Frog-Eye Salad

So I mentioned on my blog a little while ago a dessert salad: frog-eye salad. An unfortunate name, I know, but I didn’t name it. It’s deceptively delicious and it kind of grows on you. I’m considering changing the name to “white cloud of happiness salad.”

16 oz acini di pepe pasta (This is a small round pasta about the size of a peppercorn. I found some at Wal-Mart made by Da Vinci. I assume this is what gives the salad its name, but if you can’t find it I recommend orzo).

1 small box vanilla pudding

1 1/2+ cups milk

1 pint whipping cream

1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3+ cups mini marshmallows

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

1 large (28oz?) can of pineapple tidbits, drained

 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, cool pasta under cold water in strainer and set aside.

2. While cooking pasta, make vanilla pudding with 1 1/2 cups milk instead of the recommended 2 cups. Once set, combine with cool pasta. Add fruit and marshmallows.

3. Whip cream with sugar and vanilla till very stiff. Fold into salad. For best results, let rest overnight. (or enjoy right away). This makes A LOT of salad, so you may want to half this recipe on your first try. That way, if you hate it, you have less of it.

Now, the recipe I used to make this calls for a container of cool whip. I did not have success. It made the salad very very gooey, so I went for the real thing, but feel free to give it a try. Just make sure the cool whip is thawed before folding into the rest of salad.

 

For as many times as I’ve made this, this is the only picture I have of it. We just eat it too fast.