Dreamsicle in a Bowl AKA Orange Dreamsicle Salad

If only you knew how long I waffled around trying to name this recipe.  There are as many variations on the name as there are varieties of Jell-O.  I've seen this called Creamsicle Salad, Dreamsicle Salad, Popsicle Salad, Orange Fluff, Creamsicle Fluff.  Is it a salad?  Not really.  Would I put mandarin oranges in a salad?  Yes.  They are fabulous in my Asian Chicken Chopped Salad.  Would I put sweetened whipped cream in a salad?  No.  Would I put whipped cream in a dessert?  Yes.  Same for the marshmallows.  Marshmallows in salad = bad.  Marshmallows in dessert = good.  Every fluffy combination of fruit, marshmallows and gelatin from my childhood was called "salad" but my gauge for judging salad is where it was placed on the potluck table at Church Supper growing up.  If it was next to Karen's Taco Salad then it was a salad.  If it was at the end of the table next to Margie's Peanut Butter Bars then it's a dessert.  So I'm calling this Dreamsicle in a Bowl because face it, it I called it Popsicle Salad you would break up with me.  Also is it a creamsicle or a dreamsicle?  My mom always called that delicious orange coated vanilla treat a Dreamsicle.  I did a little research and though the terms are used interchangeably, technically a creamsicle is made with ice cream while a dreamsicle is made with ice milk.  This contains neither ice cream nor milk so now you see why I struggled with the name.  The orange and vanilla flavors are definitely reminiscent of the treat we all enjoyed growing up, and to me any kind of "Jell-O Salad" is retro but always delicious.  I most certainly served this as a dessert, and while you can definitely call it a salad, kind of like my "Grape Salad" it's a fruity, creamy treat that belongs at the end of the buffet with the Peanut Butter Bars.  Like my Lemon-Strawberry Trifle I shared recently the original recipe called for whipped topping.  I'm not a fan of the texture.  To me it feels greasy in my mouth so I always take the time to substitute fresh whipped cream.  It only takes a couple of minutes with a mixer and I think the result is airier, fluffier and tastier.  Since Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and Summer gatherings are right around the corner, this is a great time to bring back a retro dessert to your next summer meal!

Call it a dessert, Call it a salad. 
Call it a Dreamsicle.  Call it a Creamsicle.
Who cares?  JUST MAKE IT!

Lemon Strawberry Trifle

Mother's Day snuck up on me this year.  I had nothing planned, nothing going on.  That is until my BFF Barb sent me a text asking, "Is there anything organized for the GMOs on Sunday?" (GMO is text abbreviation for Grandmother in my family lol) It hit me that Mother's Day was rapidly approaching.  So I quick called my Mom and my Aunt Sissie and said, "Please plan on coming over for dessert and coffee Sunday afternoon." Now gifts I had taken care of a long time ago.  I may or may not have told you that we have a new baby in the family!  My Devilish Nephew is now a Dad so we now have Baby Devilish Dish to keep up busy and shower our love on. Should I call him Baby Devilish Dish?  Little Devil is already taken even though she's now grown up.  Maybe he can be the Littlest Devil.  He's too sweet for that.  Anyhoo, I already had photo albums filled with baby pictures for the Littlest Devil's Great Grandmother and Great Aunt.  Really all I needed was a good house cleaning and a quick dessert recipe.  I asked Mr. Devilish Dish if he had any recipe ideas and his reply was, "Something Spring-y."  I always think Strawberry Shortcake for Spring. Or some variation of strawberries and pound cake but I wanted something a little different.  I thought about making a Bundt cake in one of my fancy pans but that last time I made a cake it failed to release from the pan.  Twice.  At first I thought to myself, "If the cake fails just cube it up and call it a trifle."  Then I thought to myself, "Just skip the cake attempt and make a trifle."  I just love trifles and layered desserts because they look so pretty and colorful with the distinct layers in the dish.  And believe it or not I don't even own a trifle dish.  I used to.  I think I even registered for it when I got married years and years ago.  I'm sure it was broken in one of a million moves.  I do however own a large collection of beautiful glass bowls.  Some wedding gifts, some family heirlooms.  Some vintage purchases.  I decided to skip the cake baking and use a store bought Angel Food Cake  After all the star of the show would be whatever Spring flavors I decided to use.  I wanted something just a little fancier than cake, strawberries and whipped cream layered together and not only are the flavors of lemon and strawberry delicious together, the colors look so pretty layered in the dish.  I opted to make this a semi-homemade dessert.  I doctored up some store bought ingredients and it turned out great.  After all I am a Mom too and I wanted to enjoy the day not cooking and cleaning for hours. This dessert simple to make, and it was a huge hit.  It made such a striking presentation layered in the dish and the tart lemon and sweet strawberry were the perfect compliment to the pound cake.  It definitely checked the box for "Spring-y Dessert."