Tropical Strawberry Pie

    One of my favorite desserts has always been strawberry pie. Months ago I discovered a recipe that blended strawberries with pineapple to create a tropical flavor. I had been just waiting to try this until I could find a good batch of berries. Sorry to say, they're out of season and a bit pricey right now. 
   For a recent holiday, I was determined to give it a try anyway. Unlike the original version which calls for making the crust from scratch, I took the easy way out and used a pre-made graham cracker crust. I also used strawberry/banana gelatin because that's what I had on hand. This was easy to do and even easier to eat.

Tropical Strawberry Pie
1 graham cracker crust
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups whipped topping
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, juice drained
3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg. small pkg. strawberry banana gelatin
1 cup ice cubes
2 cups strawberries, sliced

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Gently fold in 1 cup of whipped topping and pineapple. Spread on top of crust. Refrigerate until needed.

In smaller bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin powder. Stir until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add ice and stir quickly until ice melts, mixture will start to thicken.
Remove any lumpy ice cubes. Mix in strawberries. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Spoon over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Top with additional 1 cup of whipped topping.
Serves 4-6.

* Note: the hubby says the more strawberries the better!