Fruit Pizza

Today’s my grandmother’s 85th birthday. Not that she’s going to be reading this, but she gets the shout-out anyway. :) Every time we’d go visit her when she lived alone, she always greeted us with a homemade Fruit Pizza. Now that she has Alzheimers, I sure do miss those days. Now what used to be her stubborness has been replaced with very circular conversations.

“Where do you live?”
“New Jersey, Nana.”
“Do you live far from your mother?”
“About 20 minutes.”
“Oh that’s nice. Where are you now?”
“At work, Nana.”
“You are? Well then, where is Nicholas?”
“He’s at school.”
“Oh, that’s good. Where do you live?”
“New Jersey.”
“Do you live far from your mother?”

… and so it goes. It’s very sad and equally hard to deal with. I think what’s worse is how quick she has gotten to this point. Just 3 short years ago, she was taking art classes at her local college and kicking up a storm in her weekly country line dancing classes. The paintbrushes have long since been laid down and she can’t remember things. Memory is certainly a strange thing. She can tell you where she was in 1940, yet thinks my son is 4, instead of 2-1/2. She can remember that my grandfather was in the Army, yet can’t remember where I live. It’s just very sad, but I guess the only answer is to enjoy her as she is now, and remember the good memories. And to that end, I’ll be making her Fruit Pizza this weekend, in honor of her birthday today and the many, many Fruit Pizzas she made for me and my sister. Happy Birthday, Nana!

You can change up the fruit in this recipe, based on your own likes and dislikes and what is fresh. After the cream cheese layer, she added a layer of very well drained crushed pineapple. Eat a slice for Nana!

Fruit Pizza
Ingredients:
1 (18-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Refrigerated Sugar Cookies
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh or canned peach slices, drained, cut into thinner slices
1 cup halved or quartered fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 350°F. Slice cookie dough as directed on package. Arrange slices in bottom of ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan or 14-inch pizza pan. Press dough evenly in pan, using floured fingers if necessary.

Bake at 350°F. for 11 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled cookie crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cut into squares or wedges. Store in refrigerator.

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