PISTACHIO PUDDING with a twist

Today's post is more of an idea, rather than a real recipe. Picky-picky husband loves the old Watergate Salad. I never thought of it as a salad, but that's what they called it: instant pistachio pudding, Cool Whip and crushed pineapple...talk about shades of childhood!!

I re-discovered the old recipe recently and remembered that I haven't made it in years because Cool Whip now gives hubby indigestion, part of getting older I guess.

I decided to experiment and see if I could substitute real whipped cream for the Cool Whip. The result was delicious and much fresher tasting than using the non-dairy topping of yester-year.

Beat 1½ cups of whipping cream with a small (4 serving size) box of instant pistachio pudding until you get stiff peaks, then fold in an 8 ounce can of well drained, crushed pineapple and a half cup (loosely packed) sweetened coconut. Chopped maraschino cherries would go well in this, but I didn't have any.

Chill for about an hour or so (it keeps well and doesn't deflate). Makes about 4 cups of pudding.