Friday Friend Recipe #181 - Light and Fruity Summer Pie

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook: I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county). At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 18 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself?)--said,  "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to this... recipes #181

My Light and Fruity Summer Pie

Light and Fruity Pie 1 pgk.  (4 serve size) any flavor Jello
2/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
ice cubes
3 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip
1 cup diced fruit  (fresh, frozen, canned)  *  I used fresh fruit.
1 prepared graham cracker crust

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to Jello and stir until thickened.  Remove any unmelted ice cubes.  Using wire whisk, blend in Cool Whip till smooth.  Fold in fruit and chill for  20 minutes.   Fluff it up and mound into crust. 
Chill for  2 more hours. 

This is the simplest recipe in the world....Cool Whip,  Jell-o and fruit.  That's it.  Oh, and a graham cracker crust.I think foods/dishes tend to go in cycles. This pie was trendy in the early 80's. Jello and Cool Whip? Yep, the  early 80's.     Or the Midwest.

But just because it 'used' to be trendy doesn't mean it's not good.

This is good! It might not be the healthiest thing ever, but once in a while won't hurt you.

I made raspberry flavored of course....because that's my favorite,  (I do actually like a huckleberry the best, but you know--it's difficult to find, unless your grandma makes you go out into the forest and compete with the bears to pick them, in northeastern Oregon in July )   but you can use any flavor of Jello  you want.   You just have to be sure and use a corresponding fruit   If you use strawberry flavored Jello, you use strawberries,  peach flavored, peaches, and so on.

Honestly, I've only ever made raspberry flavored, because that's my absolute favorite flavor of  berry.

I feel guilty sometimes, because I make what I like and the Handyman just eats what I make.

So to be fair to him I'll try to make a light and fruity summer pie this summer with his favorite fruit.

Um....

I just asked him....and he said:

Me:  Hey, what is your favorite berry?

Him: Why?

Me:  I just want to know.

Him:  Hmmmm....  Manilow.

(sigh) He thinks he's very funny.  He went on to say strawberry, no raspberry,  but he's not ever given the huckleberry a fair chance.  (neither has the Jell-O company)

See?  It's easier if I just make it and he eats it.

My favorite selfie of us.....

It took a while to get it.....

This is recipe #181--only 113 (or so) left to go!

I have no idea how many more I have left to go....  to infinity and beyond!!