In 2001, the Utah legislature, faced with resolving critical issues like war, pestilence and the Mormon cricket infestation, spent considerable time and taxpayer money debating the choice for the official Utah State "snack". The winner, after much spirited debate, and the threat of a boycott by the Crispy Creme lobby, was "Jell-O". Yes, the stuff made from animal parts, including animals of the kind now grazing in the lush fields of surrounding Middleburg. Utah, where I spent the first 23 years of my life, leads the nation in consumption of this quivering stuff. At every church social, potluck dinner and wedding, I was subjected to Jell-O camouflaged in various ways: lime Jell-O with grated carrots, with cottage cheese, red jell-O with canned fruit cocktail, red jell-O with candied green and red cherries topped with Miracle Whip (I'm not kidding). I think I was once served Jell-O in Portland cement.

But I digress. The enclosed Jell-O free recipe for Strawberry Pie was given to me by the Utah Anti-Jell-O Coalition. This underground movement, dedicated to a Jell-O-free world, smuggled this recipe to me, highly encrypted, on the back of a photo of Senator Orrin Hatch.

A word about strawberries. The recipe, below, calls for "2-3 boxes." This assumes the normal, supermarket size strawberries. However, I have recently seen some huge hybrid strawberries coming from California, which they must pick with front-end loaders! In case you encounter these mammoth strawberries, simply use a chainsaw or axe and chop off a 2-3 box equivalent amount.

Utah Strawberry Pie

2 - 3 boxes strawberries
1-cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
Red food coloring
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 baked 9-inch piecrust
2 tablespoons red currant jelly, melted

(You can keep your piecrust from becoming soggy by melting 2 tablespoons of red currant jelly in a pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the liquid red currant jelly onto the piecrust prior to baking. This will work for all fruit pies.)

Mash together 1 box of strawberries and add 1-cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, and pinch of salt. Pour into a saucepan. Cook until boiling, reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes until starch taste is gone. Remove from heat and add a few drops of red food coloring and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Place the other 2 boxes of whole strawberries into the cooked pie shell. Add the filling over the whole strawberries. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

It is delicious served plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This pie is best when made the same day as you are planning on serving it.