Red, White, and Blue Dessert

Red, White, and Blue Dessert

Dorcas Annette Walker

This week we celebrate the Fourth of July. Lots of activities in our community are being planned for the weekend up here on the mountain. I’ll hang out our flag on the front porch to begin our celebration and we will end the day by enjoying fireworks at the local fairgrounds. As I watch brilliant colors light up the sky in an awesome display and hear the boom of the fireworks resound across the mountain peaks, I will sit tall, proud to be an American. Once again echoes of fireworks will sound out across the land uniting us into one nation as we celebrate the birth of our country.

Our anniversary celebration started out with a bang early when my husband discovered that Billy Boy and Bessie (our two goats) were missing from the pen. A farmer friend that had brought some hay Dana bought helped him hunt for the goats in our woods. We were worried that our goats might wander down onto the main highway. My husband headed out to work after notifying the store at the end of our road and told me to keep an eye out for the goats as he had left the gate open in case they came back. Midway through the morning I spotted Billy Boy and Bessie inside the pen.

Like I’ve said before my idea of having animals is a couple of cats and dogs. My husband though is quickly turning me into an active farmer’s wife- not by choice mind you, but by sheer necessity. I slowly edged around the inside of the pen ducking through brush and briars so I wouldn’t spook the goats until I reached the gate on the other side. With of sigh of relief I shut the gate thinking my work was finished. A call to Dana and our friend to let the fellows know the goats were safe resulted in them telling me I needed to blockade the gate as they were sure that’s where the goats had gotten out. I spent another couple of hours hauling wood to put up a temporary reinforcement.

Billy Boy and Bessie were still inside the pen when Dana got home. We went out to eat to celebrate our anniversary, after Dana checked on the goats. By the time we got back home it was dark. Dana went once more to check on the goats only to find them missing again! Instead of a romantic evening, we spent the night wandering out in the woods with flashlights trying to hunt down the crazy goats. By then I was convinced that somewhere along the line kangaroo was part of our goat’s genetic line. We finally gave up, staggered inside, and collapsed into bed. When Billy Boy and Bessie showed up the next morning, Dana tied them up until he ran an electric wire around the fence. Meanwhile I shall always remember our goat anniversary.

My Red, White, and Blue Dessert will bring raves of praise at any Fourth of July celebration. While this elegant dessert is not something you quickly put together, yet it can be fixed while you are in the kitchen preparing other holiday foods. The Red, White, and Blue Dessert filled with berries submerged in jello tied together with a creamy middle is sure to be a winner. This recipe is made in three steps and serves fifteen.

Red, White, and Blue Dessert

Step One:
Add 2 c boiling water to 2 (3 oz) pkg raspberry jello and stir until dissolved. Then mix in 1 can of cherry pie filling. Place in clear glass dessert dish and refrigerate until firm.

Step Two:
Beat together 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, 1 c powdered sugar, and 1 (8 oz) container of cool whip until smooth. Layer over jello and chill for a couple of hours.

Step Three:
Add 2 c boiling water to 2 (3 oz) pkg grape jello and stir until dissolved. Then mix in 1 can of blueberry pie filling. Cool in the refrigerator for an half an hour then pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until firm. Garnish with flags or any Fourth of July decorations!

Weekly tip: For easy outdoor summer entertaining buy a cheap child’s round wading pool and fill with ice setting it up on a picnic table. Set your salads, drinks, and desserts in the ice and relax. You can garnish your ice with flowers and greenery!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com