betty's no bake cherry delight pie

Ingredients:

Pie Filling:

1- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup powdered sugar

⅔ of One 8 oz container of whipped topping (2 cups)

1 can Cherry Pie Filling (I used Duncan Hines Original Country Cherry)

⅓ box vanilla wafers (coarsely crushed for topping)

Pie Crust:

⅔ box vanilla wafers - finely crushed to crumbs

1 stick of butter (melted)

Nonstick Cooking Spray

**If no time to make vanilla wafer crust, grab 1 store bought pre-made graham cracker pie crust.

Tools:

Large mixing bowl

Hand mixer or stand mixer

Rubber spatula

Can Opener

Gallon Size Ziploc Bag

Food Processor (optional)

Measuring Cup (to spread crumbs)

Rolling Pin (optional)

Pie plate (If making your own crust)

Directions:

**Take cream cheese out of fridge to soften. Skip to Pie Filling if using pre-made crust.

Vanilla Wafer Crust:

1- Process ⅔ box of vanilla wafers and melted butter into fine crumbs in food processor.

**If no processor, put ⅔ box of vanilla wafers in gallon size ziploc bag, push out air and seal, use rolling pin to crush into fine crumbs, mix with melted butter in a mixing bowl.

2- Spray pie plate to grease.

3- Spread crumbs in pie plate. Bottom of measuring cups work well for this.

Pie Filling:

1- Put ⅓ box of vanilla wafers in ziploc bag and smash into chunks and crumbs, not pulverized. 

2- Blend cream cheese, milk, and powdered sugar with a hand or stand mixer.

3- Fold in whipped topping.

4- Spread over pie crust with rubber spatula.

5- Open can and spread cherry pie filling on top of that.

6- Top with crushed vanilla wafers.

7- Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight, if possible.

Food FOR Thought TIP:

Do what works for the rhythm of your day.

Some days, you may have the time and desire to make a homemade vanilla wafer crust in a recipe like this. You might be a make your own whipped topping person too. 

My in-laws have a cherry tree out front of their home here in Reno and when I lived in So Cal, we used to live near vast, beautiful cherry orchards where you could pick your own.  I know the internet would give guidance on how to make those amazing cherries into an amazing “cherry pie filling” as well.

But (and it is a big but) we do not always have the ability to say “yes” to all that; and often, in fact, we shouldn’t.  When it comes to time management, we have to be stingy with our yes(es) and generous with our no(s).

We also need to extend grace to friends or family when they might be having a make my own homemade whipped topping kind of day while we are having a thank you sweet Jesus for Cool Whip kind of day-both in the kitchen and metaphorically in the bigger picture of our lives.

I will leave you with this quote to consider:

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.“ 

Leadership Expert, Speaker and Author John Maxwell