They're Grrrrrapes!

These are so easy that we made them!

This week was St. Patrick's Day and of course, at work, we have to have some sort of celebration. Every celebration at work always revolves around food. It makes people happy and almost makes them think they are having fun at work. I said almost. The theme was Grazin the Green and it was a potluck where you had to make or buy something green. See the theme here?

I wracked my brain trying to think of something different, something that I haven't brought into work before and something that people will like. Hhhhmmmmmm...what do people like? My friend, Tracy, had written some ideas onto the sign up sheet to spark peoples interest and sure enough, one of those things sparked my thoughts. Green grapes! Grape salad! That's easy, right?

So began my quest for green grapes. I was at Aldi, which I LOVE and do an overwhelming majority of my shopping at, and they only had one package of grapes left, so I thought, I will just run to Dominick's. It's across the street and on my way home. Payten and I run in there after our shopping spree at Aldi, after she conned me into two packages of jelly beans, we finally made it over to the produce. Our Dominick's produce section is very large and they usually have a wide selection of items. I thought this was going to be a quick trip, grapes, in and out. Well two bags of jelly beans later, I am looking at these green grapes, if you can even call them that, and I was thinking, how in the world can they have this on their shelves? I stood there looking around in total disbelief at what they had there for green grapes, rather, brown, moldy, mushy fruit fly infested, grapes, not to mention the price they wanted for these so called grapes.

Take that Dominick's!

We were outta there. Paid for our jelly beans and hit the road. Now I need to make this salad and I need grapes. Thanks to Jewel and my friends at work the next day, I had decent GREEN grapes. I brought those grapes home and on the busiest of days, baked cupcakes, rather Jasen finished baking the cupcakes, I went to yoga and at about 8:45p.m. started my grape salad.

Being a working mom, that squeezes absolutely everything I can into one day, I am always happy to have the EASIEST least time consuming recipes. If it tastes goods, my family likes it, it is simple and quick to make, I love it. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. Let's face it, we all want tasty food that anyone can create and in a short period of time.

Back to my story, so it's 8:45p.m. and I have to whip up this salad.
Here is what I did:

4lbs of green grapes washed and dried. When I say dried, I took a paper towel and blotted them before I picked them off of the stems.
2-8oz packages of cream cheese, soft
(I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
1-16oz container of sour cream
(I used the light sour cream)
2 cups of white sugar
2 tsp of vanilla

The ingredients below are optional. I have never had the salad with these in it, but I assume it would be good.
8oz chopped pecans
4TBS brown sugar

My always willing, taste testers.

OK, wash the grapes.
In a large bowl, mix the soft cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar and vanilla. Beat this very well until it is really smooth. I'm talking smooooooooooooth as gllllaaaaaasssssss. (Jasen and the kids have been saying smooth as glass for everything lately, I guess I have been easily influenced.)

Grape picking, child labor.

Now, blot the grapes on a paper towel as you pick them off the stem and throw the into the, smooth as glass, mixture.

Finally, fold them in, so that they are well covered. You don't want any naked grapes.

Cover and refrigerate before serving.

For the optional step that I don't do:
After you fold the grapes into the smooth as glass mixture, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and pecans and mix again, cover and pop them in the fridge. Again, I don't make it this way, but I assume it would tasted good.

Now one final thing. Auntie Elaine has made her debut to this blog with her heavenly cupcakes, which I also brought to our Grazin the Green event. I owe this recipe to her too. She is amazing when it comes to quick delicious little treats. A+ Auntie Elaine!