National Oreo Cookies Day - Mar. 6th; Chef Melissa Perello

Melissa Perello holds a Michelin star for Frances, in San Francisco, which is named for her grandmother Frances. In 2002, Chronicles named her the Rising Star Chef, and Food & Wine named her Best New Chef in 2004. She is one of 10 female chefs to receive a Michelin star (as of 2012).

* * *

March 6^th is Oreo Cookies Day! There's lots of recipes that involve Oreos, whether it's with the crushed cookie as garnish, as the crust for a refrigerator pie, or coated with white chocolate at the holidays. 

When I sent out the call for recipes, one of my husband's aunts sent me this:

Dirt Pudding
Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb package Oreos

2 pkg 3 oz. instant French vanilla pudding

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

12 oz. Cool Whip, softened

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

1 C. powdered sugar

3 1/2 C. milk

Directions: Crush cookies in a food processor. Put in bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat well. In another bowl, combine pudding and milk. Whip when pudding starts to thicken. Add this to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in Cool Whip. In a new flower pot or a clear straight-sided bowl, alternate a layer of cookies and a layer of pudding mix, starting and ending with the cookies. Refrigerate.

She added, “We’ve had ‘Dirt’ instead of birthday cake several years running.”

(She didn't say to, but I've also seen this served with gummy worms at children's parties.)

Available at Amazon.