Pudding Salad

I got this recipe years ago out of a Church sponsored cook book that I found at a thrift store. I have tweaked the original recipe several times, but it is now a tried and true favorite at our house. Since, this shows up in my menu's quite often, I thought it would be fun to share with all of you. The beauty of this recipe is that you can put any type of leftover fruit into it, and it always tastes great. Here are the staples you will need:

Pudding Salad

1 (3.4 oz) box of instant pudding

1 1/2 cups liquid (if  I am using canned fruit I use the juice from the can. If using fresh fruit I use water)

3 cups of fruit (canned, fresh, or a combination)

1 (8 oz) container of whipped topping

Whisk liquid into the dry pudding mixture. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes. Add fruit and stir until well combined. Fold in whipped topping. Chill for at least an hour.

If you are on a restricted diet or watching your weight you can substitute sugar free pudding, and sugar free whipped topping. It will still taste great! Some of our favorite combinations are:

• Lemon pudding, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and bananas
• Cheesecake pudding, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas
• Vanilla pudding, peaches, pears, and pineapple
• Chocolate pudding, bananas, strawberries, and pineapple, chopped almonds