Child's Play - Millionaire's Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had an unexpected visitor this weekend, and our unseasonably rainy weather meant my 5 year old guest would have to be entertained indoors. I floated the idea of a tea party, but she thought Shirley Temples would be a better way to go. Now, I'll let her mom and grandmother deal with the long term implications of that, but short term she and I had a mocktail party that left me with a rather large jar of opened maraschino cherries and lots of time to kill. Those awful cherries brought this pie, which has gone through waves of popularity, to mind. It's most outstanding feature is the ease with which it comes together and I thought it would be a perfect project for my guest. Now, whenever I cook with children this young, I stack the deck in their favor. That means I pre-chop and repackage ingredients that they can then measure and fold into the mix. I also try to find dishes that require no cooking and have the children rename them. This dessert, called Millionaire's Pie in the real world, quickly became Pink Princess Pie and it was a great project for a five year old to undertake on a rainy afternoon. She did well! I had to freeze the pie to get it to set before she had to go home, but the kitchen gods were on our side and she got to have a slice with extra cherries of it before she left. If you make sure the pineapple and cherries used in the pie are well drained, you will have no problems with this dessert. It is truly effortless and those of you who like maraschino cherries will be in red-dye heaven. Here is how the pie is made.

Millionaire's Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Spend with Pennies and other websites

Ingredients:
1 prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 can (15.25oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 can sweetened condensed Milk
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
1 (12-oz.) container whipped topping, divided use

Directions:
Combine coconut, drained pineapple, chopped cherries, pecans, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and cherry juice in a large bowl. Fold in two cups whipped topping. Pour into crust. Top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with an additional cherry if desired. Refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

                    

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