Memorial Day Dessert: Miss American Pie

We have a ton of strawberries in the fridge (thanks Sam's Club!), so I decided to make a strawberry pie for dessert tonight.  If you've never had a fresh strawberry pie, its DELICIOUS!!!  I still remember the first time I tasted one of these lovelies.  It was at a couple's wedding shower that some friends of my in-laws threw for us.  I'm not a pie fan, but being that this was a wedding shower thrown for me, I didn't want to be rude, so I took a bite.  HOLY COW!  What had I been missing all my life!?!  (Turns out, I'm not a big fan of pies with cooked fruit in them.  Fresh fruit though, BRING IT ON!) 

Anyway, back to today.  I decided to make a fresh strawberry pie for dessert.  But I also wanted to make something patriotic since this is Memorial Day weekend.  And that's when it hit me - blueberries in the strawberry pie!  Add a little Reddi Wip on top and you've got a red, white and blue-themed dessert that will wow your family!  And its super easy to make!  WHAT!?!

To begin with, add 3 TBS of cornstrach, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil gently for 1 minute, continuing to stir.

Remove from the heat and add one 3oz box of Strawberry gelatin.  Let it cool and thicken slightly.  (If you want to speed up the cooling, place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water in your sink.)

While the gelatin mixture is cooling, grab your other ingredients.  First is a graham cracker crust.  (I like to bake it in a 325 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.  This isn't necessary, but it helps the crust not get "soggy" - which can happen after a day or two.  - As if this pie will last that long!)

Rinse and drain 2 cups of fresh strawberries and 1 cup of fresh blueberries.  Slice the strawberries.

Mix the berries together and pour them into the cooled pie crust.

Pour the cooled strawberry gelatin mixture on top.  Cover and refrigerate until set (several hours).

Even though the pie is in its own tin, I placed it in a glass deep dish pie plate.  That way there was no "spillage."

Once its set, serve with Reddi Wip. 

While the idea behind this pie was purely visual (I wanted something red, white, and blue for our Memorial Day dessert), it ended up being a wonderful surprise.  The tartness of the blueberries cut the sweetness of the strawberries and gelatin just a bit.  The sweetness of the strawberries, gelatin and Reddi Wip cut the tartness of the blueberries just a bit.  It was the perfect mixture!  And it was a hit with EVERYONE - including my "pie hating" four year old!  Mom for the win!

Miss American Pie

Ingredients
3 TBS cornstarch
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 (3oz) package strawberry gelatin
2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 (10 inch) graham cracker crust

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Bake pie crust for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool.
2.) Place cornstarch, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute, continuing to stir.  Remove from heat and stir in strawberry gelatin.  Let cool slightly.
3.) Mix strawberries and blueberries together and pour into cooled pie crust.
4.) Pour cooled gelatin mixture over berries.  Refrigerate until set (several hours).
5.) Serve with Reddi Wip or fresh whipped cream.

Enjoy!  And don't forget to take the time to thank someone who's served our country!  God bless America!