This Fourth of July, I’m going to mess with our family favorite. Well, just a little bit.

Instead of baking and preparing strawberry shortcake the traditional way using homemade baked shortcake biscuits that heat up my kitchen on a hot July day, I’m taking a shortcut and buying prepared frozen pound cake and creating colorful red, white and blue strawberry mini shortcakes on a stick.

There’s still the tempting fresh seasonal fruit, whipped cream and cake, but in a new presentation. For those who aren’t big on desserts, they can enjoy just one.

But there will be plenty for seconds.

Bring your young kids in the kitchen, so they can practice their pattern-making skills when they help you with the final step of poking red strawberries, white firm pound cake chunks, and blueberries, in that order, on skewers.

Welcome all at your dessert table to help themselves to one or more, and celebrate the red, white and blue colorful reminders of our national holiday.

MINI STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES ON A STICK

Makes 12

• 12 wooden skewers cut in 6-inch lengths
• 24 large strawberries washed, hulled
• 12 one-inch chunks of prepared frozen pound cake such as Sara Lee brand
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries separated in two dishes
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• mint garnish (optional)

Set out skewers, one dish of blueberries, strawberries, pound cake chunks, and second dish of blueberries on your kitchen counter in that order, assembly-line fashion. Include a serving platter at the end of the line.

Show your child how to poke a strawberry, blueberry, cake chunk, strawberry, and blueberry onto the skewer. Arrange in rows on a serving platter.

Meanwhile, whip the cream with sugar and vanilla. Spoon into a bowl and set at on the platter.

Invite family and guests to help themselves to a shortcake on a stick and a spoonful or two of whipped cream on individual dessert plates. Dip fruit and cake into the cream and enjoy!

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Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.”

—PRIME TIME WITH KIDS: Mini strawberry shortcake on a stick for the Fourth–