Strawberry Jell-O Pie

When we were kids my parents would take us on vacation to Virginia Beach.  We would go with my aunts, uncles and cousins and it was a blast.  Eight kids and 6 adults in two stationwagons. 
That was back in the day when we didn't wear seatbelts or have carseats, so us kids were stashed everywhere. 
It's a wonder we survived! 

Anyway, every year we always ate at Shoney's.  Always.
Do you remember Shoney's when they had the Big Boy statue out front? 
We would hang all over him and take our picture. 
We were from the country, so we didn't get out much :)

Well Shoney's was famous for their strawberry pie.  Maybe they still are, but I haven't eaten there in at least 15 years, so I wouldn't know. 

My Dad would always order the strawberry pie and if we were really good, we could order a slice too. 

This pie isn't exactly like Shoney's, but it's kind of close, so when I started making this pie all of those Virginia Beach trip memories started coming back to me and that's why you're reading them now.

I'm going to go dig through my old photo albums and see if I can find any of us with the Shoney's Big Boy.
You should go make this pie.
You'll be happy you did.

Strawberry Jell-O Pie

1 baked 9-inch deep dish pie shell
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1 cup water
2 T cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 small box strawberry jell-o (3 oz.)

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 T confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bake your pie shell.  Set aside to cool.
Wash and hull strawberries.  Place berries cut side down in a baked pie shell and set aside.

In a small bowl , pour in water, cornstarch and sugar.  Stir until mostly dissolved.
Microwave about 2 minutes or until mixture bubbles up and thickens.
Stir in strawberry jell-o powder and pour mixture all over the strawberries. 
Refrigerate until set, at least 2-3 hours.
For whipped cream - whip cream, sugar and vanilla together until stiff peaks form.

Top with whipped cream and more fresh berries.
Serve cold.

Recipe from Lauren's Latest