Aunt Terri's Lemon Lush

This is another recipe that, as a kid, I wouldn't touch.  I think I was a picky eater as a kid.  Even though I had a strange love of carrots.  There was no way, no how that I would touch anything with yucky, sour lemons in it.  I failed to recognize that most of this lemon lush recipe contained cream cheese and Cool Whip.  How silly of me.

I would also like to say upfront that I did not touch this dish on Easter, either.  Nope, this was all my mother's creation, rightfully so, because she LOVES stuff with lemon in it.  So, I stood back and photo-documented it, as I waiting for my broccoli casserole to cook.  Therefore, I had to email my mom for the recipe last night.  Here's how the email exchange went:

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From me to my mother:

Hi Mom,

Can I have the lemon lush recipe please? And the jello if you have it?  I need them to put on my blog!

I'll pay you back in lots of meals over the summer!

Your favorite daughter,
Courtney

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From my mother to me:

Hi there

You don’t need to pay me back but you know I love the meals!!!  Can’t wait until you are home!!

(Then the recipe, but you're gonna have to wait for that)

I will look for the Jello recipe and email you later today.  Have a good day

Love Mom

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Now, what does this email exchange tell us?

1. I'm not lying when I say that my family loves when I cook
2. I'm not lying when I say that my family loves when I home, because I love to cook
3. I'm definitely the favorite daughter. (Also, the only daughter).

Okay, without further delay, here's the recipe for Aunt Terri's Lemon Lush.  Have you guessed that Aunt Terri was the one who passed down all the good recipes?  That's my secret aspiration.

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What you'll need:

•  1.5 cups flour
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• .5 cup chopped nuts
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup confectionary sugar
• 3 cups milk
• 2 small instant lemon pudding mixes (NOT sugar free... I've done that more than once)
• 2 small Cool Whips

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How to make it:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together flour, melted butter, and nuts.  Press into a greased 13x9 inch pan and bake for 15 minutes (until slightly brown).

Let it cool before you proceed!

2.  Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer until creamy.

Make sure there are no lumps!

3.  Add in one container of Cool Whip.  Mix until combined.

Just put it all in there!

4.  Spread evenly over crust.

My mom had to do this action shot several times for it to be right.

She's such a good sport.

This is what it will look like!

5. Pour the milk into the pudding mix and whisk until thick.

Again, it took a while for this action shot.

She poured very slowly.

6.  Pour the lemon mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer.

The mixture will have thickened as you mixed it earlier.

Look at that nice, even, shiny layer!

7.  Now, pop it into the fridge for a couple of hours, until the lemon layer sets.

If you pressed the plastic wrap too hard, it won't be perfect.  Like this one.

But that's okay, it'll be delicious anyway.

8.  Take the second container of Cool Whip and spread it evenly over the lemon layer.  Note: I lied to you at the beginning.  I did do this step of the process!

And you will have a lemony, Cool-Whippy, cream cheesy delight waiting for you in a pan.

(Note: if you're not going to eat this right away, keep it in the fridge!)

9.  Cut yourself a little (relative term) piece of heaven and enjoy your creation

Make sure you cut all the way to the bottom of the dish, otherwise you won't get any crust!

And then you will be sad, and your lemon lush will not look as lush-ious as this one.

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All of the ingredients in this recipe are really easy to find, and although there is an above-average number of steps, it's pretty simple to make.  The crust balances out the soft texture of the middle layers, and the Cool Whip balances the tangy lemon flavor.  And I will suggest right now: it never hurts to have a little extra Cool Whip on hand!

It's that time... the final Easter recipe is coming tomorrow!  Then, I promise, we will get back to normal, everyday recipes... and let go of the memories of the holidays... sniff, sniff.