Red, White & Blue Fruit and Jello Cups

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Three cheers for the Red, White & Blue!

We love to have a big bash for the 4th of July.  We usually grill the main dish and have a whole lot of sides.  But the star is usually the dessert!

Boy do I have any EASY dessert for you that the kid just flip over!  Red, White & Blue Fruit and Jello Cups are on the menu this year.  There is something so refreshing about jello and fruit with a creamy whipped topping that just makes you feel happy.  I think Jello make you happy and brings out the kid in all of us!

All you need is some small bowls, containers, or cups so that you can make individual servings and a few ingredients and you are all set. I use these little bowls here.  Dessert will be quick to assemble, but allow yourself several hours for the jello to set, and then you just need to top them and serve!  

So cute with the layers of Red, White & Blue.  I used strawberry jello and topped them with chopped strawberries.  Use whipped topping (or real whipped cream if you prefer) and then add the blueberries for the "blue" part.  These are irresistible and tasty too!

These are perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, or any day!  What better way to celebrate our patriotism than with this adorable dessert.

Enjoy!

Red, White & Blue Fruit and Jello Cups

1 box of Strawberry Jello
1 cup boiling Water
1 cup cold Water
Strawberries, chopped
Cool Whip
Blueberries

In a small bowl add the jello.  Mix in the boiling water and stir until dissolved.  Add the cold water and stir.  Pour into small bowl about 1/2 full.  Add some chopped strawberries, and refrigerate until set.  About 2 hours.

Place whipped topping in a plastic bag and cut off the corner tip.  Pipe whipped topping generously on top of the jello.  Top with blueberries.  Serve.




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Easy Double Chocolate Ice Box Pie

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Late summer entertaining wouldn't be complete without a Southern classic like Ice Box Pie.

Who wants to turn on an oven long enough to cook a pie when it's sweltering hot outside.  Although the weather may be changing in parts of the country, Los Angeles is still blazing and there's nothing better than a cool dessert to cool you off on a sultry night.  An ice box pie sounds just about right.

I was digging around in my mom's old recipe box the other day and came across several ice box pies that sounded delicious.  I remember her making these and just see her serving a slice while we all sat around outside to enjoy the evening.  So I chose the one that spoke to me most (chocolate of course!) and decided to make her Easy Double Chocolate Ice Box Pie. 

I did change this up a bit and took the easy route by purchasing a pre-made graham cracker crust, but you could certainly make your own if you like.  The rest is easy as this pie uses instant pudding and some whipped topping for the filling.  Once you mix that up you just fill and refrigerate the pie for a few hours and your done! 

This pie was creamy and delicious.  Two different layers of chocolate fill this light as air pie.  Topped with some extra whipped topping and drizzled with a little chocolate syrup and you have a wonderful dessert.  Just the right touch to end the day.  This would be equally good to serve during a ladies lunch, afternoon tea, bring to a potluck, or serve at a bridal shower.  It's the comfort and hospitality that goes along with a piece of pie that makes this a special treat. 

Enjoy my mom's Easy Double Chocolate Ice Box Pie!








Easy Double Chocolate Ice Box Pie

serves 6-8

1 graham cracker pie crust (pre-made 6 oz.) or homemade
1 3.9 box of Chocolate Fudge Jello pudding
2 cups of 2% milk
1 tub (8 oz) Lite Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed and divided
chocolate syrup for drizzle (optional)


In a large bowl whip together the pudding and milk for about 2 minutes.  Spread half of the pudding into the crust.  Add 1/2 of the tub of Cool Whip to the remaining pudding.  Add on top of the first layer.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 

This may be served as is with a dollop of whipped topping or you may add a layer of whipped topping to the pie desired.  To serve, slice pie and plate.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.

Strawberry Angel Cake

Did everyone have a wonderful 4th of July?

We had a beautiful one, but I'm tired now.  Who thought of putting a holiday in the middle of the week anyway?  Don't get me wrong.  I love the work 2 days of 1 day and work 2 days.  I think I could get used to that...but not when that one day off is a late nighter....watching fireworks and all!  We had a nice time grilling and swimming, then going over to one of the studio back-lots for a fireworks show.  Lots of fun!  How did you all celebrate?  I'd love you to share your stories.

On to today's post.  This one is for all those that are experiencing HOT HOT weather right now.  During the summer months I try to keep the oven off as much as possible.  But we still want to have dessert on occasion.  One that is light, tasty, and uses fresh ingredients such as seasonal fruit.  This Strawberry Angel Cake is just perfect for that!

I had in mind to make a favorite cake of mine called Angel Lush Cake from Kraftrecipes.com which takes a angel food cake, cut into 3 layers, and filled in with vanilla pudding and pineapple and topped with strawberries..yum!

Then I was looking around on Cookinglight.com and found a similar idea for a Strawberry Angel Cake  which uses a strawberry and cream cheese mixture as the filling.  It was beautiful because it was actually "iced" with non-dairy whipped topping!  This stuck in my head.  It was so simple, but just beautiful looking.  The very next day, I got a post from Robyn of  Add a Pinch and it was her version of the Cooking Light Strawberry Angel Cake!  Robyn has a gorgeous site!!  You should all take a trip over there and say "hi!"  Anyway, Robyn made this even simpler  and I was overcome by the need to make this.

This is a no bake recipe, that you can put together in under 20 minutes.  Taking some help from a store bought angel food cake, you are halfway there!  Don't you just love those types of recipes? 

I went a step further with her version and modified it a bit by making it a little more carb friendly.  I bought a sugar-free angel food cake.  Tastes just as good as the sugar version, however, the carb count is dramatically reduced which helps with the diet you know!  

This turned out so light and refreshing, just perfect for a summer dessert.  A no-bake dessert, that would be perfect for the a holiday, or any other nice occasion.  It looks so pretty too!  Like you spent a lot of time, when in reality, you didn't!

Enjoy!!



Strawberry Angel Cake Recipe
adapted from Cooking Light

serves 10

1 pint strawberries 

1 T. sugar

1 prepared sugar-free angel food cake
1 (8-ounce) container lite Cool Whip

Hull and slice strawberries placing them in a bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon of Sugar and mix. Allow to sit for 10 min while you start to prepare the cake. Slice the cake in half and spread a layer of lite Cool Whip on the bottom layer of the cake.  Top with the sliced strawberries, being generous with you layer.  Place the top of the cake back on.  Taking your lite Cool Whip frost the top and sides of the cake.  Lightly cover and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to set up.  Slice with a serrated knife and serve.