Fourth of July Pie

Fourth of July Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

Hooray for the red, white, and blue; the home of the brave and the land of the free!!! In my senior year (considered to be the dark ages by my kids and grandkids) I won a writing high school contest on an article about the Statue of Liberty and ended up having to give a speech on it in front of the entire school- a scary proposition as back then I was very shy (also something else my children and grandkids are skeptical about). The first time I read in grade school about the Statue of Liberty given as a gift of friendship to the United States from France, I was intrigued about this regal lady standing in the New York harbor designated as a national monument and universal symbol of freedom and democracy. This 125 year old engineering marvel restored in 1986 still stands as a beacon and daily welcome to the free world. Untold millions of emigrants (25 million between 1892-1924 alone) have arrived through Ellis Island under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty to begin a new life in a vast land where according to our Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal”.

Today visitors can tour the museum gallery, search for ancestors on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor where over 700,000 names representing every nationality are inscribed, and see breathtaking views from the Statue’s observation deck. Despite numerous wars and even a terrorist attack on our own soil this weathered grand old lady still stands triumph with her lamp held high.

Regardless of crime rates, political greed and corruption, economic woes, and all that you can think of in what is going wrong in this country, we still are very blessed to live here in America. This fact was brought sharply to my attention a couple of months ago when a friend of ours (an American missionary nurse) in Mexico was shot and killed while sitting beside her husband, who was driving trying to escape from drug cartels and make it to the U.S. border and safety. With drug wars constantly going on plus fighting between the Mexican government and these drug lords the average person lives in fear of their life. Every week there are pictures in the news showing the ravages left behind of terrorist attacks and suicide bombers in other countries where our soldiers are fighting to gain peace. How thankful we should be to live here in the good ole U.S.A. So this Fourth of July let’s raise the flag and celebrate our freedom.

My Fourth of July Pie will be a grand finale to any celebration with its creamy filling and fruity topping. You can substitute a graham cracker crust for the regular one and mix-match a variety of fresh fruits for the top decoration. Preparation time for the Fourth of July Pie is around twenty minutes (not counting cooling time) and serves eight.

Fourth of July Pie

1 (9 inch) deep dish regular crust
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 c sugar
1 (8 oz) cool whip
strawberries & blueberries
canned whip topping

Bake pie crust as directed and cool. In a medium size bowl beat together until smooth: softened cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip. Pour into the cooled crust. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top of the pie. Garnish with whip topping. Chill completely and serve!

Weekly tip: Always dip sliced fresh fruit into lemon juice and drain before using as a garnish or decoration to prevent the fruit from turning brown!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com