Strawberry Pie

1 refrigerated piecrust dough, such as Pillsbury (see note)

½

cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch (see note)

1 cup lemon-lime soda

½

package (3 ounces; 1/4 cup) strawberry gelatin

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 cups fresh strawberries, cut into bite-size pieces

Real whipped cream for topping, to taste (see note)

Prepare the crust according to package directions for a baked pie shell. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a 2-quart or larger saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and lemon-lime soda. Place over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 1 minute or until slightly thick.

Remove from heat, and add gelatin and lemon juice, stirring well. Set aside to cool. (Consistency will be like warm pudding upon some cooling and will thicken further in refrigerator.)

Rinse and cap strawberries, cutting any large berries into bite-size pieces. Place the berries in the cooled crust, and spoon the filling (it's OK if it is slightly warm) over the berries. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

To serve: Slice the pie and top each serving with whipped cream.

Serves six.

Cook's note: For testing, we used Pillsbury refrigerated piecrust dough and baked the shell at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Be sure to check date on cornstarch. Old cornstarch won't thicken properly in this recipe.

This recipe is easy to double to use the entire box of gelatin. However, you can store the remaining gelatin powder in a zipper-top baggie for future use, if desired.

To cut calories and fat, use light whipped cream in an aerosol can or fat-free nondairy whipped topping.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 338 calories (38 percent from fat), 15 g fat (7 g saturated), 51 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein, 24 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium.