Dependable things...

I have watched this tree for years...every year it just outshines almost all the trees around.  There is another downtown that must be its twin.  I snapped this one as we came home in the rain on October 31. 
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Another thing that is dependable is that for Thanksgiving and Christmas, sometimes for the family reunion, and for my girls' birthday--I will be making what we call the Pudding Cake.  We call it cake because it is in a cake pan.  It is not really a cake at all.  It has other names...one I have heard it called is Robert Redford dessert.

The bottom layer is just a simple crust made with flour and butter.  One could use a graham cracker crust if they wanted.  The next layer is cool whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.  And for the next layer whatever instant pudding flavor one likes.  The girls and I prefer chocolate or lemon....Roger likes butterscotch.  Once the pudding is poured and spread over the cream cheese layer,  spread cool whip on top of the pudding, just as if it were icing.

I use a 9 x 13 pan, and I do the crust layer, and the cream cheese/cool whip/powdered sugar layer.  Then I use aluminum foil and fold it at least half a dozen times till it kind of sturdy.  And I fold the ends in till it spans across the pan.  I then place it down in the cream cheese layer midway....for one end, I make instant chocolate pudding.  The folded foil holds it in that end.

Then I make the instant lemon pudding and pour on the other end...then pull the folded foil out.   Then we can have either flavor.  I bet I have made at least 150 of these in my lifetime...maybe more.  Every now and then I make one just because!