By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! It feels great to be 60, thanks for all the wishes, goodies and gifts. I am telling people that 60 is the new 30. My mind thinks I’m 30, but my body tells me I’m definitely 60.
I saw my seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Baker, at the post office the other day and let me tell ya, she made my day. She told me how she enjoyed my column. Tasked her, “even with all my grammar mistakes?” She said that it didn’t matter, she loved to read it. So y’all family members and folks on Facebook, I have permission from my seventh grade English teacher to write how I want to. I have people that think I should use punctuation on my Facebook. I’m not going to, but that for thinking I should.
Okay, back to my crime stories. Well, I guess speeding tickets are not a crime, but I’m going to call them that. One day, I got a text from a girl that I did not know that worked at the old Grubbs Restaurant where the Hideaway Pizza is now. The text goes like this, she says, “hey I work at Grubbs with you.” I said, “you have the wrong person.” She replied, “yes, the blonde headed girl told me to talk to you about smoke” (meaning marijuana). So again, I tell her–I do not work at Grubbs. She just won’t take no for an answer, so finally I said to her, “I work for the Ft. Smith Police Department.” I guess that got thru to her and she says, “oh, I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding, and I meant cigs.” Well, I didn’t just get off the cabbage truck, I knew what she meant, and I guess I could have gone outside and bagged some grass and sold it to her, because she was not taking no for an answer. I got a big kick out of it all.
Did I ever tell y’all that the honorable Judge Michael Wagoner told me if I got a ticket in his jurisdiction, he would double my fine? I have news for him, I would get on the stand and start telling funny stories about him. Is that considered black mail? He loves to give me a hard time. One day I was somewhere, I can’t remember where, and I started talking to this young lady, I know, y’all are shocked. She told me she was very nervous; she was going to get sworn in for a job with Judge Wagoner. I told her, honey, just stop and get a box of Little Debbie cakes and hand them to him and he will laugh and all will be alright. I think she thought I was joking, but I was serious. There is not a Wagoner I know that don’t like Little Debbie cakes.
I went to court one day and just slid on the bench and watched him in action. He finally noticed me, and I know he was wondering what I was doing there. I wasn’t on the docket. I enjoyed myself. Anybody can go to court and just be entertained.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! This is wonderful lemon dessert and it’s kind of like the old four-layer delight recipe, except you use Oreos for the crust. You can do any flavor of pudding and use different flavors of Oreos. I’ve had strawberry lush and it’s delicious. Give it a whirl, you are sure to enjoy it.
LEMON OREO DESSERT
1 package (14.3 OUNCES) Golden Oreo cookies (if I’m making lemon, I would use the lemon Oreos)
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
2 packages (3.4 OUNCE) instant lemon pudding mix
3 ¼ cups of milk
2 containers (8 oz. each) Cool Whip, thawed
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Crush all the Oreo cookies in a food processor, or crush with a rolling pin in a large Ziplock bag. Reserve 3/4 cups of the crushed Oreos for the topping. Pour the remaining crumbs in a 9×13 baking dish, spread out evenly. Pour the melted butter all over the crumbs. Mix together and then press down into the bottom of the pan to make your crust. In a medium bowl, mix together both the lemon pudding mixes and the milk. Whisk well to combine. Place in the refrigerator for about five minutes to let it thicken. In a separate bowl, place the cream cheese and blend until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and mix till combined. Fold in one of the containers of the Cool Whip. Spread this mixture very gently and evenly all over the crust. Spread the lemon pudding evenly over the cream cheese layer. Then spread the remaining container of Cool Whip over the top and sprinkle the 3/4 cup of Oreos on top. Cover and chill for a couple of hours. It is delicious. These are variations you can try: chocolate pudding with the mint Oreos, or chocolate Oreos. You can do any flavor with the Golden Oreos. So good! Have a wonderful week, count your blessings folks!
