Strawberry Jell-O Cake

I found this on the Kraft website, but I was looking for it because I had this cake years ago at a friend's baby shower and I loved it.  Plus, I had lots of fresh strawberries from our yard to use!  So easy and so delicious!

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix
1 c. boiling water
1 package (3 oz.) Strawberry Jell-O
1/2 c. cold water
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:
Prepare cake as directed in 9x13-inch pan.  Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes.  Pierce cake with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.  Add boiling water to gelatin mix in small bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved.  Stir in cold water; pour over cake.  Refrigerate 3 hours.  Frost with Cool Whip.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Top with fresh strawberries, if desired.

Kraft picture--I forgot.  I topped mine with fresh strawberries, so it was pretty!

Low-Fat Pistachio JELL-O Salad~by Kelsey

This recipe was on the box of Pistachio JELL-O.  They called it "Watergate Salad".  It was really good and quick and easy.

Ingredients:
1 pkg (4-serving size)  JELL-O Pistachio flavor fat free sugar free
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup vanilla low fat yogurt (I used non-fat greek yogurt)
2 1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP whipped topping

Stir dry pudding mix, pineapple and yogurt in large bowl until well blended.  Gently stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.  Serve topped with remaining whipped topping.

Lime Jello~by Kelsey

I found this recipe in my new Bring 'Em On Home cookbook.  It's all family-favorite recipes from rodeo cowboys and their families.  It's a really great cookbook!  This recipe was a bit ambiguous.  It called for "x-large" packages so I had to do some experimenting to get the right sizes.  I am writing it down with the sizes that I had success with.

Ingredients:
29 oz can of pears
8 oz cream cheese
6 oz lime jello
8 oz Cool Whip

Drain the pear juice into a cooking pan.  On the stove over medium heat, stir and dissolve the Jello into the pear juice, then cool off a little.  In a blender, blend pears and cream cheese.  In a medium-sized glass pan, combine the Jello mixture with the pear mixture and then fold in cool whip.  Let set in the refrigerator.

No-Bake Chocolate Truffle Pie ~ by Sarah

Molly made me this pie years ago and I insisted that she write the recipe down for me. I remembered it the other day and made it. It was delicious!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. (about 17) caramels
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. (one regular-sized bag) chocolate chips
1 c. whipping cream
3 T. butter
1 prepared chocolate crumb crust (Fred Meyer was out, so I had to improvise my own...it didn't work out so well.  I recommend that you try to buy one!)

Directions:
Melt caramels and milk together over low heat.  Pour in crust.  Melt other ingredients together.  Pour over caramel mixture.  Refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).  Serve with whipped topping.  (I bought extra whipping cream and whipped it up for the topping.  I didn't add sugar because this pie is rich, so the more bland whipping cream is a nice balance.

I forgot to take a picture and I remembered as I began eating the last slice the next day!

Elegant Dessert ~ by Sarah

This comes from the Pioneer Cookbook--the one from the North Powder residents.  Make this and you will be the most popular person at the event you take it to.  Trust me.  It's a requirement at any Anderson Thanksgiving.  Jordan, Matt, and Andy threaten to steal it as soon as I arrive.  It's heaven on a plate!

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
1 c. flour
1 3/4 c. chopped nuts*
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
9 oz. Cool Whip
1 small package chocolate pudding
1 small package vanilla pudding
3 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

*I hate nuts so I never use them in this recipe.  (Which makes Mom crazy.)  If you don't put the nuts in the crust, you will need to 1 1/2 the crust--1 1/2 cubes of butter and 1 1/2 c. of flour.

Directions:
Mix butter, flour, and 1 cup nuts (if you want them).  Spread in 13x9-inch pan.  Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool completely.  Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup Cool Whip together.  Spread over crust.  Mix 2 pudding mixes, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until it starts to thicken.  Pour over cream cheese layer and chill.  Spread remaining Cool Whip on pudding layer and sprinkle with nuts.  (Since I don't sprinkle it with nuts, I grate chocolate and sprinkle it on the top.)

*I am crying right now over the fact that there were no leftovers of this!  Only one piece was enjoyed by me!

Fruit Pizza ~ by Sarah

This recipe came from Pioneer Cookbook, a compilation of recipes from people in the North Powder area.  Our family has been enjoying this recipe for years!

Sugar Cookie Crust:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Put butter in bowl.  Add sugar.  Squish with fork.  Add 2 eggs and vanilla.  Blend in remaining ingredients.  Chill 1 hour.  Spread out on pizza pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until the edges are brown.  Cool completely.

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 of an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
1/2 c. frozen orange juice, diluted only 1/2 as directed on can
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. water
assorted fruit slices

Directions:
Blend until smooth the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cool Whip.  Spread evenly over cooled crust.

Give your son the beater to lick:

Place any desired fruit pieces on the filling.  I used strawberries, peaches, and blueberries since that was what the fruit stand had.  We've used huckleberries, bananas, and kiwis, too.

For the glaze, cook until clear and thickened the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and water.  Cool and pour over the fruit.  (The can be made ahead and refrigerated.)  You are likely to have quite a bit of this left over!

Serve to your bratty younger sister when she finally comes home from Germany.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake ~ by Kelsey

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 pints strawberries, sliced, with sugar
1 (12 ounce) container whipped topping
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (I forgot to do this part)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease two 9 inch layer pans.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in butter until it's coarse crumbs.  Add milk, mixing just until moistened.  Spread the batter evenly in the two pans.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.  Combine strawberries and sugar (I used a little Splenda).  Cover the bottom layer with whipped topping, then strawberries, then a little more whipped topping.  Put the top layer on and put more whipped topping and more strawberries.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup.