Mrs. Smucker's Grocery Depot Dessert

One of my dream jobs would be to develop recipes for food banks.  Say one week they get a big donation of soybeans from a feed mill, outdated matzo mixes, and cans of spinach.  It would be my job to work this into an actual edible low-cost menu.

I got my start on the mission field, using up gallon cans of mandarin oranges and outdated Christmas candies.

These days, I shop at Grocery Depot whenever I get to Albany and work my finds into recipes and meals.

I was very happy with this low-cost and easy but good-enough-for-company dessert.  This is pretty casual as far as amounts and proportions.  It's hard to get it wrong.

MRS. SMUCKER'S DESSERT

1. Go to Grocery Depot and buy Ladyfingers, Neufchatel cheese, and strawberry topping.  The Neufchatel cheese is a low-fat version of cream cheese and is just as versatile.  And it's only $3.99 for a big 3-pound box. Or you can get the tube of cream cheese.

You can make this recipe even if you can't pronounce Neufchatel.

Yes.  3 for a dollar.  But why is the picture sideways?

2. I had read about ladyfingers in fancy magazines but never actually eaten them.  So I was happy to find that they separate like this.  How slick is that?

So.  Peel them apart and put them around the sides and on the bottom of your dessert bowl.  I used a glass bowl but a springform pan actually works better.

3. Scoop some softened Neufchatel cheese into a mixing bowl.  Maybe 16 oz. or so.  It looks a bit watery and gloppy but it's still ok.  Mix it up good.

4. If you have Cool Whip on hand, mix it into the Neuf cheese now.  If you don't have Cool Whip, mix about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into the cheese.  If you like really sweet desserts, add more powdered sugar.

Then whip some cream with the mixer or your smoothie maker.  I started with about 3/4 cup.  Again, skip this if you used Cool Whip.

Mix in the whipped cream.  It's fine if the cream isn't terribly stiff.

5.  Lick the beaters.  When I make food on Sunday mornings, I wear one of Paul's shirts over my church dress.

In case you wondered.

6. Pile the happy mixture into the bowl with the ladyfingers.

Top with the jar of strawberries.

Keep it in the fridge while you're at church.  Serve for Sunday dinner.

Most of all, have fun.  

My mother-in-law took a second helping of this dessert.  Just so you know.