Pistachio Pudding Pie

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This green pie is perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day. Or any other day without a saint in it. And you just want to have a creamy green pie.

As you are wont to do.

But here is where I lose you. I don’t really like nuts. I will eat peanuts. Plain. Salted. By themselves. But I do not want or like them in any of my food. I do not like the unexpected crunch and/or texture. Well, besides a Snickers bar. But Snickers is a perfection above all mundane rules.

If you are a child, like myself, keep reading for a sweet dessert using easy ingredients…

I love pistachio ice cream. And gelato. Or at least I thought I did, except my heart would sob whenever I tried a new brand of pistachio ice cream. I would lift the lid. And see… Beige?! No. No. No. I want the artificial green stuff, please. You can keep your organic, all na-tur-aaaal. Give me dye. Give me sugar.

Give me fake.

I discovered Jello’s Pistachio Instant Pudding the other day ( um, Wha..?!). Upon immediately dumping four boxes into my cart, I stood in the aisle-of-all-that-makes-life-worth-living, contemplating how many more I needed to hoard for my new collection. What if they stop making this? I just discovered it. What if because I hadn’t been purchasing it, they think nobody wants it? How could I go on? But my husband interrupted my panic by asking, “Don’t you think that’s enough?”

“Oh. For tonight? Yea, that should be plenty.” I rushed home and read the back of the package.

“Pistachio Pudding Pie.”

Let me repeat.

“Pistachio Pudding Pie.”

The most perfect three words I had ever read.

I read the list of ingredients as quickly as I could. And, miracle of miracles, I had them all.

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Ingredients:

3.4 oz. package Jello Pistachio Instant Pudding
premade graham cracker crust
1 and 3/4 cup whole milk
8 oz. tub of cool whip (or similar nondairy whipped cream)

First, I strained all of the disgusting bits from the pudding. AKA nuts.

I did this three times, because I wanted my pudding as smooth as possible.

I made the pudding according to the directions on the package. Essentially it is as easy as beating the milk and pudding mix for two minutes.

I slopped it into a pre-made graham cracker pie shell.

I put it in the refrigerator and patiently waited three hours for it to set.

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Huh? What? Who are we kidding? Remember, we have all ready tested my patience for food before during my chocolate pie experience. It allows for thirteen minutes. At thirteen minutes I frantically grabbed a spoon from the drawer. And I skimmed the side of the pie with it. And my thighs wept. No, wait, that sounds gross. And my soul sang. And my thighs secretly rippled with excitement. Or they just rippled, ’cause that is their way…maybe pie is an excellent not such a good idea afterall.

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Then I topped it with cool whip, covered it and reluctantly placed it back into the refrigerator.

I made this again a few weeks ago and doubled the amount of pistaccio pudding. I could do this, because I finally had hoarded enough pudding to the point I felt safe using some. I did this slowly over time, when my husband wasn’t with me and have packed the boxes into our pantry hidden from any pantry raiders that might come (or my husband who might commit me). In fact, I am rich in the stuff. So, I was all, two packages? Make it rain. Only instead of making it rain green paper, I let green powder rain into a bowl. I am frivolous like that. But I really liked the doubled recipe. If you are feeling super fancy when you make this, I would double the pudding packages. If you do this, you need to increase your milk to 2 and 3/4 cups. And follow the recipe above.

Have you made this? Do you like artificial green pistachio products or the real pistachio products? There’s no judgement here. I’m just sayin’ if you want some boxes, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a girl who can get you some. I heard that some crazy lady is buying them all, so they might be running out.

But that’s just a rumor.

I’m sure.

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P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

Goldfish/Cheez-It Chicken Strips

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My daughter likes Goldfish Crackers.

My son likes Cheez-It Crackers.

And never the two shall meet, well, except:

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“Mom! He/She’s eating my crackers!” This is a common exclamation screeched throughout my house.

And then the tiresome response, “They’re not your crackers. They’re my crackers!”

How annoying.

Well, actually. That last response is mine.

‘Cause it’s true. I did buy them.

I decided to use up some of these snack bags of crackers. I would like to say it is because I wanted to show the kids that the crackers could work in perfect harmony. Much like themselves.

But, really, I just had a lot of chicken.

And too many crackers.

I remembered making a similar recipe with my daughter with Cheez-It Crackers when she was two. And not liking it.

However, if there is a will. There is a way.

And my soul was drowning in the cheese cracker meltdowns going on in my house.

Here is how we all lived in harmony, with the crackers… For one night:

Ingredients:

1 cup of Cheez-It Crackers (I used 2 snack bags)
1 cup of Goldfish Crackers (I used 2 snack bags)
2 pounds chicken tenders
2 eggs
2 tbsp. Milk
2 Tbsp. Water
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
Extra salt to taste at end

Let’s get cracking!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a big bag, crush your crackers. I use the smooth part of the mallot. And when I say, I, I mean my kids. Because kids like crushing crackers even more than they like fighting over them.

They actually made all of the chicken strips themselves.

Line two baking sheets with foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

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In a small bowl, beat the two eggs with a fork. Add milk and water, and whisk together.

In a separate bowl, pour the cracker crumbs. Add cayenne pepper, pepper, salt, garlic powder and paprika. Stir together.

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Take a chicken tender and drench it in the egg mixture. Then dunk the wet chicken tender in the cracker mixture. The kids actually did all of this themselves. Do you know what a kid likes better than fighting over crackers? Or crushing crackers? That’s right, coating chicken with crackers.

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Place the chicken tenders on the baking sheets after the above steps have been completed.

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Bake the chicken tenders for 20-22 minutes until they are no longer pink on the inside (mine took 22 minutes).

Carefully remove the pans from the oven. Sprinkle chicken strips with salt.

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Serve up the chicken strips (all I have is this sad little picture. Because kids making chicken takes a bit of time. And I was starved. I will update as soon as the next cracker debate occurs. I can imagine this will be soon).

These were so incredibly yummy. I might need to keep all of my crackers.

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I did not take a good picture of the finished chicken product. But I did snap a picture of the biscuits I made while the kids made the chicken strips.

I love when things come together! Enjoy!

And revel in your peace making.

At least for the time being.