Aunt Shelley's 4-Layer Dessert

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and Four-Layer Dessert!

This week has been a lot of things.  Fun, exhausting, mildly stressful.  Full to the brim with family, food, and laughter.  In the last seven days, I have:

• flown in three airplanes,
• met my little sister's new beau,
• attended my cousin's wedding,
• babysat my other cousin's kids (including one who had an epic toddler meltdown, poor thing),
• soaked up some sun by the pool,
• spent about 10 hours in the car with my family,
• packed and moved to a new apartment,
• witnessed the arrival (finally!) of summer in Chicago, and
• caught a very nasty cold

Having a cold when it finally gets warm is... well, let's just say I don't appreciate the irony.

Me and Mamma, the bathing beauties!

Being with my family was fantastic.  Many of my extended family members are in the military, so with all their moving, the times when we can all get together have been few and far between (and lately, mostly involving weddings).  There are at least 5 of us who have the same voice, which makes things pretty hilarious.  My cousin and I were standing in the kitchen at one point, and she called out, "Daddy?", and my Daddy answered.  Happens all the time.  And it's even harder on the phone.  It's a blast.  Especially now that people have started having babies!  My aunt has 7 grandbabies already, and another one on the way!  Unbelievable.  My mom has... no grandbabies.  Yet.  Sorry, Mamma!  I'll get right on that!  ;)

My Aunt Shelley with one of her grandbabies.  And my grandbaby-less Mamma.

Needless to say, I haven't been cooking much.  My kitchen is in boxes!  But I still wanted to share a recipe with you, so here it is: Aunt Shelley's Four-Layer Dessert.  Let me say first that this recipe is in no way representative of my aunt's amazing culinary capabilities.  Sometime, I will have to share a recipe that does her justice.  But it's nice to have a really easy dessert up your sleeve, and sometimes you just need some Cool Whip in your life.  Can I get an amen? 

Aunt Shelley's Four-Layer Dessert

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-oz container Cool Whip
2 4½-oz containers chocolate or butterscotch pudding mix
3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, butter, and walnuts and press into bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.  Bake for 25 minutes, and cool completely.  Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy, and fold in 2 cups Cool Whip.  Spread over cooled crust.  Beat pudding and milk until thick, and spread over cream cheese layer.  Top with remaining Cool Whip.  Chill.  Can be made up to 1 day ahead.

Congratulations to a beautiful couple!