Cheat on your diet with this yummy island fling.

I got the idea from looking at an ad for a similar desert last week.  Over the next few days, I gathered together these ingredients. Pineapple, cream cheese, graham crackers, whipped cream, Coconut flakes, sugar and butter.  I have been shopping lately at Grocery Outlet, so it is like playing grocery roulette.  They happened to have neufchatel cheese that has 1/3 less fat than normal cream cheese, but we will make up for that by using real butter.

I made the crust without really trying by using the left over graham crackers from s’more-making while camping last month.  Actually, I bought them in Paulina, Ore., where I was creeped out by the outhouse I had to use there and the locals who looked like they hadn’t seen other people in months.  It was almost as creepy as Atomic City in Idaho, where I would film a zombie movie, if I ever made one.  Anyways, I took one and a half packages of crackers and crushed them in the blender.  I am sure a food processer would be more efficient because I needed to stop the blender frequently and shove the pieces down with the backend of a wooden spoon. Do this until they become the consistancy of potting soil, and measure 1 1/2 cups into a mixing bowl. Add 6 table spoons of melted butter.  Use a microwave, people.  And 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix to the consistancy of damp sand.  Press it into a pan form.  You can use a pie pan, but I used a springform. Bake it in the oven at 350 F for 8-10 minute.  It has literally taken you longer to read this section than it would to make this crust, unless you leave out the travel tips. After it is done let it cool a little.

While the crust is in the oven sprinkle some coconut on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven while your crust bakes.  Watch it like a hawk, because it will go from white to black really fast wirh only a few seconds in the tasty toasty zone. Save for later.

The filling.  Drop one package of cream cheese into your mixer.  Or mix by hand if you did not get one of these from your uncle Leonard, like I did. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 3/4 cups of whipped topping (no cream was harmed in the making).  Drain your pineapple and crush it into tiny pieces.  Mix in the fruit.

Your crust should be done and coolish.  Fill the cust with the topping and put the lovely coconut on top.  Chill in the fridge.

Crust

11/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

6 tbls butter

8-10 min 350F

Filling

1 3/4 whipped topping

1/2 cup of sugar

15 oz crushed pineapple