I received a call a few days ago from Arleen Yoshimura, a fellow cookbook author asking if I could do a food demo at the Kamana Senior Recreation Center in Hilo today. Arleen apologized for calling so late, but they needed someone to fill in at the last minute for someone else who had been scheduled and could not make it.
Since my calendar showed that today was open, I was happy to accept. Arleen requested a couple of easy and quick 'semi-homemade' recipes. I told them that I wasn't Sandra Lee, but I just happened to have two dessert recipes that qualified.
With the holidays soon here, I chose a pumpkin mousse for Fall and Thanksgiving entertaining and a strawberry trifle for Christmas.
The audience was great....great interaction and good feedback...and encouragement from several requesting I work on a liliko'i (passionfruit) cookbook next. Arleen requested I bring some copies of my cookbook and I grabbed a bunch which put in a basket....ended up being 39 and sold them all, plus have orders for about 15 more!
Easy Pumpkin Mousse
Ever since I first got this recipe from a friend we’ve added it to our Thanksgiving menu. It is so light and the perfect ending to a heavy meal.
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1 small package instant butterscotch pudding
2 cups of skim milk
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (8 oz) tub cool whip or whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Mix pudding with skim milk; when set fold in all the other ingredients. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice (if using)
Yield: 8 servings
The original recipe calls for a pound cake, but you can use any cake or lady fingers. I substitute with an Angel Food cake as a base. For the demonstration I doubled the recipe, but used only one angel food cake. By substituting the pound cake as called for in the recipe and using only one cake for double the other ingredients, the calories, carbs, fat, sodium and sugar count is much less than that of the original recipe.
Oddly enough, comparing the nutritional information given in one of my cookbooks for a home-made angel food cake with that of a boxed mix and one purchased at a local supermarket bakery, the one purchased ready made at the bakery had less sugar, sodium and carbohydrates than the other options. I thought this was amazing.
1 package (10 ounce) fat-free pound cake mix (*) or (1) angel food cake
2 packages (3.4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 cups fat-free milk
1 jar (10 ounces) all-fruit of your favorite berry preserves
2 clamshell packages of ripe strawberries - sliced
Prepare and bake cake mix according to package or purchase a ready-made angel food cake. Ours is strawberry flavored. Cut and cube in 1-inch pieces.
Prepare pudding according to package directions using the fat-free milk. Arrange cake pieces in bottom of deep glass bowl or trifle dish. Spread 1/3 of the preserves over cake layer . Top with one third of the sliced strawberries and one third of the pudding.
Repeat layering two more times and ending with pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top with fresh berries, if desired.
YIELD: Approximately 40 1/2-cup servings.
