My Mother’s Cookbook — Winter Salads: Jell-o, Salads of the Era, and Pickled Beets

A more elaborate Jell-o salad from one of Mom's friends in Harlan could serve double duty as a dessert. The recipe originated in the Des Moines Register, the newspaper of choice in our household and throughout Iowa.

Mrs. Swift's Sunshine Salad

Gelatin Base:

1 package lemon Jell-o

1 package orange Jell-o

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 #2 can crushed pineapple, drained

2 bananas, diced

10 marshmallows, cut into small pieces or 40 miniature marshmallows

Topping:

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheese

For the Base: dissolve both packages of Jell-o in boiling water. Add cold water and put in refrigerator until it reaches the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Fold in the fruit and marshmallows and pour into a 9- by 11-inch pan. Chill until firm.

For the Topping: combine in a saucepan the egg, butter, and pineapple juice, with the flour and sugar, mixing well. Cook, stirring, over low heat until thickened. Let the mixture cool. Fold in whipped cream and spread over the chilled Jell-o mixture. Sprinkle top with cheese.

Cut into squares and place on lettuce for individual servings.

I don't know if my mother thought up the combination of pink grapefruit sections and sliced avocado because she liked the two flavors, or gleaned the idea from a recipe. Finished with a touch of mayonnaise, this simple salad offers a different kind of taste jolt in winter. Avocados were another delicacy not often found in the grocery stores of my hometown, but Mom was sometimes able to find them at the more diversely stocked grocery stores in Omaha. When an avocado did come into her possession, she truly gloried in the "delicate taste" of that nutritious green oval.

She started making a frozen fruit salad after I'd married and begun practicing the art of cooking myself. I was hooked from the first time I tasted it during one of my visits home. Another salad that can be made ahead of time, it's only requirement is not to be left out at room temperature for too long. The salad would still taste good, but it's appetizing confectionary appeal would be compromised.

Frozen Fruit Salad

2 eight-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 and 1/2 cups canned fruit cocktail, drained

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pinch of salt

Mash the softened cheese with a spoon and mix in mayonnaise. Whip the cream and then fold into the cream cheese mixture. Mix in the fruit, nuts, and salt. Pour into a 9- by 11-inch pan and freeze at least two hours.

Remove salad from freezer to soften for 10-15 minutes before serving. Cut in squares and place on the usual lettuce leaves.

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3

Home and Shopping, Entertaining, Home, Senior Women Web, Cooking Add comments

My Mother’s Cookbook — Winter Salads: Jell-o, Salads of the Era, and Pickled Beets

More Articles

Popular Articles