Broccoli and Cardboard boxes

I was feeling very ambitious today and found this recipe on www.foodnetwork.com ..Kevin usually does the cooking while I enjoy the baking. This was my first attempt at a trifle and it seemed to be a big hit!
Here is the recipe as I prepared:

Ingredients
1 large angel food cake
For the custard:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
For the glaze:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin (recommended: Jell-O)
1 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in 1/2 (if berries are extra large, they can be cut into quarters)
Whole fresh strawberries and mint leaves, for garnish
Directions
Slice cake, using a serrated knife, horizontally into 3 equal layers.

For the custard:
Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; set aside.

For the glaze:
In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fold in strawberries.

For assembly:
Place 1 layer of cake in a large clear bowl. Top with a layer of glaze, followed by a layer of custard mixture. Repeat layering in this order for remaining cake, glaze and custard. Top cake with 3 whole fresh strawberries

Although this was a big hit with the family...I decided the next time I make this I will make a few changes to this original recipe. One suggestion would be to either make an actual shortcake or angel food cake. The store bought one that I used was very dense and very sweet. Cutting it up into smaller pieces as opposed to three slices may break up the density. Another suggestion was to make homemade whipped cream. These two variations would add time to the total prep time, but would be well worth it! I am looking forward to trying this recipe again in a few weeks when we have fresh strawberries from the garden!

......and a shout out to Ashleigh and Tyler Trosen for their help naming this post. :) Their randomness makes me laugh everyday!