Spring Eats: Yum-Yum and Sausage Balls

Last weekend for Easter, I made two of my favorite family recipes to share with friends. I mentioned them in last week's Five on Friday and a few readers asked me to share the recipes.

So by (somewhat) popular request, it's recipe-sharing time!

                            

Strawberry Yum-Yum and Sausage Balls! 

I shared my recipe for sausage balls way long ago, when I did a "favorite holiday recipes" post for Christmas sometime. It hasn't changed, so check it out there. I have not, however, ever shared my mom's recipe for yum-yum. It was actually her grandma's recipe that she ate and loved as a kid. So it's kind of a family recipe, but I'm willing to share.

Strawberry Yum-Yum

1 1/2 sticks butter
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 envelopes Dream Whip
1 cup cold milk
3/4 cup sugar/Splenda
8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
2 cans strawberry pie filling*

*You can use whatever kind of pie filling you'd like: strawberry, cherry, blueberry...whatever pleases you! Strawberry is just my favorite.

Melt the butter and mix it with the graham cracker crumbs to create a crust. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish. Mine is 9x13. Mix the Dream Whip and milk until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese and sugar and beat until well blended.

Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over the layer of crumbs. Add both cans of pie filling over the cream cheese.

Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture over the pie filling. Spread evenly across the top. Cover with the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (but the longer it's chilled, the better). 

You can make this as low-fat and low-calorie as you wish, too: low-fat cream cheese, light pie filling, low-fat graham crackers, etc.

This dessert always has a short life span at my house. We all love it so much that it disappears very quickly. You'll see why when you make it, too.

Happy baking!