Boil one cup of water for the bottom layer. Pour the boiling water in a small bowl, and add the sugar-free lemon gelatin. Stir it until it’s dissolved. That should take about one minute.

Let the gelatin cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Set your kitchen timer. You don’t want it to harden, just to cool to room temperature.

Open a can of icy cold diet ginger ale. Measure out one cup and add it to your cooled gelatin. Stir it in gently. Avoid stirring too much—that will break down the bubbles. Pour bottom layers in each of the six glasses you’ve chosen to use.

Rinse out your bowl. You can use it again for the next layer.

Refrigerate the glasses until the bottom layer is set. This will take approximately one hour.

When the bottom layer is set, it’s time to make the middle layer. Boil one cup of water. Pour the boiling water into the small bowl you rinsed, and add the sugar-free lime gelatin. Stir it until it’s dissolved, about one minute.

Let the gelatin cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Open a can of icy cold diet lemon-lime soda. Measure out one cup. Add it to your cooled gelatin, and stir it in gently. Stir just enough to blend. You don’t want to lose the bubbles.

Take your glasses out of the refrigerator and pour in the middle layer. Return them to the refrigerator, to set for one hour.

Rinse out the bowl you used so that you can use it again for the top layer.

When the middle layer is set, it’s time to add the top layer. Boil one cup of water. Pour the boiling water into the small bowl you rinsed, and add the sugar-free raspberry gelatin. Stir it until it’s dissolved, about one minute.

Let the gelatin cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Open a small bottle of icy cold seltzer or soda water. Measure out one cup and add it to your bowl of gelatin. Stir it in gently. Avoid overstirring—you don’t want to break down the bubbles.

Take your glasses out of the refrigerator, and pour in the top layer. Return the glasses to the refrigerator. Once the top layers are set, you can cover each glass with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the top fresh.

Add three raspberries to each parfait glass before serving. You can also use a small strawberry, or a thin slice of peach or pear. The calorie count will be approximately the same.

Sally says to tell you she’s going to make some with Sugar-Free Strawberry Kiwi Jell-O on the top layer and decorate each glass with a slice of kiwi because that’s really exotic here in Lake Eden, Minnesota.

Chapter Twenty