Cherry Delight

 A simple recipe that takes me back to the 1970s. I hope you'll consider giving it a try for yourself.

Cherry Delight

Preheat oven to 350°

Filling: 

1 envelope of powdered Dream Whip topping mix

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of cold milk

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1 1/2 tsps. Of vanilla extract

Crust:

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter

Topping: 

One can of cherry pie filling

Directions

Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven. Cool completely.

Add the filling mix to a medium mixing bowl and beat on high for 4 minutes. Spread into the cooled crust.

This needs to be chilled for several hours or overnight before serving. Spoon the cherry topping on the pie right before serving.

My mom would make this for family reunions and the 4th of July. It was a treat. Sweets were not a daily thing or even a weekly treat in our home. Treats were special, an occasion! Something we anticipated.

 My parents were transplanted into Ohio from West Virginia. Our family ate the typical southern foods. Biscuits and cornbread were staples. Dad expected meat and potatoes for dinner. There weren't casseroles or frozen foods or boxed meals. Mom cooked a meal, and dessert was not included. We didn't have fancy foods very often. Cherry Delight definitely fell into the category of fancy foods, one that I associated with happiness.

I remember feeling such pride when we would arrive at a family reunion and Mom would place her Cherry Delight on the dessert table. It was always met with enthusiasm from other family members. 

Years passed, and somehow along the way, Cherry Delight was replaced with something new. The memory still lasts and has not been replaced. I've made this recipe here and there over the years as well. My mom's tasted better than mine, though. I'm not sure how that works, but Mom's food is always best.