Graham Cracker Pudding

Yield: 2 logs

Source: My husband's grandmother used to make this every Christmas. It seems no one in the family has any idea where she got the recipe. It is the most unique dessert I have ever come across! It is not too sweet, which is sometimes a nice change from the ordinary.

This is my favorite inherited recipe from my husband's family. I like to think it describes them perfectly. They are the Norwegian-Wyoming-Lutheran-Farmer types, for whom life requires a lot of hard work, and is never too sweet. On the bright side, this recipe requires no baking, so you can eat it as soon as it chills a bit.

If you have ever eaten this before, or even heard of it, I beg you to drop me a line. I would love to know what you know about it, even if it is next to nothing.

So, here are the ingredients:

2 lb. graham crackers

1 bag small marshmallows

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped walnuts

(dates and walnuts are optional)

You will also need a flour sack towel, or preferably two

You start by emptying the entire bag of marshmallows into a bowl. Then open the pineapple, DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE, and pour it over the marshmallows. Stir them together a little, and let it sit for a few minutes while you crush the graham crackers. The marshmallows need to soak up the juice.

I like to use the food processor to crush up the graham crackers, and yes, you will be using the entire box. When you pour the crumbs into the bowl with the marshmallows and start mixing, you quickly realize that there is something very wrong here. The entire two-pound box of crackers and only one tiny little can of pineapple to moisten it? Yes. It's true. It will be very, very dry.
Do your best to mix everything together, and don't be surprised if your mixing muscle gets sore. This is also the point at which you should add the dates and nuts. Personally, I prefer it to have both, but I usually make one log with nuts and one without, because I have a family that is afraid of nuts. Wimps.

At this point, you should take a clean flour sack towel and get it wet. Wring most of the water out, but don't squeeze it to the point of dryness. Lay the towel out on the counter, and scoop about half of the mixture onto the towel, arranging it into a long string. (Later you should repeat this process with the other half, giving you two long logs of frozen yumminess.)
Wrap the wet towel around the mixture and start squeezing. When you do this, you will easily see why we say this recipe is a two-man job. It just goes better with two. You have to really work on this, squeezing hard to get everything to stick together, and arranging it into a long log.
Don't be surprised if you open the towel, and the log just falls apart. I know it's frustrating. I'm on your side. You can add a little water to the towel if needed, but usually you just have to keep squeezing. Get someone stronger than you to work on it if you come to the end of your rope, so to speak!
It looks gross in the picture, right? The people watching me create this post have used words like "manure" and "puke" to describe how it looks. Don't be deterred by the pictures, though. It is worth the wait.

Once it's all put together, unwrap it from the towel, which is probably now ruined, or at least very dirty and stained, and roll it carefully onto some wax paper. I actually like to put aluminum foil down with wax paper on top of it. Roll it up, fold the ends in, mark which log has nuts, and put it in the freezer.

When you are ready to serve, just use a sharp knife to cut off some slices. Place them on a plate and cover them with a big dollop of whipped cream. Yum!! Eat with your fork, or with your fingers, either way is fine with me.