I just finished making little molds of raspberry gelatin. Don't worry - it tastes as much like the packaged Jell-o as a homemade apple pie tastes like a frozen Mrs. Smith's one. FRESH RASPBERRY GELATIN 2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries 2 cups water 3/4 cup sugar 1 envelope unflavored colorless gelatin Bring the raspberries, water and sugar to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 20 inutes or until the fruit has dissolved in a mass. Line a large strainer with cheesecloth and place the strainer over a bowl. Pour the fruit mixture through, straining so all the seeds are removed and only the clear red liquid remains. Soften gelatin in a little cold water. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the gelatin. Stir the gelatin thoroughly so that all the grains are fully dissolved. Bring the liquid to a boil for one minute, then remove from the heat. Pour into a mold of the proper size (about 1 1/4 pints) or into small individual cups, and chill in refrigerator. When gelatin has set, unmold and serve. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Hmmm. Even The Princess, who is the pickiest eater in the world, will eat carrot cupcakes. She even knows there are carrots in there and she still eats them. She won't eat pineapple though, and so I have to leave the pineapple out of the carrot cake. Georgysmom is right, they'd rather have candy, so buy a bag of M&Ms or Hershey's and make the kids happy. No Snickers or Reeses, though, there's that pesky peanut thing going on. Actually, cookies and cupcakes get too beaten up on the trip to school, unless you're going to deliver them personally. The Princess likes to make her own "trail mix" with raisins and M&Ms and chocolate Cheerios, no nuts, package them into little snack bags and it's ready to go. If there isn't a peanut butter issue, she also really likes to take the rice krispie treats made with peanut butter with the chocolate topping, although we've managed to get away with making them with Cocoa Krispies and peanut butter and pressing a few M&Ms on the top and so there isn't the problem of melting chocolate if it's hot. Both the grandkids also like to take those rice krispie treats, make them into balls and roll them in sprinkles, or cut the treats into shapes with cookie cutters. Annie

A while back Annie posted her blueberry crisp recipe. I make it routinely. Any berries can be used and you can use as many berries as you want. Easy and good! BLUEBERRY CRISP This is the only blueberry crisp recipe I've ever used, the one my grandmother used. It's not very sweet, which I like because I like the flavor of the berries better than the flavor of the sugar, LOL. It's really good warm with vanilla ice cream, but it's also good cold for breakfast (it's a FRUIT, Mom). 3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, unsweetened 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1/3 cup butter, softened 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup quick rolled oats 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup flour Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange berries in ungreased 8" square baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine remaining ingredients until crumbly. (I use a pastry blender). Crumble topping over berries and bake until topping is lightly browned and berries are hot, about 30 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings. I double this and it still comes out good. Plus blueberries are low in calories, have lots of fiber and no fat, contain antioxidants C, E and beta carotene and have been found to be as helpful in urinary tract health as cranberries. That's why I need ice cream with them, they are just too darned healthy. LOL Annie

This is my first post on the cooking forum, though I've been a lurker. :-) These are not recipes but a few ideas that can easily be adjusted to lighter versions: Since baked apples were already suggested, pears poached in red wine could be an alternative (Bosc pears). Compote with fresh fruit in summer or dried fruit in winter. My favorite summer desert that is also low in calories is simply a fruit salad without any additives, just chopped seasonal fruit in rainbow colors. I let the mixed fruit sit in the fridge overnight to get lightly sweetened in their own natural juices. And a very quick and surprisingly delicious: 1 cup cooked quinoa sweetened with 1-2 Tb maple syrup. Nice in autumn.