The kids and I make Jello trifles or mini-parfaits for parties and holidays; we love playing around with the colored layers, adding fruit as it's in season. With 4th of July fast approaching, it's the perfect time to get your red, white, and blue on. Round up your little helpers. Let's get started.

Ingredients

• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 package (8-serving size) Jello Berry Blue-flavored Gelatin
• 1 package (8-serving size) Jello Strawberry-flavored Gelatin
• 2 cups cold water

• 1 cup blueberries
• 12 ounces light Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced

Instructions

1.
Pour the Jello Berry Blue-flavored Gelatin into a medium bowl.
2.
Add 2 cups of the boiling water to the gelatin; stir for two minutes until gelatin powder is completely dissolved.
3.
Stir in 1 cup of cold water.
4.
Refrigerate for 1½ hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression).
5.
Pour the Jello Strawberry-flavored Gelatin into a medium bowl.
6.
Add 2 cups of the boiling water to the gelatin; stir for two minutes until gelatin powder is completely dissolved.
7.
Stir in 1 cup of cold water.
8.
Refrigerate for 1½ hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression.
9.
Once the Berry Blue Gelatin has been properly thickened, add blueberries to it and stir.
10.
Pour the Blue Gelatin with the blue berries into a 4 – 6 quart clear, glass bowl.
11.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set but not firm (gelatin should stick to finger when touched and should mound).
12.
Spread the top of the Blue Gelatin with 3½ cups of the whipped topping and refrigerate.
13.
Stir strawberries into Red Gelatin bowl and then spoon it over whipped topping layer of the Blue Gelatin so it forms 3 colored layers: blue on the bottom, white in the center, and red on the top.
14.
Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Store in refrigerator when not eating.

Tips

• If you want to create an extra set of red and blue layers, you could skip mixing the fruit in, and instead add the fruit on top of its respective colored layer, so you would have a Blue Gelatin layer, then a layer of blueberries, then the whipped topping, then a Red Gelatin layer, then the layer of strawberries and then the whipped topping.
• Try making individual red, white and blue Jello layered parfaits, instead of one big trifle.