Books to curl up to on Valentine's Day


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Childhood favorite still says 'I love you'

By Beverly Mills with Alicia Ross
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Deseret Morning News

Alicia writes: For our first Valentine's Day together as a married couple almost 20 years ago, I thought I'd make my husband a special dessert to show him how much I cared. I spent hours creating a complicated confection I just knew would make him swoon.
After all that time and effort, however, I was ready to pass out!
I've learned a lot in the years we've been together, and one valuable lesson is that it's most often the simple desserts that please my husband the most. This year I decided to give his mother, Betty, a call and ask her for one of his favorite recipes from childhood. Who better to ask, I figured, than his own mother?
Betty opened up her recipe box and gave me a couple of ideas, from which I've chosen an old-fashioned layered dessert of pudding and graham crackers topped with chocolate. I know my husband will love it, and the kids will be thrilled, too. The fact that this dessert flies together in less than 15 minutes only makes it more special in my eyes. The dish needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours and can hold for up to 24 hours before serving - it's super flexible.
Say I love you this week with Valentine "Eclair" Delight.

VALENTINE "ECLAIR" DELIGHT

Start to finish: 15 minutes preparation, plus at least 4 hours refrigerator time

Cook's notes:
1. Do not prepare the pudding mix before adding it to the recipe.
2. Any type of milk, (skim, low-fat or whole) will work in this recipe.
3. Depending on the size (and brand) of your crackers, you may have an additional graham layer. Try to create, by breaking the crackers on their perforations, an entire layer of crackers and then pudding mixture, so that the crackers form the bottom and top layers and the pudding mixture is sandwiched in between each cracker layer.
4. Leftover chocolate frosting can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before trying to spread refrigerated frosting.

1 small (3.4-ounce) box French vanilla instant pudding mix (see cook's notes)
1 cup milk (see cook's notes)
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped dairy topping, defrosted
1/2 box (7.5 ounces) graham crackers
1 cup prepared chocolate frosting (see cook's notes)

In a medium bowl, mix together the milk and the powdered pudding mix. Fold in the whipped topping (to form about 4 cups pudding mixture), and set aside.
Place a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic dish. Spread about 1 cup of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and follow with another 1-cup layer of pudding mixture. Continue until all of the pudding mixture is used, about 4 layers total (see cook's note). Top with a final fifth layer of crackers.
Spread the chocolate frosting over the top layer of crackers, sealing it to the edges of the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or up to 24 before serving. Makes 8 servings
Approximate Values Per Serving (with 2 percent milk): 390 calories (33 percent from fat), 14 g fat (7 g saturated), 2 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, .74 g dietary fiber, 424 mg sodium

Beverly Mills is a former food editor of the Miami Herald food section and a mother of two; Alicia Ross, a former food columnist for The Raleigh News and Observer, also has two children. Send desperate tales of woe or everyday success stories and your favorite quick recipes to Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Or visit the Desperation Dinners Web site at www.desperationdinners.com . You can e-mail Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross at bev-alicia@desperationdinners.com . © United Feature Syndicate Inc.

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