Like you, when invited to one of these gatherings, I'll ask what I can bring. And every once in a while the response is, "Oh, how about a little somethin' different for dessert?" Yes! Now there’s an inspiring challenge for you! And when it comes to dessert, I’m up for it.

So when our neighbors held a backyard barbecue last summer, I followed through on their challenge. After some pondering and sleuthing, I found a recipe my Aunt Annie used to make, and since barbecue and picnic time is fast approaching, I think you ought to know about it.

This different dessert is a pudding made from crackers. And what’s really fun about this is that it not only tastes great, it's a great conversation piece. I mean, who would ever think crackers could turn into pudding?

This is a creamy coconut pudding topped with meringue. And if feeding a crowd, this recipe doubles well. By the way, it’s also a superb use for stale saltines, so you’ll want to hang onto this recipe.

Gone Crackers! Pudding

Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 189

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar divided
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 quart milk (4 cups)
1 cup crumbled saltine crackers (20, 2-inch squares)
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole or baking dish. Separate eggs, placing whites in a medium-size bowl and yolks in a small bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons sugar. In 2-quart saucepan, with wire whisk, combine remaining sugar and the cornstarch. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil--about 10 minutes. Slowly beat a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; pour yolk mixture back into saucepan and cook 1 min. longer. Stir in crackers, coconut, and vanilla; spoon into greased dish.
To make meringue, add cream of tartar to egg whites. with electric mixer on high speed, gradually beat the reserved 3 tablespoons sugar into egg-white mixture until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pudding. Bake pudding 15-18 min. or until meringue is lightly browned all over. Cool pudding to room temperature on wire rack, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

And here’s another different dessert idea. At least it was unique when I was a little girl. My mother thought she’d died and gone to heaven when Jello first came out. She had a blast with this stuff. She saved Jello box tops and sent away for the Joys of Jello recipe book. One Jello recipe this book contained was a dessert made with fruit cocktail. (Remember when that stuff first hit the grocery store shelves?) We begged her for this treat.

Anyway, you don’t see many Jello desserts showing up at gatherings these days, so folks might find this a fun change from the typical sheet cake, apple pie, and cookie platters that usually populate the dessert table.

This plate of deliciousness will transport your taste buds right back to the 50's. It's a wiggly-jiggly treat that has plenty of creamy and fruity flavor. It's just as tasty today as it was way back when.

Creamy Fruit Cocktail Mold

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 336

Ingredients:

2 packages 4-serving size gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (15-ounce) can fruit cocktail drained, with syrup reserved
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping thawed


Directions:

Coat a 5-cup mold with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add enough cold water to reserved syrup to make 1 cup liquid. Stir into gelatin.
Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir in fruit cocktail and whipped topping; mix well. Pour into prepared mold.
Refrigerate 8 hours, or until firm. Dip mold in warm water about 15 seconds. Invert mold onto serving platter. Serve or cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.
NOTE: Decorate with whipped topping and your favorite fruit!

Finally, one last different dessert idea that also calls for Jello. Mom loved making “Jello Mousse.” All she did was substitute vanilla ice cream for the water the Jello box directions called for. She’d layer this mixture with crushed Nabisco Vanilla Waffers (or crushed homemade sugar cookies if we were out of the Waffers) into individual stemmed glasses. She’d serve these with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Of course, this was back in the day when processed, “time-saving” food-like stuff hit the market, and most homemakers were giving this junk a try. But you get the idea…it wouldn’t be hard to healthify this easy dessert the next time you’re asked to bring a little somethin’ different to a gathering!