Better Than Robert Redford

My Nana was an amazing woman. She taught me from an early age to be proud of my Irish heritage. She also taught me about the finer points of a good whiskey. She would warn me about it though, and say that whiskey was the reason that the Irish never could conquer the world.

It is from her that I inherited my dark hair, Waterford Crystal and one of our most treasured family recipes. No one made a Redford, like my Nana. I would always pull up the stool at the end of her counter to see what she had cooking in the kitchen.  Sometimes it was something simple, like a toasted tomato sandwich with a fresh picked tomato from her garden. Other days offered Hungarian Goulash simmering on the stove, scenting the house with the delicious aroma of supper to come. She was forever swatting people away from the pot. "Patrick and Jerry get out of that pot or we wont have enough for dinner!"

One of the things I wish most, other than to have her here with us again, is that I would have written down her recipe for Irish Soda bread. Now that she is gone, that family recipe is lost to us forever. Sandi has not even had any luck trying to duplicate it. I was however, fortunate enough to learn the amazing Redford recipe from her. I watched her make this for many Gillespie Family Reunions at Lake Chemung.  When I make this dessert to take for a pot luck, I am guaranteed to come home with an empty pan, much to the Mr.'s dismay. Sometimes I have to make him a spare, so he can have some later. There are even people in my family that actually fight over who is going to get the last piece.

In honor of my Nana, I will share with you her recipe for Better Than Robert Redford. I should tell you that the original name of this dessert was Better Than Sex. Nana wouldn't call it that, so she changed the name to Better than Robert Redford. Today we all just call it Redford and everyone knows that you better get your piece fast before its long gone. I once set out a pan of Redford and went to go get more forks from the kitchen. When I got back, the whole pan was gone. Yes, folks, it is that good!

Better Than Robert Redford

Crust: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 stick of butter softened, 1 tbs granulated sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375. Blend flour, butter and sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Press into a greased 9*13 baking pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely

Layer 1: 1 8oz package of cream cheese softened, 1 cup of Cool Whip softened, 1 cup of confectioners sugar

Blend cream cheese, Cool Whip and confectioners sugar until smooth. Spread mixture over completely cooled crust. Cover & Refrigerate 2 hours.

Layer 2: 2 small boxes Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding, 3 cups cold milk

Mix pudding and milk. Pour over 1st layer. Cover & Refrigerate 2 hours

Layer 3: Spread remaining Cool Whip on top and garnish with 2 cups crushed Heath Bar. Cover & Refrigerate 30 minutes.

If you decide to give Nana's Redford a try make sure that the butter, cream cheese and Cool Whip are all at room temp. They will blend better this way. I assure you that there will be enough dough for the crust, even if it doesn't look like it. Put it in the pan and use your fingers to press it down and spread it out. It takes a few minutes to work it across the pan. It is worth it I promise! You could also make it with pistachio pudding instead of chocolate and use crushed pistachios in place of the Heath Bar.

I hope you all enjoy my wonderful Nana's delicious dessert!