That Aldi Ice Cream Cake

I'm a bargain shopper. An off-brand lover. A bulk buyer when the sales are smoking. A shopper that makes the store pay me to take their stuff.

Actually, that's just Kohl's. And they do that for everyone.

A few brands I put my foot down, bite the bullet, and buy the real thing. Here's a few:

• Peanut Butter. "Choosy Moms choose Jiff," the commercial said. Yeah, and good Moms buy Peter Pan. Because it's the best. Especially Honey Roasted. Except when Jiff came out with a Salted Caramel which was even better. But, now they stopped. So, it's Peter Pan again. (Yes, I have a peanut butter problem.)
• Coffee. Because as much as I love church, no one should live off church coffee.
• Apples. Honeycrisp. Buy them. Eat them. Love them. Never go back.

Everyone has their "thing." Maybe you spend money on movies but couldn't imagine wasting money on a zoo membership. Maybe you spend money on fancy Scooter's drinks but would never waste money on Hallmark cards.

We strive to be good stewards of our money, to stay on budget, and make Dave Ramsey proud by telling our money where to go instead of it telling us where it went. We also have our "things" like real Oreos and homemade ice cream.

And then, my life (and waistline) changed with this bad boy.

That, my friends, is a homemade Ice Cream Cake made with Aldi brand Oreos, brownie mix, ice cream, and whipped cream.

I was skeptical that a) it would turn out b) taste good and c) would turn out.

Paper plates are a must when you sis-in-law is 37 weeks pregnant and graciously hosting a family of OU fans to watch the game, okay??

And when your SIL is having a baby girl for the first time in Kaldahl history of ever since moving to America, you should probably throw her a Baby Sprinkle. And serve these donuts.

Anywah, now, I'm just worried it won't last more than .2 seconds

And that I'll never make another dessert the rest of my life and never fit back into my pants because...did you see the picture of the ice cream cake?

Just wait till you try it.

And although I hesitate to give you the (super difficult) recipe I used because I'd rather you just come over to visit us to enjoy one slice for you and two slices for me, I can hardly contain the goodness to myself.

Here's what you need:

• Aldi brownie mix
• Aldi Oreos
• Aldi Cookies 'n' Cream ice cream
• Chocolate syrup
• Aldi whipped cream
• Spring form pan
• A big ole appetite

Here's what you do:

• Mix up and bake them brownies. I poured half into a well-greased spring form pan and half in a cake pan.
• Cool them brownies. Pop out the brownie in the cake pan (mine crumbled out, it's fine.) and freeze the one in the spring form pan for a bit. You should know by now directions for me are a loose outline, right?
• Pull out the ice cream from the freezer to soften slightly. Spread half the ice cream over the brownies in the spring form pan. Oh, and while the ice cream is all soft and begging you to spoon feed yourself, do that too.
• Drizzle chocolate syrup over that ice cream. And in your mouth, if you like.
• (Heavily) sprinkle crunched up Oreos. 
• Drizzle more syrup. Because why not?
• Top with another layer of them brownies (brownie crumbles, if you're me).
• Spread the last half of ice cream over them brownies. Or, if you ate that last half of the tub, grab a quarter, and run back to Aldi to buy another tub.
• Pop open your whipped cream can, and give yourself a shot. You know, for the energy to spray whipped cream on the top of the ice cream cake.
• Finish off by drizzling more chocolate syrup and sprinkling more Oreos on top.

Stick it in the freezer and take a nap while the magic happens. When you're ready to eat, pull out the ice cream cake about 20 minutes before that. Pop off the spring of the pan, grab a knife, cut up slices, and dish it out to your biggest fans.

If they're not your family yet, they will be after.