Mary Ann
Do you remember when you were little and going to a family holiday dinner, and there was an array of Jello salads jiggling on the table? It was very 1950s and 60s. Every woman there had their one special salad that they brought to such occasions. Once tasted at dinner, all the other women wanted the recipes. These shared delights would continue for future dinners, and everyone ended up with a rainbow collection of Jello recipes.
My mother was no exception, and her magnus opus was a pink chiffon dish that we loved as a family, and it could be counted on for holiday events. Here is the recipe.
Pink Salad
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
Small Cherry Jello
Small Pack of Cream Cheese
Small Jar of Maraschino Cherries
Small Can of Evaporated Milk (Chilled in Refrigerator for several hours)
- In a saucepan, bring the pineapple to a boil. Add Jello. Let it stand. Add cream cheese and blend. Add cut up maraschino cherries and blend. Allow the mixture to cool.
- In a separate bowl, add chilled evaporated milk and whip using an electric hand mixter. It will foam up, and you will want it to peak. However, on a very humid day, it may be difficult to make the milk foam.
- Combine both mixtures and refrigerate.
- Variation: Can substitute Lemon Jello for the Cherry and fruit cocktail instead of pineapple.
Once made, you would bite into the soft pink mixture and hope that you also got a maraschino cherry with it. So yummy! My mother would kick up the recipe for Christmas and make a green salad using lime Jello instead of cherry. The red cherries looked festive with the green foam giving you a feeling that you were eating Christmas.
Somehow, our family continued making Jello salads when they fell out of favor. My brother always makes a Jello salad with his meals – just a touch of sweet! He loves Ambrosia with little marshmallows, pineapple chucks, coconut, maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges, whipped cream, and a touch of sour cream – what would be do without maraschino cherries? He often will make a frozen strawberry salad that was a specialty of our Aunt Elaine’s. I guess when we serve Jello salads, it is like visiting with these special people again. You could close your eyes and time travel to a different moment and place in your life.
My go-to salad is a Watergate Salad that can be made in 10 minutes – easy, pretty, and tasty. It could be a dessert! Here is the recipe if you need a quick treat.
Watergate Salad
1 22 oz can of crushed pineapple
1 small package of Pistachio Jello Pudding
¼ cup of miniature marshmallows
¼ cup of chopped Pistachio nuts
1 Container of Regular Cool Whip
- Mix the pineapple and the pistachio pudding together. Add the Pistachio nuts and marshmallows (you can add more). Blend mixture with the Cool Whip. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. This can be made ahead of time. At Christmas, you can add, of course, maraschino cherries for a festive look!
Maybe it is time to explore the family cookbooks or recipe boxes to find your relatives’ favorite Jello recipes. I am sure there are a few. Let’s hope that it will not be a lime Jello ring with shredded carrots. I think that is more of a past nightmare than a sweet remembrance. Who ever thought that combo was a good idea? Let’s get busy and make some rainbows!
Silver Sage Sisters 