If you run across a trifle bowl in your favorite consignment, resale, or thrift shop,

Grab it!

Even if you haven’t the slightest intention of making trifle (but you should), trifle bowls are perfect for decor uses… and even other recipes.

Showcase a pair of perfect pears. Or holiday ornaments. Or your grandmother’s costume jewelry. I’ve even seen a trifle bowl layered with rainbow colors of Jello, topped with whipped cream, for a dieter’s birthday “cake”!

Here’s my favorite recipe to present in a trifle bowl:

Layered Southwestern Salad

Cook, cool, then crumble a pan of cornbread. Jiffy mix works fine.

Mix together: 3 large tomatoes chopped, 1/2 cup sliced green onions and 1/2 cup diced green pepper.

Make the dressing: Combine 1 package (dry) Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix with 1 cup each sour cream and mayonnaise. (Calorie and coronary saver: use 0% Greek yogurt for all or part of this.)

Have ready: 2 (16 oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained,
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and 2 (17 oz) cans sweet corn, drained

Layer:
Half the cornbread
1 can of beans
tomato/pepper/onion mixture
Half the cheese
1 can corn
Half the salad dressing

Then repeat the layers, ending with salad dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 2-3 hours before serving. You can add crumbled bacon to these ingredients, if you and your body can take it. Bacon does make everything better.