Strawberry Yum-Yum

Mmm, it's that time of the year.  The strawberries are ripe and they are fabulous!  Here in Denmark, the strawberries come from Spain in nice wooden flats.  We have enjoyed the strawberries and have made our favorite desserts.  A few weekends ago, it was homemade strawberry icecream.  Last weekend it was a Strawberry pudding, thanks to a friend giving us some ingredients you can only buy in America.  Last night we made strawberry shortcakes to take to the church potluck.  Tonight we were invited to our neighbors house for a BBQ.  I was suppose to bring the dessert.  Of course it had to be strawberries, but I'm too much like my Mama to make the same thing again!   I merged a couple of my favorite recipes together and voila, we had an absolutely divine dessert, that I will call a Strawberry Yum-Yum.

Strawberry Yum-Yum

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups of heavy whipping cream  (or Cool Whip can be substituted)
• Strawberry glaze (recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix the butter, flour, and pecans in a bowl, and press into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake 10 to 15 minutes; do not allow to brown. Set aside until completely cool. 
4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. 
5. In a separate bowl beat the heavy whipping cream until it forms soft peaks.  
6. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over the cooled crust. 
7. Top with the strawberry glaze and put in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Strawberry Glaze

Ingredients

• 4 cups ripe strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions   

1. Crush enough strawberries to make 1 cup of pulp.
2. Place pulp in medium saucepan; add 1/2 cup of sugar and cornstarch  mixture.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat 2 minutes or until mixture boils, thickens and is clear.  Cool.