Lemon Pudding Cake with Berries

So today was a whirlwind day. It started at 5:20, getting ready for a Body Pump class. I VERY nearly cancelled because I only got about 5 hours of sleep, but knowing Melissa was coming to pick me up kept me moving and I was glad. It was a good class, and according to my scale, I actually am building muscle. YAY.

So that was followed by 8 totallyfranticstressedout hours at work. For the first time in WEEKS I made sure to leave on time so I could run to the store and get the makings for the Lemon Pudding Cake and slaw I was planning to make for tonight's Dorm Parent gathering. Yes, the same slaw I made twice last week. Well, almost the same. I keep tweaking it, so it might be fair to call it my own by now. =)

I got home and immediately set to work and finished justintime to head to the BBQ. It was so nice to see everyone, but we felt rushed because we found out today that we had to pack up our entire office/back room today (remember the one from decluttering month?) in preparation for the new closet they're going to start putting in. Which we are excited about. But having our house in such disarray leaves me kind of anxious. And we're starting to figure out that there's no good way of fitting the furniture we want in the spaces we have. So putting it all back together when we are back from Denmark should be interesting.

Anyway, I added crushed peanuts and a little lime to the slaw today. Look how bold and adventurous I'm getting! I couldn't really tell the difference with the lime, but I actually really liked the peanuts. It seemed to be a pretty big hit at the dorm parent party. Melissa had also made an asian slaw with jicama (sp?) and I liked that she used cucumbers and sliced peppers in hers. I'd like to add cucumbers to mine next time!

As for the cake, I think it was only so-so. It came from the cooking light book, and I just doubled the recipe. Everyone said it was good but it was the only dessert there so the bar was set pretty low. =) It had good flavor, but the texture seemed a bit dense to me. I think I was expecting a fluffier cake with pudding oozing out. Which is funny, considering I made it and knew full well that the pudding was all mixed in with the cake. It was still pretty good once topped with fat-free cool whip and fresh berries, but I'd only give it a 3.5. Michael gave it a 3.75. I forgot to ask the other diners. (You ate it, you rate it!) I'll have to remember next time. I might try a main course next time, since there's only one more BBQ that we'll be able to attend in July.

The slaw, however, is still hovering around a 4.5. In fact, someone asked for the recipe tonight which is a pretty good sign, I'd say.