Creamy Strawberry Pie

Instructions

• First, make the crust if you aren't using a ready-made one. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Melt the butter, and stir it into the mixture until thoroughly combined.

• With clean hands, have your little helper press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (22 cm) pie plate. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

• With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, the granulated sugar, and the vanilla until smooth. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, have your small (but eager) assistant attack the strawberries with a fork and mash them to a pulp. Lumps are fine - this shouldn't be pureed. Stir into the cream-cheese mixture. Now whip the cream with the icing sugar until stiff and then gently fold into the cream-cheese mixture.

• Spoon the creamy strawberry filling into the pie shell and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, before serving. Decorate the top with additional non-mashed strawberries, tastefully arranged to resemble the Starship Enterprise, a flower, or just something simple, like the underwater scene from "The Little Mermaid."