The True Meaning of Easter

The eternal and cosmic conflict of good versus evil, portrayed in....eggs.
You should have seen the to-the-death lightsaber duel between those arch ovoid enemies-Yodegg and Darth Vegger. Okay, okay I'll stop. The teeny tiny little Darth helmet that came with the egg decorating kit is very cool, though. And you do know that I'm just kidding about the true meaning of Easter, right?

I am thinking of making this photo or some form of it into my avatar. It is very me-I have a geek streak a mile wide, but I never take myself too seriously. I am a geek with self-awareness. And the ability to see the things I hold dear portrayed as eggs.

Sue and I did run yesterday-the snow did not keep us down! Easter was lovely today with a perfect blending of family, fun, and opportunities to ponder the real true meaning of Easter.
Here is the crew just after finding their Easter baskets:

We got a little extra time with the Bishop because meetings were cancelled for the holiday, and that was nice. My folks and my sister came over for Easter dinner. Mom brought the ham, Steph brought the rolls, and everything was just fantastic. I will include the dessert recipe for your enjoyment. Even if you never make the trifle, you really should try the fudge sauce. I could eat it with a spoon. Actually, I do eat it with a spoon. I have to watch myself so there's enough left for the trifle. Now, to the dishes. May the force be with me.

Chocolate Toffee Trifle

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup Hershey's Syrup
2 cups fudge sauce, recipe follows, or 1 (16-ounce) jar fudge sauce
3 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, broken into pieces
1 1/2 cups heavy cream whipped and sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar

Hot Fudge Sauce:
1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

I like to make the hot fudge sauce ahead of time, refrigerate it till needed, then warm it up gently in the microwave or over a water bath before assembling the trifle. This is also fantastic by itself for ice-cream or straight from the spoon (for emergency use during PMS. )

Hot fudge sauce:
To make the sauce: Melt the German chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Directions:
Prepare the cake according to the package directions for a 9 by 13-inch cake. Cool thoroughly.
Prick the entire top of the cake with a fork. Pour Hershey's syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in. Wrap the cake with plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Slice the cake into 1-inch thick pieces.

Line the bottom of a large glass bowl with a single layer of cake. Pour 1/4 of the fudge sauce over the cake, top with 1/4 of the candy bar-bits then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat layering 2 more times ending with fudge sauce and candy bits. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cook's Note: Assemble the trifle shortly before serving or it will get soggy

Number Of Servings:10 Preparation Time:hour