Cream Puff Dessert

My 26-year-old brother was never really interested in cooking or baking while we were growing up in the same house.

Then he went to college, and all of a sudden he was the culinary king of his dorm, apartment, social circle.

He'd come home for breaks and share his recent triumphs, test experiments on us and suddenly became quite the expert in the kitchen. On one trip to our sister's, we went on a grocery store mission and came back armed to make bacon-wrapped shrimp on the grill. This kid does not mess around. Now he lives in Colorado (much closer to Meg's west than my east!) and we don't get to see or taste his latest creations.

While his adventures were mostly centered around cooking, he did pass along a fantastically yummy dessert recipe. Our dad requested this basically every time my brother was home from college, and finally my mom got the recipe. I asked for the recipe, too, and remember making it for my dormmates - needless to say, it was a hit. I hadn't made it in quite some time but made it again a few months ago, and it was every bit as delicious as I remembered it.

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
2 small boxes of instant pudding (vanilla, chocolate, banana, coconut cream and butterscotch work well)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
3 cups milk
1 container whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Bring water and margarine to a boil.

(I transfer the boiling water and margarine to my mixer at this point and then ...)

Mix in flour until it forms a stiff ball.

Beat in eggs slowly.

Spread in bottom of greased 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

When cool, mix pudding, milk and cream cheese together.

Pour into shell. Top with whipped cream if desired. May also garnish with shaved chocolate.

Source: My brother