This past week, I lost my aunt and godmother, my dad’s only sister. Though they weren’t biological siblings, having both been adopted as young children, no blood relatives could have been closer. They clung to each other as if they were the only two friends in the world. When my dad went to heaven first, it was incredibly hard on Gloria. That wasn’t how life was supposed to go, not for her little brother, Dickie, as she always called him growing up.

Gloria had eight sons and one daughter; my dad had six girls and one boy. That made for some lively and memorable conversations growing up! One of my fondest memories was heading to “the farm” for Sunday dinner. We’d pile into the two-tone, four-door station wagon and make the drive to Faribault, Minnesota. Once we arrived, we played hard. When the big, old-school bell rang for dinner, we raced to wash our hands and get ready to say grace.

Dinner often included fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I still remember the blue-speckled enamel roasting pan, 18 inches across, holding what must have been 20 pounds of chicken. And the pot of mashed potatoes? It looked big enough to bathe a baby in! After dinner, the dishes were washed by hand and put away, a pot of egg coffee was put on, and dessert was brought out. There were always the best chocolate chip cookies, but that’s a story for another day.

On hot summer Sundays, Aunt Gloria was known for her no-bake “grown-up dessert.” We kids were happy with cookies, one for each hand, but we always wondered about the special dessert reserved for adults.

When I was about 12 years old, I was finally allowed to try it. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. The dessert was Cherry Delight. Aunt Gloria knew my dad loved cherries, so I’m sure she made it especially for him. She doubled the original 8×8 recipe to fit a 9×13 pan. One can of pie filling turned into two; half the pan was cherry, the other half blueberry. With choices like that, you couldn’t go wrong!

I could never decide which fruit I liked more, so Aunt Gloria would cut me a square right where the two flavors met. I remember asking her for the recipe, and she smiled and said, “This is one of the harder recipes to make. There are several steps. You’ll have to wait until you’re a little older.” I never forgot that.

Years later, when I was a married woman, I asked again, and this time, she gave it to me, along with some helpful hints she’d picked up over the years to make it a little easier.

I miss Aunt Gloria dearly. But her love lives on in her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. She cooked, baked, fed people, and shared her recipes, and in doing so, she passed along more than just food. She passed along tradition, joy, and love.

Thank you, Aunt Gloria, for the dessert and for so much more.

Cherry/Blueberry Delight

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Yield: One 9 x 13 pan

Ingredients

Crust

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 3 sleeves of crackers)

2/3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Reserve 2 tablespoons of crumbs for topping

Filling

16 ounces cream cheese, softened- room temperature (2 packages) I have substituted Neufchâtel.

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 containers Cool Whip, 16 ounces

1 can cherry pie filling, 21 ounces

1 can blueberry pie filling, 21 ounces

Topping

      I large container of Cool Whip

Instructions

Crust

Add the butter to a medium bowl.  Microwave for 10 to 13 seconds at a time until melted.  Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix well to combine.  Pat the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the crust completely cool. You can make the crust the day before to let it cool completely or if you are pressed for time.

Filling

Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a mixer until the cream cheese of smooth and free of any lumps.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the Cool Whip by hand until combined, but don’t overmix.

Spread the cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture over the graham cracker crust using a spoon or spatula. 

Spoon the cherry pie filling over the top from one end to the middle of the pan. Take your time spreading it evenly over the cream cheese layer. It may help to place the pie filling in heaps and spread it out.

Repeat with the blueberry pie filling on the other half of the pan until they meet in the middle.

Topping

          Spread a layer of Cool Whip over the entire pan.

Aunt Gloria would sprinkle a handful of graham crumbs over the whole pan, her idea of a fancy garnish.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Cover with plastic wrap. I think best to refrigerate and set up overnight.

Refrigerate leftovers if you have any!