Cream Pie on a Stick

As I was whisking milk into my pudding mix the other day (you want to experience the longest 2 minutes evah…make instant pudding), I was thinking about Copycat Julie.

My very first frienemy. The bane of my kindergarten existence.

And I was thinking that it was really too bad that I already told you the story about her sneaking Pudding Pops all the time and shoving them in her face. Because that story would have been perfect for this post.

But then I remembered something.

I’ve never told you about the second worst thing that Julie ever did to me. The thing that was almost as bad as the Jane Pauley Haircut.

Messy Day.

To be able to fully empathize with the sorrowful tale I’m about to lay before you, you must understand me as a small child. I was a neat freak, a perfectionist, slightly bossy, and uncompromising in general (pretty much like I am now, but shorter, with longer hair, and pink glasses). My only goal in my little kindergarten life was to be the best at everything, and never, ever, look like a big fat loser.

So there I was one morning: sitting at the table, eating my cereal, and planning new and improved ways at becoming the Champion of Kindergarten….when the phone rang.

My mom answered the phone, and after a few minutes, I heard her exclaim, “thanks Julie!! I’m so glad you caught us. Here, talk to Kristan for a minute while I go find something for her to wear”.

“Hello? Julie, why are you calling? Don’t you know that cereal time is when I sit and plot my Kindergarten Takeover?” (okay, I just said hello).


“I’m so excited that we’re both gonna dress up for Messy Day!!” Julie exclaimed.


At that very moment, it was as though time stopped. My heart was pounding. The world was going black.


“WHAT?? No, I’m not doing Messy Day. I skip Messy Day. Messy Day is the worst day of Spirit Week”


“Well, I’m dressing for it and I just talked to your mom and she’s gonna get you all messy too so we can do it together!”

I hastily got off the phone with Julie, hoping to find a way to talk my mom out of this insanity.But it was too late.

At that moment, my mom emerged from my room with a pile of clothes and proceeded to dress me in torn jeans, a too small flannel shirt (which she buttoned crazily) and mismatched shoes. As if that wasn’t enough torture, she fashioned my hair into an extremely ratty pony tail.

When I got to school, I immediately sought out Julie. She wasn’t there yet. With my head down, I made my way over to where all the kids lined up before school. Sneaking looks out of the corner of my eye, I realized that no one else in my entire class had dressed for Messy Day.


NO ONE.


Never in my life had I wished to see Julie so badly. I couldn’t do this messy thing alone. Where was she?


Suddenly, Julie came running up to me, excited.


“WOW!! You are really messy,”  she exclaimed.


I looked at Julie. S he was wearing a purple sweatsuit, and her hair was in neat pigtails.


My life was over.


“I thought you were dressing for messy day?”


“I did, silly, I’m wearing a sweatsuit. I would never wear a sweatsuit to school on a normal day!”


“But it matches. Plus, it’s purple. And you know that I chose purple as the cool color. And–your hair isn’t even messy at all”


“Well, it’s not messy hair day. Just messy day. Besides, I would never go to school with messy hair. No way!”

If it hadn’t gone against my personal rule of never, ever getting in trouble with the teacher, I soooo would have punched her in the face right then.


It was one of the worst days ever. I’m still not completely over it. And I’m convinced that Copycat Julie planned the whole thing.


Julie would have been very excited about today’s treat (girlfriend loved her some frozen pudding). I’ve taken Pudding Pops to a whole new level, adding chunks of graham cracker crust and a creamy whipped topping/cream cheese layer.


Think, Cream Pie on a Stick. And it is tasty.


**adapted from Cake Spy and Kraft Foods

INGREDIENTS

1 package (3.9 oz) Jell-O Instant Pudding, any flavor
1 cup cold half and half
1 cup cold milk

1 graham cracker crust

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Popsicle mold, or 5 or 6 oz paper cups

Beat the pudding mix, milk, and half and half with a wire whisk for 2 minutes by hand.

Break graham cracker crust into small chunks (I only used about half the crust), and stir pieces into the pudding.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium sized bowl with a mixer until well blended. Fold in Cool Whip.

Fill mold/paper cup with pudding about 1/3 of the way. Add a layer of the Cool Whip filling, and top with more pudding. Insert a popsicle stick and place cups in the freezer.

Freeze for 5 hours or until firm. Peel off paper cup before serving.

Makes about 6 popsicles.

If chocolate isn’t your thing, you can try Banana Cream. They were my son’s favorite.

And if you don’t have wooden popsicle sticks, feel free to use wooden or plastic spoons. I used these birchwood spoons that I bought on Amazon and they were perfect!!


These pops really do taste just like frozen cream pie. I hope you love them!


Happy Thursday!