Fruit Trifle Salad

I LOVE trifles ... they look so pretty in a trifle bowl :) After all, half the fun of cooking is in the presentation. And, who can resist a perfectly layered trifle, beautifully displayed in a trifle bowl? Knowing the trifle that awaits is delicious makes it even more irresistible.

This Fruit Trifle Salad is perfect for a church potluck or to serve at home on a hot summer day. I like using a lot of different fruit combinations to make this salad, which is really sweet enough to serve as a dessert :)

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks: Gooseberry Patch's A Pinch of This, A Dash of That Cookbook. I received this cookbook as a wedding gift and have used it repeatedly during my eleven years of marriage - even giving copies to new brides!

Ingredients:

6 oranges, peeled and sliced
3 bananas, sliced
3 c. blueberries
2 c. seedless grapes
3 c. strawberries, halved
4-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1-3/4 c. milk*
3/4 c. dairy sour cream
1 t. orange zest*

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, layer all of the fruit in order listed above. Fruit can be substituted for in-season items, except melon. For the topping, combine pudding mix and milk. Beat for one to 2 minutes. Beat in sour cream and orange peel. 

*when I don't have orange zest on hand and am not using oranges in the trifle, I reduce the milk by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup orange juice instead of the zest.

The original recipe can be found online at http://www2.gooseberrypatch.com/gooseberry/recipe.nsf/55e548eeef8c89b9852568d4004c5ffe/4E5ADF580BF64FE7852573E700581922