I had a friend in college whose mother cooked elaborate suppers for the family every night. She was in the kitchen all day, from breakfast to supper, hours and hours making these fabulous meals. It was…who she was — if you asked her what she liked to do, it was cook, and she never tired of it.
Maybe the easiest thing she ever, ever made was this (probably from the ’50s) dessert she called ‘pineapple delight’ and it was my favorite. I like to make it and put it in pretty jelly jars for individual servings, but you can make it in a big 9×13 pan as she did. Either way, yum.
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If you know me in ‘real life’ then you may have heard last week about the excitement with a house fire in a different neighborhood from where we live — we saw it when driving to Home Depot — and everything that went on. It turned out fine, but a miracle! I was so appreciative of the fire department that came to the rescue. They first checked on those of us who had gone inside, and saved the house secondly. In appreciation, I made this dessert and brought it to them at their station. Now they are enjoying the retro yum too.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 large or extra large egg
1/2 cup melted, cooled butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 regular-size can crushed pineapple (I think that’s something like 10 or 12 oz)
Directions:
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, and spread into an even layer of the pan or jars — I think this makes about 12 jars’ worth — whichever you’re using.
Beat together the confectioner’s sugar, the melted and cooled butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour that on top of the crumbs.
Note: think about saving just a little bit of the pineapple to dot the top of the dessert with, and if you like that idea, then hold back some (as in the pic above).
Top the yellow layer of the sugar/egg/butter/vanilla with the mixture of whipping cream plus the crushed pineapple that has been drained.
Chill two hours at least.