Classic Strawberry Pie for the 4th of July

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July weekend!
I spent mine visiting with family and having fun eating delicious food. To top off the evening we enjoyed my classic no-bake strawberry pie complete with a red, white, and blue theme.
Yes, you read that right, a festive no-bake pie! Because honestly, with celebrations going on during hot summer days, the last thing you want to do is heat up the oven.
The juicy fresh strawberries are chilled in a homemade strawberry glaze, then placed in a graham cracker crust and finally topped with whip cream. It was a big hit with everyone in the family. I already told my husband I will be making this again before summer is over. Hope you enjoy this holiday pie as much as I did. That's what's on my table tonight!

Classic Strawberry Pie:
Serves about 8
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 3-5 minutes (Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving).

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie crust (I preferred graham cracker crust, but vanilla cookie crust would work as well)
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar (substitute with Truvia for a no calorie sweetener)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• Whipped cream and blueberries to garnish (optional) 

 Directions:

1. Wash strawberries thoroughly. Pick off the stems and cut them in half.
2. Arrange half to 3/4 of them in the pie crust. Mash the remaining strawberries.
3. Combine strawberries with sugar in a medium saucepan.
4. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together. Slowly stir in the mixture into the saucepan. 
6. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Spoon the glaze over the strawberries in the pie crust making sure to fill in all the crevices.
7. Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving.
8. When ready to serve decorate the edges of the pie with whipped cream. Add fresh blueberries as a topping! Make it more festive for the day!