The Decoration

We've been making this dessert for the 4th of July for many, many years.

It is our favorite!

Had I been ahead of the game, I would have posted this prior to the 4th of July so that you would have had the opportunity to make it, but...

the summer has been busy, so...better late than never, I suppose!

Forgive me?

That being said, I strongly urge you to file this recipe away for next year!

It is so yummy!

(and if you can find an excuse to make this red, white and blue dessert for any other occasion than the 4th of July, I say, go for it! Just let me know when you're making it - I'll be right over!)




Red, White and Blueberry Dessert Squares

Crust:
1&1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine or butter
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a large bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Mix well. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts. Lightly press mixture into a baking sheet measuring 15" x 10" x 1". Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Sprinkle 1 pint of fresh blueberries over baked crust.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 7oz. jar of marshmallow creme
1 - 8oz. container cool whip (thawed in fridge)

In a large bowl beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow creme and beat just until combined. Fold in cool whip. Spread over blueberries. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Sprinkle 1&1/2 pints of fresh raspberries over whipped topping.

Glaze:

2&1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
4 cups water
1- 0.6oz package raspberry Jello

In medium saucepan combine sugar, corn starch and water. Mix well. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes clear. Remove from heat and stir in Jello until dissolved. Cool glaze until lukewarm. Carefully spoon glaze over raspberries all the way to edge of pan. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Cut into squares (the bigger the better!) and enjoy!

Makes about 25 squares.

Make sure to store any uneaten servings in the fridge or the dessert will melt.

...........................................


I hope you all had a wonderfully delicious 4th of July!

We sure did!

The other morning I was in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast, packing our things for swim lessons, getting Ellison dressed and going about my normal routine. The boys were in the living room watching cartoons before we had to leave for the pool...

Suddenly, they both came running full speed into the kitchen, both talking in exclamation points (at the same time and at a volume I'm sure our neighbors could hear) about something that I was completely unable to understand!

I told them to slow down and, after getting a hold of themselves, they went on to calmly tell me about a commercial they had just seen and that...

"We HAVE to do it!!!"

Their excitement was too much to contain and the exclamation points had returned...

They had just watched a commercial for Trix yogurt. The brilliant idea (as decided by the boys) was to freeze a cup of yogurt with a popsicle stick in it overnight and the next day you would wake up to a frozen yogurt pop!

As far as they were concerned, we had to go to the store "RIGHT NOW", so that we could get our own oh-so-yummy Trix yogurt.

My reply:


"I don't think so..."


They were heart broken.

So sad.

But what they didn't realize was that I was saying "no" to the Trix yogurt. Not the frozen yogurt pops. Unlike them, I am completely capable of not buying into the made-for-kids marketing...

But I had to admit, it was a really great idea!

When I opened the fridge and pulled out the box of our everyday Yoplait Yogurt (that we already had!) and they realized that they were going to be able to make frozen yogurt pops anyway, I was instantly given the title of "Super Mom"!

I'll take it!

Sometimes children are so easy to please!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a bag of popsicles sticks laying around...would you believe that I just sold them at our garage sale? I must have had the same pack for 4 years, always thinking "we could make something fun with these!"...yet, never getting around to it.

But, being resourceful (in the eyes of my children), I grabbed three plastic spoons and convinced the boys that it would work just as well as a popsicle stick...

1...2...3...

Ready to go in the freezer...

Waiting for them to freeze was total agony for the boys!

You know the expression..."a watched pot never boils"...

And then...finally!

They were ready!

A little hot water on the outside of the cup and a few holes punctured in the bottom was all it needed to slide right out...

And, a happy Mama!

Who needs Trix yogurt anyway?


Every day after swimming lessons they come home and have a frozen yogurt pop. And as soon as they finish, they rinse their spoon and make another one to have the next day!

Easy, convenient, inexpensive and they LOVE them!

And I love that they're getting a healthier version of what they saw on the commercial!

Like I said, these frozen yogurt pops make everyone happy!