Grape Salad

Okay, this is not what you think of when you see the name "Grape Salad".  It's a sweet indulgence with a burst of brightness from the grapes!  A yummy addition to your summer time picnics :)  The best part is, it's a snap to put together!  Top it with crushed Butterfinger for a tasty dessert treat. Grape Salad - Recipe from my mom Not quite sure of its original origin 1 jar (7 oz) Marshmallow Fluff 1 8oz pkg cream cheese softened 1 tsp vanilla 2-3 tblsp brown sugar 1 cup chopped pecans 1 Butterfinger bar crushed 1 lb green grapes 1 lb red seedless grapes Mix together marshmallow fluff, cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar really well.  Wash grapes, drain, and dry off (I shook as much water off as I could in the colindar then used a paper towel to blot off any excess water).  Mix together grapes, chopped nuts, and cream mixture.  Stir well.  Transfer to serving dish and top with a crushed Butterfinger bar.  Refrigerate an hour before serving to get good and cold. I used the light cream cheese.  This works well if you are going to use the recipe that day.  If this is going to be a make ahead recipe for you, the light cream cheese does end up making it a little watery.  I also used PAM -or other non-stick cooking spray- as my friend.  The grocery store I frequent only had a gargantuan size of Marshmallow Fluff, so I had to use half the jar.  This required scooping it out with a spoon.  Since the fluff is sticky, I sprayed a spoon with PAM first before using it and the fluff slid right off and made it easier to mix well with the cream cheese and other ingredients.   I measured the grapes while at the grocery store.  General rule of thumb is the grapes bag usually holds about 2+ pounds of grapes.  So I used about half of each bag.  I stirred it together with the cream mixture and thought it was too creamy, so I ended up adding more grapes in.  I love the flexibility aspect of this recipe.  You can really stretch the cream mixture depending on how many grapes you would need to use up. I ended up only mixing in about 1/2 a cup of chopped pecans because that's all I had in the freezer.  I did, however, really enjoy the texture that the nuts gave this recipe.  Now, you can leave the recipe as-is here... or you can add the Butterfinger on top.  The Butterfinger really adds to the sweetness, so if you are intending this to be a dessert it would be a good addition. The VerdictThis is a surprisingly delicious salad.  If your grapes are really sweet you can cut back on the brown sugar.  If they're a little tart you can, likewise, add more.  I think the cream mixture would make a delicious dip for fruits.  It would be fun to make it as the dip and cut up apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, and grapes to eat along the side (not mixed in).  A keeper for sure because of its versatility! Hope you're enjoying your weekend!