Heaven is in My Refrigerator

Instead of a birthday cake, Mark's request is ALWAYS this Heavenly Dessert. I got this recipe years ago. Actually, I think I got it first from Heather's mom, Diane when we lived in San Diego. I have since found the exact recipe from one of my Paula Deen cookbooks, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook ( I adore her!) . Here it is:

Million-Dollar Pie

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 quart heavy cream, whipped

with 1 cup sugar until stiff

2 3.4-ounce packages instant

chocolate pudding mix

(we use 1 box chocolate & 1 box vanilla)

3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish, melt butter and stir in four and 1/4 cup of nuts. Bake about 15 - 20 minutes, until firm. Let cool.

First Layer: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of whipped cream. Layer over cooked nut crust.

Second Layer: Combine instant pudding mix and milk. Layer over first layer.

Third Layer: Combine remaining whipped cream and remaining chopped nuts. Layer over top. (we top ours with shaved chocolate) Keep refrigerated.

Marci's "gluten-free" Heaven

heaven for the little ones