Twelve Makes a Dozen: Food for Thought - Sparkling Strawberry Jello

I’m from Utah, so you knew it was only a matter of time before you got a Jello recipe! The Dog Walker has been dying to get this one posted for over a week now. I think he really just wants to eat the Jello, but I’m not complaining since he made it himself. He also took the pics himself on his cell phone, so sorry that they aren’t very good.

I took this first pic from our camping trip on my phone of Curly that I really wanted to share with you, but it doesn’t have anything to do with this post. My sweetie grew up in small-town Utah just like me only not the same town, one down the road about 14 miles. His dad was a plumber and sometimes they were rolling in money and sometimes not. My sweetie remembers a few times when they lived mostly like squirrels, eating whatever they had stored up for winter. He says they ate potatoes and apple and carrot salad over and over and over…. When we go to Chick Fil A he likes to buy a little cup of it, just to reminisce about his childhood.

This recipe I’m sharing today is not the apple and carrot one, although you might like it too. It is a recipe they ate during good times. I’d never had it until after I was married, but when we googled the recipe (just for fun), we found about 30 different versions of it. Since my sweetie is diabetic, we use sugar-free soda and sugar-free Jello to make it a little more healthy, but it can be done either way. This recipe makes a full 9x13 pan, so you might want to cut it in half if you have a smaller family. My family can devour the entire thing at one meal. I hope you enjoy it! Leave me a comment and let me know.

Sparkling Strawberry Jello

32 oz of applesauce (30 will do if you have two 15-oz cans)
2 12-oz cans of cold Sprite, 7-up or lemon-lime soda
2 large boxes of red Jello (strawberry is best)
sliced strawberries (if desired)
whipped cream for garnish

Pour the applesauce into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 4 minutes. Stir. Then heat for 4 more minutes.

Pour the boxes of Jello over the applesauce and mix well. Microwave for 2 more minutes. (Please note that this recipe does NOT use any water. I was a bit confused by that the first time I made it.)

Add two cans of cold lemon-lime soda. Mix well. Stir in 2 lbs of sliced strawberries if desired. (We usually add the berries, but the Dog Walker couldn’t wait for me to go to the store.)