Fruity Pudding Pie

Over the weekend, I was invited to a friend's house for pie. That may not seem strange to some people, but for me, at 25 years old, visting a friend from my elementary school days, this was a moment. A moment to pause and think "wow, did I ever think I would be having pie at my friends' house that she made herself when not that long ago we ran down the halls pretending to be Robin Hood and Little John?" A moment for pie.

She made a tangy lemon pudding pie with graham cracker crust that she topped with berries. A few days later and I still wanted another slice, so I knew I had to make a pudding pie myself. That and I'm getting my four wisdom teeth out tomorrow so I need a dessert fitting for geriatrics or for those experiencing oral surgery. The best case scenario of getting my wisdom teeth pulled - it's an excuse to eat ice cream and suck down milkshakes. The worse case scenario - I look like a puffer fish or that squirrel from the movie Ice Age and I am in horrendous unrelenting pain. They already told me they put cotton balls in your mouth and since cotton in the mouth is already my idea of water torture, I am preparing to pamper myself with pre and post dessert.

I'm hoping this fruit-crusted strawberry-kiwi banana cream pudding pie that I ripped directly from the weightwatchers website will help me heal faster. If I were to serve this pudding pie for company and I wasn't worried about masticating, I would use the graham cracker crust. I think what is so great about fruit and pudding pies is that you can experiment with many flavors of pudding and practically any fresh fruit that's in season. It's also simple, cheap, and requires no oven in the summer. Be prepared to eat this recipe with a spoon, but it does make an eye-catching presentation.

Here is a copy of the Weight Wathchers recipe called Fruit-Crusted Strawberry Kiwi Banana Cream Pie:
(makes 6 serving and if you do weight watchers, it's 2 points)

Ingredients:
• 1 oz fat-free sugar-free instant banana pudding and pie filling mix
• 2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
• 1 cups strawberries, thinly sliced
• 2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

Directions:
• Prepare pudding according to package directions but use fat-free evaporated milk instead of regular skim milk. (The evaporated milk allows the pudding to thicken better than fat-free milk)
• Cover bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate with a layer of sliced strawberries.
• Pour pudding on top of strawberries. Smooth pudding surface with a wooden spoon and garnish with remaining strawberries and with kiwi slices. Refrigerate pie for at least 2 hours. Slice into 6 pieces and serve. Serve immediately after cutting.