Green and red grapes dressed in a sweet, silky cream cheese and sour cream mixture sprinkled with a brown sugar pecan topping just like Chicken Salad Chick's recipe!
JUMP TO RECIPEI’ve mentioned my friend, Dawn, a few times on the blog and shared her recipes but I don’t know if I ever told y’all how we became friends.
I pretty-much made her be my friend. Our boys started kindergarten on the same day nine years ago and were seated at the same table. When I met her, I learned that she and her boys had just moved here to SC from Ohio two weeks before for a new job she was starting.
And because I never meet a stranger (have no sense of boundaries and ask too many questions), I learned that she really didn’t know anyone here and was sorta on her own on this new adventure. We exchanged numbers and went our separate ways.
Other than when I went off to college and in spite of the fact that I’ve been fortunate enough to travel quite a lot (and ironically married someone from a whole other country), I’ve lived my entire life right here in Lexington County, South Carolina.
I have roots here, y’all. I got people. Lots of people. My people have people. My people’s people know more people. I laid in bed that night and wondered what it would be like to start a new life somewhere and not have people.
Then I started harassing her. Do you have a good daycare? Did you sign the boys up for baseball? Do you have a family doctor yet? Do you need a mechanic? Do you want to come over for supper? Do you want to go trick-or-treating with us?
WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE THANKSGIVING?!
OH MY GOD, YOU CAN’T BE ALONE ON THANKSGIVING!!
She tried to resist me. She really did. But I persisted and a friendship bloomed, and she spent Thanksgiving with us that year.
She asked what she could bring. I think I told her dessert would be great and left it at that because me and Mama’s got Thanksgiving on lockdown. We cook more food than any one family could ever eat and asking someone to bring more would be ridiculous!
Well, what I didn’t know at the time was that Dawn loves to cook as much as I do and she showed up that day with a carload of food! And all of it was new to us! And all of it was delicious!
One thing she brought that I had never heard of (at the time – it’s a thing here now) was Grape Salad. What in the heck is grape salad?! Well, it’s red and green grapes tossed in a sweet creamy filling topped with brown sugar and pecans (though I’m sure hers had walnuts because she hates pecans).
I wasn’t too awfully sure I even wanted any of it (I mean there’s only so much room in a stomach so you can’t be wasting space on Thanksgiving, ya know?) but I tried it (to be polite).
Oh, I tried it alright.
When everything was cooked and eaten and cleaned up and put away, I was still eating on that grape salad. I finally gave in and just got a separate bowl full. That grape salad might be responsible for Henry, my latest stretch mark.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Chicken Salad Chick in your neck of the world, you’ve likely had Grape Salad there as it’s their most popular side to accompany their yummy chicken salad sandwiches.
And it’s good. But Dawn’s recipe is better. Nine years later, it's still one of my favorites. So when I set out to make it to share with y’all, I didn’t hesitate to use Dawn's recipe because it's perfect!
Dawn’s recipe makes A LOT of the brown sugar topping so what I do is put half of it on the salad then set the other half out in a little serving bowl so folks can add more (which they may want to do once the top layer of the salad is gone).
Another thing you could do would be to add a layer half way through the salad then top it with the second half. Once it’s sat there a while that brown sugar sort of melts into the creamy filling and makes this dreamy, caramely, swirly layer of pure Heaven!
I always wait to add the topping until I’m serving the salad. If I’m taking it somewhere with me, I bring the topping separately in a little bowl, add half of it when I get there then set the remaining topping to the side like I mentioned above.
However you decide to serve it, I know you will fall in love with it! And so will your guests so be prepared to direct them to the recipe because they will ask for it!
Recipe for Grape Salad
NOTES ABOUT MAKING GRAPE SALAD
- Wash grapes a day ahead of time so they have time to dry before assembling the salad.
- Your grapes have to be completely dry or the creamy mixture won’t stick to them.
- If you need to dry your grapes, line a large area on your counter with clean kitchen towels then spread the grapes on top. Using paper towels or more kitchen towels, gently roll the grapes around until they’re dry.
- You can make this a day ahead just be sure not to add the brown sugar topping until you’re ready to serve.
- I don’t recommend using low fat or fat-free sour cream in this but low fat cream cheese is great!
- You can use your favorite sugar substitute in place of the white sugar in the recipe.
Grape Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. red seedless grapes
- 1 lb. green seedless grapes
- 1 8-oz. pack cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Wash grapes then dry well. I always wash them the day before so they can dry on their own in the fridge. Remove grapes from stems, set aside.
- Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl then beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sour cream, sugar and vanilla then continue mixing until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Fold in grapes then gently stir until coated. Fold salad into a serving bowl, cover then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Combine pecans and brown sugar to make the topping. When ready to serve, sprinkle salad with half of the topping. Place remaining topping to the side with a spoon so folks can add more if desired.
Notes
Wash grapes a day ahead of time so they have time to dry before assembling the saladYour grapes have to be completely dry or the creamy mixture won’t stick to them.If you need to dry your grapes, line a large area on your counter with clean kitchen towels then spread the grapes on top. Using paper towels or more kitchen towels, gently roll the grapes around until they’re dry.You can make this a day ahead just be sure not to add the brown sugar topping until you’re ready to serve.I don’t recommend using low fat or fat-free sour cream in this but low fat cream cheese is great!You can use Splenda or your favorite sweetener in place of the white sugar in the recipe.
I absolutely love the stories you share with your recipes! Everyone who moves to a new town needs to meet someone like you!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar sweet Thanksgiving story. A new friend of my son-in-law had recently relocated here in Tennessee (from Ohio also) and was going through a divorce. His kids were with the Mom for the holiday so my son-in-law asked if he could share our Thanksgiving meal. Of course he was welcome to join us. Fast forward a few years and he is married now to my daughter's best friend from early childhood, and my son-in-law performed the wedding ceremony. I love happy endings.
ReplyDeleteLove your stories. Makes me feel like part of the family, sitting in the kitchen listening to the adults talking. Even though this recipe is from someone from Ohio, it spells Southern to me. I wasn't raised in the south, but our housekeeper was and this recipe reminds me of one she used to make back in the 50's but her's was with apples. Haven't thought about it in years, and now I'm dying for it, so I just put sour cream on the shopping list for tomorrow. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy whole family and all of my friends love this recipe. I'm a nurse and I'm frequently asked to bring it to work for potlucks. but the best thing is my granddaughter loves it she sad it's like I'm having a party in my mouth when she eats it!
DeleteMade this yesterday, give Dawn a hug and more grapes!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I catch up late, but OMG this salad is a keeper. Meaning I'm going make it again and keep it for myself. My guests ate it so quick, I only got a bite or two. But wow whether from Ohio or the south, this is unreal. I made it with the walnuts - no pecans available for a decent price around NJ.
ReplyDeleteI like to use crushed butterfinger in place of the pecans.
ReplyDeleteHi! I have been making this salad for many years...May I "suggest" buying a 4oz.bag of "chopped PECANS(Walmarts has a great price(using THEIR name brand((Great Value)...)Put the WHOLE 4 oz. into the salad along with the grapes(4 cups)I personally like to use "ALL red seedless)...To "KICK it up a notch. I added ground Cinnamon to the sauce blend.Try it...you'll LOVE it!...I "HAVE used "Light" sour cream mixed with a "Light Cream cheese(Neufchatel)1/3 less fat(just today in fact, because I have a friend watching her diet(for health reasons"...It was still very good and not at all "thinner".
ReplyDeleteA lady at work puts snicker chunks in hers. It is awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy friend put chunks of snickers in her version. Yum! Anyway you make it!
ReplyDeleteThis salad is also delicious made with Fage 0% Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, 1/3 less fat cream cheese and sweetener substitute of your preference. It’s just a healthier version but truly just as delicious and satisfying!
ReplyDelete