Christmas Eve Trifle

I love traditions and love hearing what other folks do for certain events and Holidays.  Everyone seems to have their own Christmas Eve traditions.  We have some friends that always go out for Chinese after church on Christmas Eve.  The other day I loved hearing about a friend’s tradition of coming home from Christmas Eve church service and immediately getting in pajamas for the rest of the evening.  How fun is that?  Our Christmas Eve traditions isn’t that extraordinary and has changed a little bit as the boys have gotten older.  One thing that hasn’t changed is a Christmas Eve dinner following church.  For some reason it has always been lasagna, Ceasar salad, bread and dessert.  However, the best part is that before dinner can begin, we always have a reading from the book of Luke describing Christ’s arrival.  It is read from a tiny bible from The Husband’s childhood.  It is so old and has been read so often that the cover hangs by a thread and we have it tied together with a red ribbon.  I love hearing the same story each year reminding us of our faith and true purpose.  

Last year I made a yummy and refreshing trifle for dessert and think I will do the same this year.  It’s actually healthy . . . Shhhhh.  Please don’t let the fellas in my house know that.  If you are looking for something easy, light and pretty, here it is.

Christmas Fruit Trifle

Ingredients
5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced, plus a few whole, for garnish
One 6-ounce container blueberries
One 6-ounce container raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Juice 1/2 orange
4 cups low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
One 17-ounce store-bought angel food cake
Directions
Add the berries to a bowl along with the sugar and orange juice. Let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, until juicy.

Meanwhile, add the yogurt and honey to a bowl. Stir with a spoon to mix in the honey and smooth out so the mixture will be more spreadable.

Cut the angel food cake into large chunks using a serrated knife, and add about one-third of the cake to the bottom of a medium trifle dish. Add a layer of the syrupy berries and then a layer of yogurt, reserving a few spoonfuls of yogurt for the end. Repeat the layers until you have no more remaining ingredients. Finish the top with the few spoonfuls of yogurt in the center and the fresh, whole strawberries.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Yum.  Really, I promise!