Fluffy Berry Jello Pie

You can make this with any kind of berry but strawberry is our favorite. This pie is cool, light and fluffy and tastes so yummy on a hot summer day! Three minutes stirring may sound like a long time, but it is totally worth it!

1 box berry flavored Jello

2/3 cup boiling water

2 cups ice cubes

8 oz tub Cool Whip (or use heavy cream, see below) 

1 cup sliced or whole berries

1 prepared pie crust

Dissolve Jello in boiling water, stir 3 minutes.

Add ice cubes, stir 3 minutes.

Remove all remaining ice.

Fold in Cool Whip with wire whisk.

* If you don't want to use Cool Whip you can use real whipping cream. Just mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tbsp instant Clearjel. Pour into 1 1/2 cups cream and whip until forms stiff peaks.

Fold in berries with spoon.

Pour into pie crust.

Chill until firm.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I should call this my "Award Winning Strawberry Spinach Salad"...I don't even remember when or where I got this recipe but it is one of my favorite salads ever! It is perfect for summer time lunches with chicken or as a side dish at a BBQ! I took it to a friend's BBQ Cook-Off Contest and everyone placed their votes for their favorite dish and this salad won! It was kind of embarrassing since it wasn't even one of the entries, only a side dish... But it is really good! ;o)

Me, Andy & my prize-winning salad

2 bunches or 1 bag of fresh spinach

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 Tbsp minced red or white onion

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar (or white vinegar with a little apple juice in it)

Combine dressing and toss with spinach, strawberries and sunflower seeds just before serving.

Rhubarb Bars

These are possibly the best rhubarb recipe I have! We love them! They are so yummy and even work with frozen rhubarb for a springtime treat any time of year!

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar and 4 Tbsp cornstarch. Add 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Cook in saucepan on med-high heat until thick, stir often.

Mix 1 1/2 cups oatmeal, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp soda, 1 cup shortening or butter and 1/2 cup chopped nuts until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press the rest into a 9x13 pan. Pour filling on top and sprinkle on the topping.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cut while slightly warm.

Hobo Dinner

We first had this dinner when we lived on the farm in Iowa for a summer when Chris was working for CLBYM. They cooked them in the coals of a giant slash fire, we do ours on the BBQ. But either way they are one of our favorite summer time meals.

Cut up your favorite veggies into bite sized pieces (we use red potatoes, corn on the cob, carrots, zuchinni, mushrooms, onion, garlic, bell peppers).

Cut up some pre-cooked link sausages.

Toss together in very large bowl with olive oil and melted butter. Season with fresh ground pepper.

Place them in foil packets and fold well to seal.

Lay them on a pre-heated BBQ. Close lid and let cook about 10 minutes. Flip packets over and close lid again. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. (poke them with a fork to check)

Carefully open the packets on your plate or into a large serving bowl and enjoy!

Devonshire Cream

My mother has wonderful teas and Devonshire cream with scones and jam is a must! It's easy to make and even makes a nice frosting for pound cake served with fresh sliced strawberrries or as a dip for fresh fruit!

3 ounces or 1/3 cup cream cheese

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 pinch salt

1 cup heavy cream

Let cream cheese sit at room temp till soft. Cream together cream cheese, sugar and salt. Gradually beat in cream. Beat till stiff. Chill until serving.

Makes 2 cups or 16 servings.

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are one of my favorite kinds of cookies. This recipe is from Theresa (in fact I stole it straight from her blog) and they are the perfect blend of tart and sweet and are so good with hot or iced tea!


2 cups flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup soft butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tea. baking powder
1/4 cup flour
3/4 to 1 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons depending on their size)
2 T. lemon zest(or however much 1 or 2 lemons will make, depending on taste.)


Preheat oven to 315 degrees F. Mix flour and powdered sugar together, add butter. Press into pan. Prick with fork. Bake at 315 degrees for 15-18 minutes until crust is slightly brown... a little tiny bit golden. You're gonna bake it some more so don't over do it.



Now make the filling. Mix eggs, sugar, baking powder, flour, lemon juice, and zest. Pour on top of crust. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. DON'T FORGET THIS! Bake for 20 minutes.



You might want to tent them with foil if they're getting too brown. Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. Eat and enjoy.

Mini Cheesecakes

I got this recipe from Sonja after she made them for a friend's baby shower and then we made them for our Mother's Day tea at church. Thanks Sonja!

These tiny little cheesecakes can be eaten in only one bite but it's hard to eat only one. This recipe makes about 100 mini cheesecakes. They can be frozen and enjoyed later, too! Stir in anything you like to make them your own. They are also good dipped in chocolate!

Make 1 to 2 recipes of your favorite cookie crumb crust. Press about 1 tsp of mixture into the bottom of mini muffin pan lined with paper cups. Press firmly into bottom.

4 8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature / 1 8oz package cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar / 3/8 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk / 3 Tbsp milk

4 eggs / 1 egg

1 cup sour cream / 1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp vanilla / 1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup flour / 1 Tbsp flour

Cream the cream cheese and sugar until very smooth. Blend in milk and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until silky smooth.

Fold in whatever ingredients you like or leave plain.

Bake at 350 for about 13 minutes or until tops are set and appear dry but not cracked. Cool and chill. Store in fridge.

mini Oreo cheesecakes with Oreo crust

chocolate-dipped mini Oreo cheesecakes with Oreo crust

Petticoat Tails

These delicate, easy to make shortbread cookies are perfect for a tea party, Christmas or any time you want a simple, slightly sweet cookie.

2 cups softened butter

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour and salt with hands or stand mixer. Mold into 2 bars, wrap in wax paper and chill overnight. Slice about 1/4 inch and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Be very careful not to overbake these!

Oriental Coleslaw

We first had this salad at a Rose of Sharon potluck and it has been a potluck favorite ever since. It is the only way I can get my guys to even look at cabbage. I've had several variations on this recipe, but Sherry Purkeypile's is still the BEST!

1 bag coleslaw

3-4 sliced green onions

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 bag crushed ramen noodles, dry (discard seasoning packet)

1/4 cup butter

Toast sesame seeds and almonds in dry fry pan until lightly golden brown. (be careful, they burn easily) Melt butter in pan and fry noodles until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature on paper towel-lined plate.

Mix together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbsp soy sauce with wire whisk.

Combine all salad ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving. (it will become soggy if it sits too long)

Berry Jello Pie

This is a summertime dessert staple around our house. It's not 4th of July without fireworks and this pie! Fresh berries are a must and the extra effort is well worth it! Serve it right out of the fridge with a dollop of whipped cream. Berry yummy!!!

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups water

1 small box any flavor red jello

1 cup each blueberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries

1 graham cracker crust

Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture comes to boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in Jello until completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Stir in berries. Pour into crust.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.