WHAT IS THE ONE MAGIC INGREDIENT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR DESERT AN INSTANT HIT?

I discovered the magic ingredient one year when my daughter came to me, practically in tears, complaining, "We have no special desert for St. Patrick's Day?"

Never mind the fact we aren't even Irish!

So I rummaged around in the cabinets and came up with some pistachio Jell-O instant pudding (yea! it's green!), and some green sugar left over from Christmas cookie baking - along with Cool--Whip from the fridge.

Quick as a wink, I made the pudding (shouting out to my daughter, "DON'T COME IN! I HAVE A SURPRISE COMING!)".

I scooped some of the pistachio pudding into a bowl, added a dollop of Cool Whip on top..... a few shakes of green sugar on top of that..... and I even managed to find a fake gold coin that I nestled in!

After that, I invited my daughter to come into the kitchen for some.....TAA-DAA..... LEPRACHON PUDDING!

It was a huge hit!

"But wait!" I can hear you saying. "So what was the one magic ingredient that made this desert such a hit?"

Was it the pudding?

The Cool-Whip?

The green sugar?

No, no, and no - although these ingredients are always good to have around for a quicky, easy, no-cook desert.

So, what was it?

Was it the fake gold coin nestled on top?

Well, that would just be weird. I can hear it now. "Yes, folks! Just nestle a fake gold coin on top of ANY desert, and it will instantly become a hit!"

No, it was not the gold coin.

Give up?

IT WAS THE NAME!

LEPRECHON PUDDING How can a desert miss with a great name like that? You see - the great name elevates the ordinary (pudding) to the level of EXTROIDINARY (i.e. WOW)!

So, no..I am not here to talk about an expensive, fancy ingredient such as pear liquor. I'm also not here to talk about creating elaborate parfaits and tri-color desert squares. The Internet is already overloaded with such things.

I am here to talk about...the opposite! The easy NO GUILT desert that you can whip up in a flash - and then make SEEM impressive simply by endowing it with an impressive name! It's fun - it's fast - it's creative - it's always a blast and a hit (because of that great name!) and there are less pots and pans to wash! What's not to like?

I got the idea from an old Drew Carey episode, when Drew's friend - upon serving Pringles on a tray for a party, corrected Drew by saying, "These aren't Pringles. These are....ANGEL WINGS!"

I loved that!

After all, clever advertisers use this trick all the time....taking a mediocre product and giving it a fantastic name. Works like a charm!

And you can do the same - right in your very own kitchen!

Amaze your kids with RAINBOW SWIRLIE SURPRISE! Delight your husband with LOVE POTION NUMBER 9 PUDDING! Impress your sister and her brood with PEACHY, PEACHY KEEN DREAM!

Now in order to pull this off, you should have a few core ingredients handy, which I shall share with you (pudding included, of course).

After all, you can't offer your family a pile of old corn Flakes crumbs, dub them.... NUGGETS OF GOLD, and think you'll get away with it.

So, without further a-do, here they are:

GOOD CORE INGREDIENTS TO HAVE AROUND:

1). Cool Whip ....that delicious combination of chemicals that's oh so fluffy and good!

2). Instant Pudding....any flavor you like....vanilla and chocolate are always BIGGEST hits for kids...although colors like green or pink or orange are good to have on hand for holidays

3). Fruits - bananas are always best....canned pineapple, mandarin oranges - or fresh berries in season

4). Milk....to make the pudding, of course!

5). A bag of shredded coconut.....available in the baking aisle of the supermarket

6).A bag of regular and/or mini marshmallows..Marshmallow Fluff

7). M & Ms, or a bag of semi-sweet, butterscotch, white chocolate, or milk chocolate baking bits

8). Assorted nuts

9).. Sprinkles or color sugars

The good thing about a lot of these ingredients, is that you can keep them around forever without them going bad - so they are ready to go when you need them.

Now.....all you need to do with these magical ingredients, is MIX and MATCH...and then taa-daa...come up with your SUPER YUMMY FUN NAME!

I will get you started with some ideas of my own.

Fold some coconut, Cool-Whip, and chopped bananas into your vanilla pudding....add a dollop of Cool-Whip on top with a few banana pieces as garnish, and voila! You have created ............BANANA COCONUT CLOUDS!

Mix together your Cool-Whip, mandarin oranges, banana slices, pineapple pieces, coconut, and marshmallows and you have created.....INSTANT UTOPIA AMBROSIA!

mix some in-season fruit into your Cool-Whip, such as raspberries and create........ RASPBERRY CREAM SUPREME!

Add nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate bits to chocolate pudding to create your own version of...A WALK DOWN ROCKY ROAD!

Toss some M&Ms and different color sugars into vanilla pudding, and you have created....RAINBOW SWIRLIE SURPRISE!

Holidays are the perfect time to let your desert naming creativity shine!

Strawberry cream pudding mixed with marshmallows and strawberries - along with a dollop of Cool Whip on top doused with red sugar (and maybe even a few conversation hearts), creates.....LOVEY DOVEY PUDDING!

PATRIOTIC PUDDING might sport raspberries and blueberries and a little flag on top for the Fourth of July.

SPOOKY BOO PUDDING can be made with chocolate pudding,...it might have marshmallows, chocolate bits, nuts, Cool Whip, and some candy corn, for garnish.

HIPPITY-HOP PUDDING is made with lemon pudding and Cool-Whip folded together....it would contain Cool Whip on top, and a Jelly bean and marshmallow bunny garnish, for Easter!

White chocolate pudding with 3 marshmallows connected with marshmallow fluff?

Congratulations. You have created......SIMPLY SNOWMAN PUDDING.

Keep your Cool-Whip in the freezer for a change, to give it an ice-cream like consistancy. Now scoop some into a bowl, add sliced strawberries and mini-marshmallows, and you have created....taa-daa.....CHILLY STRAWBERRY PILLOWS!

You try it....how about butterscotch pudding, Cool-Whip, and nuts for garnish? Did you come up with a good name?

Was it something like BUTTER NUTTY BOOGIE? Good!

The possibilities are endless!

So remember. The next time you make vanilla pudding, don't just plop it down in a bowl in front of someone. Serve it with a flourish, proclaiming it to be....... SWEET VANILLA EXTASY!

For the fun of it, I gathered a list of all the flavors of Jell-O Instant pudding (besides vanilla and chocolate)! Here they are:

1). BANANA CREAM

2). BUTTERSCOTCH

3). CHEESECAKE

4). CHOCOLATE FUDGE

5). COCONUT

6). DEVIL'S FOOD

7). EGG CUSTARD (Yes, this DOES exist)!

8). FLAN (You can make your own Flan, with caramel sauce, and everything! But give it a new name, like FLANTASTIC FLAN)!

9). FRENCH VANILLA

10). LEMON

11). OREO

12). PISTACHIO (Great for LEPRECHON PUDDING)!

13). PUMPKIN SPICE (Offered seasonally).

14). WHITE CHOCOLATE

15), STRAWBERRY CREME

16). TAPIOCA, RICE-PUDDING, AND ASSORTED FLAVOR MOUSSES

HERE IS A GEM OF DESERT, I LIKE TO CALL PEACHY SILK MOUSSE

All you need is some peach yogurt, which you will scoop into a bowel. Now add two heaping spoonfuls of CoolWhip, and fold together. Notice the lovely creamy pale orange hue. Now scoop the fluffy mixture into a pretty desert glass- and add a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh peach pieces - and maybe even some cinnamon sugar on top.

You won't believe how amazing this tastes! (You can even store this desert in the freezer, to create yummy FROZEN Peachy Silk Mousse)!