And on a lighter note... and a recipe

I couldn't just let the day end on the note of my previous post. So, on the up side, I took all of the recipes I'd typed into the recipe program I'd purchased and put them in Word documents. First, I went into Word and created a Recipe file. Once in that, I created sub-folders for each section of recipes - like in a recipe book. There's Main Dishes, and Desserts, and Appetizers, etc. Then, in each of those sub-folders, I created more sub-folders for specifics. Like in Desserts, there's cakes, candies, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, etc. I started placing recipes I'd taken from the internet into these sub-sub-folders. (Is there another word for that?)

Anyway, I created another recipe file, but named it Leslie Anne's Favorite Recipes and put in the same sub-folders and sub-sub-folders. I decided it would be easier to find one of my old stand-bys if I kept them separated from the rest of the general population of recipes I have. I had once upon a time started typing them into a recipe program that I bought off the internet. But I didn't like how it worked. I'd already typed in a little over 100 recipes and have lots more to put in there. I can't believe that I have that many favorite recipes, but there you have it! Anyway, I copied & pasted them into separate Word documents and filed them appropriately, thank you very much.

So, here's one of my favorite recipes. Be sure to read the notes following the recipe - I like to take a recipe and make it my own. Variations are of my own making. This pie is a great one for summer time.

Jello Whip Pie

From: Aunt Audrey King

1 - 3 oz pkg lime jello

1 C hot water

1/4 C cold water

juice of 2 limes

zest of 1 lime

1/2 C sugar

1 - 13 oz can evaporated milk, chilled

2 - 3 oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp. (I just use one 8 oz pkg!)

pie crust(s) - see note

Stir hot water into jello till dissolved.Add cold water. Add lime juice, lime zest and sugar. Cool till set.

Whip the chilled evaporated milk. Whip the jello mix. Beat the cream cheese and add to the jello mixture.

Fold jello mixture into the evaporated milk and whip until stiff (should be fairly stiff.)

Put into graham cracker crust (recipe makes 2 ready-made 6 oz crusts).

Note: Top of recipe says it makes 2 - 8" pies or 1 - 9-1/2 to 10" pie.

PERSONAL NOTE #1: This recipe can very easily be made "healthier" by substituting the following:

1 pkg sugar-free lime jello instead of sugar sweetened jello

sugar substitute to replace the sugar

1 - 12 oz can skim evaporated milk

Use Neufchatel cheese (the 1/3 less fat cream cheese) instead of regular cream cheese

Make your own graham cracker crust. I found this recipe in a magazine for diabetics that Daddy must've received when he was diagnosed with diabetes (the magazine was put out by Southern Living, but is no longer in print.)

HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST ( recipe taken from Collector's Edition Successful Living with Diabetes)

1-3/4 C graham cracker crumbs

1/4 C granulated sugar substitute

3 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine, melted

cooking spray

Combine crumbs, sugar substitute and margarine substitute; stir well.Press mixture evenly in bottom and up sides of a 9" pie plate coated with cooking spray.

Bake @ 350°F for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

PERSONAL NOTE#2: You can come up with pretty much whatever flavor or combination of flavors that you want with this recipe.

Orange - orange jello, orange zest & orange juice

Lemon - lemon jello, zest & juice

Raspberry or cherry or strawberry - matching jello flavor, matching bottled fruit juice, and appropriate chopped berries. The same can be done I imagine with grape or blueberry or blackberry. Even cranberry with some juice & cranberry sauce with whole berries.

Basically any fruit flavor with a bit of the fruit in it should work. This is a light, refreshing dessert in the summer.