Well, our graduate has graduated.

One minute, she was learning to read and how to ride a bike. Then she was learning algebra and how to drive a car.

Now, boom. She will be learning career skills and how to live on her own.

But enough about her. Let’s focus on the really important thing here: food.

We had a lot of people at our house this weekend, and between frantically cleaning the house so we could pretend not to live like pigs and working a full-time job, I didn’t have a lot of time to meal prep.

Thankfully, my husband took off Friday and grilled and smoked plenty of meats.

But we still needed sides.

I decided we needed to do things that were quick and easy. I bought cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, and a bag of broccoli and cauliflower along with a dill dip to snack on.

And my mom and I both bought plenty of fresh fruit to have on hand. Thankfully, berries and pineapples are plentiful, inexpensive, and taste amazing this time of year.

But by the time I had worked a full week and then attended a graduation, I felt like I deserved a little something sweet. Fruit alone just wasn’t hitting the spot, and I did not have the time or the bandwidth to bake something at that point.

So I settled on fruit dip.

Problem is, I had never made a fruit dip before.

A Google search yielded several yummy-looking options. I didn’t have all the ingredients for any of them. So I cobbled together a handful of the top recipes and added a few changes to make my own version.

My sister-in-law immediately asked for the recipe.

Recipe? What recipe?

So I hurriedly typed this up before I forgot it, and I’m glad I did, because this will be my new go-to contribution to a party.

The dip didn’t last long in our house. In fact, it was all gone when I went back to get seconds. However, I had sent a container of it with the girls when they left to spend the night at my parents’ place.

A portion of that carton did survive the night, so I can vouch that it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. It gets less fluffy and more creamy, but the flavor does not suffer at all.

FRUIT DIP

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2-2 cups whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)

Directions
■ Whip cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt together until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides and whip again until the mixture is completely homogenous. Add whipped topping and fold in using a rubber spatula.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.