbor brought my mother an interesting Mother's Day gift. It was a flowerpot with garish -- obviously fake -- flowers in it. "Enjoy!" she called over her shoulder as she walked back to her car. My mother was stunned and more than a little confused. The neighbor turned just before getting into the driver's seat and called, "You eat it!"

Thus we were introduced to Dirt Dessert.

Dirt Dessert is a layered cookie crumb - pudding mixture that looks just like potting soil, but tastes rich and delicious. Two years ago, I used it to pull the best prank on my boys. Granted, they were four and five at the time. But, they were completely fooled.

First, I bought two brand new flower pots and a six-pack of pansies. Early in the day, I made the dirt dessert in one of the pots and put it in the refrigerator to chill. In the afternoon, I spent a little time with my pee-wee gardeners planting the pansies in the remaining pot. I made an excuse for doing it in the kitchen (which I never do) and leaving the potting soil and shovel on the counter.

At suppertime, my children always talk to their Daddy about what special things they've done during the day. I waited for the conversation to wind its way around to the pansy-planting. When it did, I quizzed the boys, asking what plants need to grow. They told me water, sunshine, and good soil. As they talked, I nonchalantly got them each a nice glass of water.

"Well, your father and I have been talking, and you should know we've decided that you're both a little on the small side. You got some sunshine today, so that was good. Why don't you drink your water? It's good for you."

While they were distracted, I got the flower pot with the dirt dessert from the fridge. With an inexpensive, unused garden shovel in my hand, I brought it to the table. "It's also time that you had a little better nutrition. Today, we're having some good soil for dessert."

I thought my four-year old was going to cry. "We have to eat -- dirt?? No. Way."

My six year old had a glimmer in his eye that he was on to me. "Let me see that," he demanded. But it looked exactly like potting soil. He turned his nose up and shook his head.

My four year old wanted to see it, too. I held it down close to him. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at me hopefully. "It... it smells like chocolate."

I smiled and offered, "Do you want Daddy to have the first taste?" My husband made a sham protest, which of course sent the boys into hoots and hollers and double-dares.

After I scooped it out into a dessert bowl for him and the boys saw for themselves that it was actually dessert, I couldn't serve it up fast enough.

We all had a laugh at the joke -- and a tasty end to April Fools supper.

Here's the recipe:

Dirt Dessert

Ingredients:
1 8oz. package light cream cheese, softened
1 3oz. package chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 16oz. container of cool whip, thawed
20 oreo cookies

Instructions:
Whip the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the chocolate pudding and blend. Gradually beat in the cold milk. Mix for 5 minutes on medium. Fold in cool whip (for a richer taste, you can also use the same amount of fresh whipped cream by beating 1 1/2 cups heavy cream on high before folding it in.) Crush the oreos in a food processor until they resemble the look and texture of potting soil. In a clean, unused flower pot, layer pudding mixture and crumbs, ending with a thick layer of crumbs on the top.

If you like, you can embellish the dirt dessert with artificial flowers or candy bugs or gummy worms.

Have fun with it, and Happy April Fool's Day!


- Midwest Mom