Easy Trifle

We almost always serve trifle on St. Patrick's Day. Although it's called "tippy parson" and doused with some form of alcohol in my Irish cookbook, we serve it without. Served in an official trifle bowl , it gives the impression of elegance. No one needs to know that you didn't slave in the kitchen all day.

Trifle:
2 Sara Lee or Entenmann's pound cakes
Strawberries (fresh is best, but frozen are acceptable)
1 pkg cook & serve vanilla pudding, prepared
Homemade Custard: 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbls flour
1 can evaporated milk
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp vanilla
CoolWhip

For homemade custard: combine sugar, salt and flour in a microwavable bowl. Stir in can of milk. Microwave in 2 minute increments until thickened. Add a little to your eggs to temper them, then pour in eggs. Microwave another 3 minutes. Add vanilla.

Combine homemade custard and packaged pudding. This is a knock-out combination.

Cut pound cake half lengthwise then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange it over the bottom of the bowl and up the sides. I stack them on top of each other to the top edge of the bowl all the way around. Fill your now lined bowl with 1/2 the pudding mixture. Top with strawberries and then lay another layer of cake over the berries. Add the rest of the pudding and more berries. Top with cool whip and either arrange fresh berries in a pretty circle or sprinkle with colored sprinkles if you used frozen berries. Refrigerate a few hours before serving to let the pudding soak into the cake.

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