Jello "salads"

Pardon me, I'm going to be violently ill . . .

Is that the same thing as ambrosia salad?

That looks like that pink slime shit the hamburger chains claim is meat, + marshmallows.

No, they are a Lutheran thing, apparently

Did Rose Nylund make them?

People never think to serve a lovely aspic anymore.

....

They're more 1940's-60's rather than lutheran. One I like despite the pretentious queens about to call me a pleeb, is orange jello with shredded carrots, also good w/walnuts.... This is popular in Australia too. French style Chaud-Froids were once the upscale jello salads..... & Aspic salads were popular with Jews who had "fancier" holiday spreads. Many look gross, or are too sweet, but they can be nutritious low cal refreshing dishes in hot weather. My Aussie friends said the orange carrot w/or w/out walnuts is popular for brekie there.

What makes me laugh is that everyone - literally everyone - would laugh and gross out at the link below, but so many people still eat these things. I know so many people who's families still have that one jello salad recipe for every Thanksgiving.

"brekie"?

I don't care, I'm brave enough to admit I love Jello....one I saw recently which I olan on making when it gets warm is a raspberry jello, w/halved peaches filled w/a spoonful of cream cheese. The "Melba" of the gelatin world..... Honestly can't wait to try it! Recipe suggested apricots as an alternate version. For many, think these make it easier for many to get more fruits/vegetables in their diets..... Yes, R10, brekie.... Brit transplant here.

I hate to admit it but i still love jello pistachio salad...

Looks divine R12.... I would certainly try that one too! Love pistachio everything else. Not particularly keen on mayo in these salads though, unless like strictly savoury, like a chicken Chaud-Froid.

Flyover Cuisine.

I am a freak for a good tomato aspic in a lettuce leaf in summertime. Must have a dollop of homemade mayonnaise on top.

It’s not a salad! Jello mixed with cool whip is not a salad! Stomps foot....

I'm a jello salad fan. R13, I'm pretty sure that's whipped cream or cool whip in the jello. Mayonnaise with fruit and jello don't go together.

R15, if you're not at all Jewish, get invited to someone's house at Rosh Hashannah.... Traditional dish.... Sometimes at other holidays too..... Great in spinach leaf too.

I like tiny salad shrimp in my aspic. Can Jews eat shrimp?

R14, where do you hail from, and tell us about your sophisticated palate!

I still put chopped fruit in my jello

Many do R19.... Not all Jews keep Kosher. Depends on what congregation, and sect of Judaism. Most Reform & Conservative Jews do not observe Kosher laws, or Kashrut.

Shrimp in aspic. Where have I seen that before?

Oh, not good... Aspic is still on Pate de Foie Gras, Mousse Trouffe, etc.... Think people unfamiliar w/old school french cuisine fear the aspic and gelatin.. Gelatin and aspic are great sources of hard to obtain nutrients. So versatile, great w/booze too. I make a mean gazpacho w/a touch of gin and a bit of plain gelatin.... Served over Boston lettuce, or Butter lettuce.... For more pop good w/rocket / Arugula too.

Just to gay it up a notch or two, to tres gay.... I love those old moulds, esp in copper hanging on a wall to decorate with. They once were quite popular in traditional kitchens. I'll bet the fish in R9's pic is from an old copper mould. These clear salads look very attractive on a table IMHO....

Southern Baptists love them. The highlight of a Trump reelection dinner.

I wish we would all hear back from the Queen screaming "Flyover Cuisine" I knew they would be all over this thread.... Read a similar thread awhile back. I'm not so easily convinced he's so sophisticated though. I like to fancy myself a great cook, w/much breadth. Most people who really enjoy cooking, and CUISINE, have open minds, and will find the good in most categories of food. Seems very closed- minded. I am old though, perhaps it's a generation gap.

In Switzerland the supermarket lunch counters and small corner bakery-sandwich shops sell open-faced sandwiches that are sealed in thin clear gelatin. Its white bread and has assorted toppings like in the picture. They are very old lady food, and delicious. I will eat 2 before food shopping so I don't shop on an empty stomach.

The only Jello I actually liked was “Waldmeister” Jello with vanilla sauce, which I ate in Germany. Other than that I’ll pass when it comes to weird gelatinous foods.

long live aspic! It is still very much alive and kicking in the south, along with jello "salads" My family still serves on holidays, tomato aspic, and a lime jello "salad" with cream cheese and walnuts.

Thx ever so much for your contributions and pics R28/R30..... Many upper middle and upper class Americans ate these terrines and sandwiches in the olden days at ladies' teas, country clubs, and Bridge Clubs.... I collect old cookbooks, and their devotees were quite sophisticated in the pictures. I guess it's passe w/younger Americans to admit to eating liver pâtés too now. So be it!

Not strictly Lutheran, not strictly church potluck, but you can expect to find them there and at family picnics and funeral dinners.

If I’m at a Midwestern down-home event, I like to sample them. I do not want escargot at a church picnic and I don’t want a gelatin salad at a fancy restaurant. But I do enjoy food in context.

When will DL posters stop dissing the flyover states? Life is good there.

R8 excuse me, I'm actually Australian and I have never in my life heard of anyone eating or making jello salad let alone for breakfast!!!

And by the way R8 we call it jelly not jello in Australia.

It isn't a salad but I love strawberry Jello that is blended with equal parts vanilla ice cream then refrigerated and allowed to congeal again. Probably good with other flavors but I have only ever done the strawberry.

That sounds very good R35.... Do you mix w/a stand mixer, or fold in gently w/a spatula and not blend all the way?

do you have a recipe for that, R35? is it creamy or lumpy?

I want to make this now! Maybe like an extra creamy sherbet?

The sweet jello "salads" are a southern and midwestern thing in the US, so yes, as someone said upthread, "flyover" cuisine. Jane and Michael Stern have written extensively and enthusiastically about them, including in their memoir "Two for the Road" (2006) and in the "Jello" chapter of their "Encyclopedia of Bad Taste" (1990). In the "Twinkies" chapter there they "are proud to claim authorship of a dessert known as 'Undescended Twinkies,' in which [the twinkies] are floated like depth charges in a gelatinized mixture of 7-Up and vanilla ice cream."

The Lime Cottage Cheese Walnut "Salad"

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple

12 -15 large marshmallows or 1 1⁄2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 (3 ounce) package lime Jell-O gelatin

1 cup cottage cheese

1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup whipped cream

Drain pineapple, saving juice. Add water if needed to make 1 1/2 cups juice. Put juice in saucepan and boil for 1 minute. Add marshmallows and melt while stirring. Add lime Jello and dissolve completely. Let cool until thickens. Add crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, nuts and whipped cream and stir. Refrigerator 1-2 hours until set.

R8 when I was growing up we had something similar called "Sunshine Salad". It was jello (either lemon or orange) with shredded carrots and pineapple. It didn't have nuts or any kind of topping. It's actually quite refreshing on a hot summer day, but I have never made it myself.

We had that lime pineapple jello salad at every holiday gathering and I still like it.

Does anyone make a jello mix with natural flavors. Is there a Whole Foods jello or what not? I realise that yellow is animal bones so probably there isn't a big market for such a product.

Yes, recipe, please, R35!

r34 Jell-O is a brand name, but it's become synonymous with any type of fruit-flavored gelatin.

I've made this one at Thanksgiving several times and it's always a big hit.

Minnesota? No -- UTAH.

R39, Just out of curiosity did The Sterns call Jello salads "Flyover cuisine" I think that term, as well as "Flyoverstani" is despicable! Very Queenie and pretentious. Many people associate these moulds or salads w/loved ones who prepared them, and good family memories, like comfort foods. I daresay people on the coasts and in your beloved "principal" cities make and devour these too.

Mormon food

Funny R49, as my ex was Mormon, from a proud Salt Lake family and he hated jello with a passion. Perhaps they burn out on it, if it's that popular.

Quit trolling, R48.

Who's "trolling for Jello" R51? I do not work for the company that sells it. I buy their instant pudding for my trifles too, when I'm in a hurry, though I prefer Creme Anglaise. Alsonfond of the Lemon, and chocolate instant varieties..... NOT the cooked.

OK you bitches have me curious - I must try one of these jello salads now.

Do Jell-O salads pair well with funeral potatoes?

What a GREAT thread ...brings back joyous memories. The salmon mold was devine! R41 i like the lemon jello with shredded carrots, celery and radishes with just a dollop of mayo! Has any one mentioned the holiday jello mold with applesauce and cinnamon redhots melted into the red(cherry or raspberry) jello?

One should really only use vegetable JELL-O for it to be considered a salad.

Waiting for the poster to post his method for jello + ice cream. I googled and found many. some pictures more appetizing than others. This one wins:

R56 nice find.! .maybe it was the celery jello my mother would use for vegetable molds.

I don't like them, never have, but they remind me of being a little kid and going with my grandmother to her church luncheons.

I read my first Stern book in 1975, and I don’t recall the authors making fun of small-town or rural food. It’s classic American!

I used to make a fantastic salmon mold with gelatin. And yes, these salads are great with casseroles and funeral potatoes.

I've found jello, in all its incarnations, to be quite comforting while ill, especially w/sore throat. Easy to digest, and nourishing for skin, hair, and bones. Great source of silica too, which is good for building bones. Easy and quick to make too.

There is certainly a nostalgia factor too with these salads and moulds.... Great 50's kitsch IMHO. I have not had Funeral Potatoes, but they sound delicious too.

I was at a funeral recently, sadly a parent, and the potatoes - there were 4-5 different kinds - got me through. The desserts were incredible. So was the tuna salad, and yes, the gelatin.

The caring people who make this food, including the church ladies who serve it, are truly good women.

Potatoes provide a Seratonin buzz... I can believe carbs, esp potatoes could help.

This thread has me not only yearning for jello salads again but am looking forward this summer to reintroducing the molding/layering aspect of these salads. some are quite beautiful and sure to intrigue (for ,as one poster mentioned, those with an open mind)

Right on R65.... I'm sick of the fancier the bettter food snobbery. Even the best chefs say what they enjoy to fix for themselves and their loved ones most at home tend toward the simple, regardless of how sophisticated some of their tastes and abilities are. More Jello and terrines/layered salads for us!

Is this the jell-o + vanilla ice cream recipe (basically)?

or actually...

R68 resembles what I had in my mind's eye as the lady described it..... Wonder if one melts the ice cream thorougjly first, is the Jello added while hot/warm.... Hopefully she'll come back. We could gild the lilly for the cosmopolitan queens by adding a slash of Chambord, or Creme de Cassis....

According to the Kraft recipe in R68, you add the boiling water to the gelatin, then stir in the ice cream. Ice cream doesn't need to be melted beforehand.

Thx R70....may be a bit off topic, but a little bit of plain gelatin is also really good to give body and shine to sauces and gravies, or stews where the meat is boneless.... Makes up for the lack of collagen and natural gelatin in recipes that call for bone-in cuts. (Sorry vegans, and vegetarians )

I thought they were a Mormon thing?

I detest ambrosia and anything with marshmallows (except minis in hot chocolate). My mom used to make this, and it was quite good...

With you on Ambrosia R73, and I've been labeled the Jello-Troll here.... Too sweet, not a fan of Waldorf salad either. Additionally, think I object to the marshmallows' texture. They belong in hot cocoa, smores, and chocolates only.

I love bananas or canned peaches suspended in cherry Jello.

Then again I also love peanut, banana and mayo sandwiches on white.

As long as we're talking about jell-o desserts, I give you poke cake. SO GOOD.

Thanks, R76, first I've heard of this but will try it.

Is ambrosia salad the same as "watergate salad?"

I believe it's quite similar R78.... At A holiday party just last year, several of us were trying to figure out which one we were eating! This one had coconut, pineapple, marshmallows, grapes, and was too sweet. It was dark as we served ourselves at a local pub/bar.... We were split down the middle. Honestly, some of us thought it may have been potato salad! We finished all we took, but no seconds!

Looks good R76! I love moist and "wet" cakes...

If you people hate marshmallow so much, then I guess you don't eat Mallowmar cookies?

Jello should be plain, nothing within, whipped topping okay.

r76 Poke cake? Where's the raw fish?

r78 No. Watergate Salad is like that pistachio thing mentioned up thread. Jell-O pistachio pudding, pineapple, marshmallows, pecans, Cool-Whip. No Jell-O gelatin. Sometimes coconut.

Ambrosia doesn't have gelatin either, but neither does it have pudding.

My mother used to put canned pear halves in lime Jell-O and serve it with a dressing made of cream cheese, milk, and strawberry jam. Sounds weird, but was quite tasty.

I think all of these with fruit sound good. R84's reminds me of the peach melba jello I'm going to make... It called for a spoonful of cream cheese in peach halves. Raspberry jello enrobed!

Not to sound like a fat whore but this thread is top notch.

My mother used to make a Jello salad with crushed pineapple, shredded carrots, pecans and mayonnaise. I used to love that stuff.

I don't young people today realize how unsophisticated food was back in the 70s-80s. The whole gourmet foodie craze didn't happen until the mid-90s. Things like Jello salads were de rigorous for every good hostess back then. Oh, how I miss the simpler days.

Can't stand the sight of anything Jello. When I was in grade school in the early 70s the school cafeteria served grape Jello with cabbage, carrots and raisins in it. Puke.

I ❤️U R86!

R89.... Terrible! That sounds like a practical joke, or food for "punishment"!

Wonder why these aren't popular amongst the gluten-free set? I should think Paleo peeps could make an exception for the sugar, or get sugar free since there is no grain/flour.....Perhaps jello needs to get a new advertising firm.

Jello is the official food of Utah

I wasn't too keen on this Mormon /Utah connection, on account of my Mormon ex, but plan on catching up w/the links later. I don't want it to spoil the food porn effect!

r12 my mom still makes that and I like it.

Where I grew up in Georgia, we called them “congealed salad”, and there was a section in every church cookbook devoted to them. I one every once in a while. Raspberry jello mixed with Cool Whip and whipped cream cheese as a base, then add pineapple, pecans, and maybe marshmallows but only the fruit flavored ones. The white marshmallows bring nothing to the dish. And yes I realize this represents the Datalounge trifecta of bad taste: Jello, Cool Whip, and marshmallows. As Susan Mixx sings, ””I don’t care, I love it!”

R87, I'm taking a pg from your mom's book & add pineapple to my carrot & walnut orange jello salad

R96, I would try it! I just don't dig the mayo w/sweet or coconut in Jello.... (Or cabbage poor tortured kid upthread)

I find the less alcohol I drink as I get older, the more I want desserts. Anyone else notice this?

Cool Hwip.

I thought "Dream Whip" tasted better between the two fake whips! It could be mixed with vanilla yogurt too.

Here is the best aspic. Lady Prudence Fairfax brought some over and the night later turned romantic!

Empty 2 large packages of raspberry Jell-O into a large bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir until dissolved.

Open three 14-ounce cans of stewed tomatoes and empty the entire contents of all 3 cans into the bowl of Jell-O. Stir.

Add 6 drops Tabasco sauce and stir.

Pour into a Jell-O mold and chill until firm.

Unmold and serve on a platter with a bowl of sour cream.

r101, I'm pretty sure my mom always went with Dream Whip over Cool Whip.

[quote]One I like despite the pretentious queens about to call me a pleeb,

I think they'd be more likely to do that because of your spelling.

Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

A lot of the Paleo and Primal crowd avoid processed foods and artificial sweeteners, r92. They usually get their gelatin from bone broth.

Toss off Troglodyte @ R104..... You're a bit boorish.... I know how to spell it....NowR102, Lady Pruneface Tampax sounds as if she 's seriously trying to poison you.

Real Southern Tomato Aspic doesn’t use flavored gelatin, i.e., Jello.

It uses tomato juice and plain Knox gelatin. I sometimes use V-8.

I don’t care if it’s tacky — I still secretly love the lime jello and pineapple “salad.”

My mom makes an orange jello with mandarin oranges in it and some sort of vanilla pudding topping, it is so good. SIL makes the one with pretzels and strawberries with cream cheese. May not be hip but they taste good.

BOTH sound awfully good R109.....Yours too R108, and glad of it you don't care if people think it tacky! Just to p/o the pretentious dish queens here, pledge to eat it out of a Corelle bowl too!

(Some of these flyover recipes are secretly delicious. Don't tell Datalounge.)

This thread is the middle of the Venn diagram where "Frau" and "Flyover Gay" intersect, but I love it anyway!

I Think a ton of average, in a good sense, regular people like Jello! The detractors are not authentic people! I feel healthy, never guilty after eating it either.

In flyoverville the women make all the food and do all the kitchen work, the guys just sit down to eat. I am the only guy that helps in the kitchen. When I come home to visit I gain a couple pounds every time from all the good food. So many carbs but the cheesy potatoes, homemade pigs in the blanket, and yes the jello salads are sooo good.

[quote] My Aussie friends said the orange carrot w/or w/out walnuts is popular for brekie there

As basic as the food was in Aus in the 70s, aspics and savory foods of the wobbly kind were out of fashion since the 1950s, except for some exclusive pretensions, upscale places that would use very elaborate ones as centerpieces in buffets. English trifle's have retained their popularity over the years, the proper sort with strawberries and sherry... The whole "balsamic this" and "sun-dried that" revolution started earlier than some other places. That was more like the very early 80's.

I like the Mexican "broken glass" Jell-o desserts, which are both colorful and flavorful.

Wow, never saw Mexican broken glass Jello.... Is the cream dulce de leche, or pudding? Looks more complicated! Good on you for helping the ladies R114. My str8 brother and I help my mom. He even has fewer skills from a culinary perspective, but he'll help tidy up, and bin stuff. My sister on the other hand is helpless, disinterested, and thinks it's beneath her to get involved!

R9 I could barely scroll through the recipes without my stomach doing flip-flops. Lol. This recipe is our Thanksgiving & Christmas go to. I recommend 'large curd' cottage cheese. You can substitute and flavor Jell-O. Lime, strawberry, or raspberry for the holidays. You can also substitute drained canned fruit cocktail. I love it!

I remember these from the 70s in WASPy Connecticut. My Boston Yankee grandmother made a barely sweet coffee gelatin topped with softly whipped and very sweet cream.

Years ago, my MIL made her annual Christmas gala potluck. She provided a spectacular ham and all the booze. Much much booze. She asked everyone to bring their best side or dessert. That was the best party food ever. Someone brought a layered jello that was crushed pretzels, strawberry jello with fresh strawberries, and topped with cool whip and I think cream cheese. It was fucking delicious and there wasn’t a spoonful left over. The guests were various successful sophisticated Manhattanites, but everyone loved that strawberry salad. It was a really fun party; my favorite of decades of those things. People enjoyed showing off and sharing.

I think we all love our comfort foods, and even royalty must have some sort of nursery food or junk food they love. Let’s not be snobs.

In praise of the Southland's tomato aspic:

R117, the white filling in between the colors is a mix of unflavord gelatin and sweetened condensed milk.

If you want a good tomato aspic, try making it with Bloody Mary mix-- you may need to dilute your favorite mixer with a little tomato juice or V-8, but it comes out great. You can also add vodka and make tomato aspic shooters.

R99, I agree! Who needs booze?

I, for one, would rather eat a gelatin salad than a fried egg on kale.

Years ago, a lovely DLer provided me with a page from an old Jello cookbook, which had a recipe that I remembered from my childhood. It was lime jello mixed with sour cream and studded with pineapple. No nuts, marshmallows or carrots, just the lime and pineapple. The sour cream really cuts the sweetness of the jello. But, what I really like is the same recipe but with orange jello and Mandarin orange pieces.

I have never seen that recipe on-line and even the jello 800 number couldn't provide it. It took an intrepid DLer with an old jello cookbook to come to my rescue. I still think of him when I make that salad.

R119

Coffee ice cream is very WASP, so that makes sense.

Nobody has mentioned Coke salad yet?

[quiote]SIL makes the one with pretzels and strawberries with cream cheese.

I've made this one several times. It's definitely more like a dessert, even though they call it "Strawberry-Pretzel Salad." I used the Cook's Country recipe. You make a crust out of ground pretzels. Two more layers: one of cream cheese, the other of thawed frozen strawberries with unflavored gelatin. It's very good. Almost like a cheesecake with strawberry topping, but not as heavy. And you get the salty/sweet combo with the pretzels.

Jello is good for you. It promotes strong hair and nails. It's actually made from horse hoofs.

NO, R48, the Sterns to my knowledge don't use the word "flyover"; I was just using a word that DL uses to dismiss or at least characterize those parts of the country. Jane and Michael Stern are very appreciative of all local cuisines and cultures—that's their mission. This Nora Ephron article mentions Jane's "passion for Jell-O."

Thx R129, & everyone who contributed links & great food porn worthy pics! So many delish jello salads, not enough time!

My grandma used to make the one at R40. I can picture it on the table at Thanksgiving in a pink bowl.

Dream Whip is the winner of the fake whip creams for sure.

I have a vague memory of not being able to put pineapple in jello as it will keep it from setting. And enzyme reaction or something. Maybe that's only for fresh and not canned pineapple because I think I remember having jello with canned fruit cocktail in it and that has pineapple.

R33 you are a clever lad! It's not the enzyme, but rather the citric acid which prevents the setting. I have made some flops using unflavoured gelatin w/orange & pineapple juice.

I had a great aunt who used to make Jello salads for any family potluck event. It was considered her "speciality", LOL

Sorry ^ meant R133

Thank you R134. I knew it was something about pineapple. Maybe the one in the canned fruit cocktail works differently for some reason.

R19 Yes! Tomato aspic and shrimp - my mom made that. Had almost forgotten about it. Thans!

R134, here:... Again R137 you are very perspicacious! Think they prob adjust ph in tinned fruits, or some additive counters it. A friend much more knowledgeable about chemistry than I suggested VitC as a possible culprit too. Stands to reason the Vit C would oxidize in tins over time a bit. Every time I add pineapple, even tinned, the jello never is quite as firm. So glad you brought it up, as I had meant to yesterday!

R19 Cafe Jello sounds classic! Thx for another example.... Especially since CT does not quite qualify as "Flyover" territory!

If you would like to put pineapple in your jello, I have good news for you. You can actually combine the two and get a yummy dessert ... but you have to use canned pineapple to prepare it.

Jello contains gelatin (a protein, which is a processed version of collagen. Collagen is a material we have in our bones, for example). Jello also contains sugar, flavoring, and coloring agents. Like all protein, gelatin is made up of amino acids, the individual building blocks of live. Gelatin is insoluble in water, but individual amino acids are not, they are soluble. Pineapples, unlike most other fruit, contain an enzyme called bromelain, that breaks up the gelatin into it's amino acid building blocks. [Enzymes are biomolecules that catalyze chemical reactions; most of them are proteins themselves.] Due to the bromelain, your jello doesn't become (or stay) solid. If you add fresh or frozen pineapple to jello, soon they will just float in a soup of amino acids, sugar, flavoring, and coloring agents. BUT ... if you use canned pineapple, you can combine the two without a problem. During the canning process the pineapple gets heated and the bromelain breaks apart. Then the bromelain is no longer active and it canot attack the gelatin.

I won't eat anything that's moving.

^^ Meshuganah!

I love this thread! It’s making me so hungry.

Thank you, fellow DL posters.

My Aunt brought “ribbon salad” every Christmas Eve: a red, white and green holiday “salad” - a layer of cherry jello, a middle layer of lemon jello, cool-whip and canned pineapple, and a top layer of lime jello.

The adults loved it. All the kids hated it - weird, considering how sweet it was.

They all look like vomit after eating too much cotton candy.

If you were trying to be funny, you failed.

Quite the contrary, R106, the aspic described in R102 was properly delicious (and, I might discreetly add, Lady Prudence Fairfax is quite the dish herself). The aspic looked quite similar to the one in the photograph presented below.

Here, check this:

This thread has really inspired me to dig out my molds, and make refreshing jello "salad". I found this interesting sangria "salad" that I can enjoy.

R146/R148 You are such the pathetic little twit-queen.... Trying to shit all over everyone's party favours again here tonight. We get it, Pruneface Tampax, you hate Jello, and think we're beneath your boots. Sad thing is you're not even funny. You probably do not have any friends. It must be so bloody satisfying feeling superior by putting others down. You're the type of queen that I hope soon becomes extinct, because, well, YOU STINK QUEEN SHITHEAD!

Thx 149.... I just discovered I have the hard-cover 1st edition of Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook! I bought it for the kitsch factor years ago! They have some perfectly awful recipes by some VIP s ! Many actresses, opera singers, has some fun photos too. Who knew people would be willing to pay so dearly for this one!

Thx R144/ and "Clever lad" @'R133.... Apparently the enzymes are the cause of the failed set. Read online acid can be a problem, but looks like lemon or lime, rather than the orange. Nothing as regards Vit C! Hmmmmmm!

This is the most popular Jello desert for the holidays. The cranberry Jello salad with cream cheese topping.

They used to have this jello dish that had this white, almost foamy sweet thing in a stripe in it. It wasn't whipped cream, real or fake. It wasn't marshmallow cream. I really don't know what it was but it was tasty, and like a cloud. I would like to make that but I don't even know what it was or how they got it into a stripe.

All this jello talk. I now have such an urge for some kind of jello salad and strangely to have with warm artichoke and spinach dip with club crackers. Weird. Oh and some fruit punch, real punch with fruit floating in it.

[quote]I won't eat anything that's moving.

My uncle always used to joke and say he wouldn't eat anything more nervous than he is (Jello is wobbly)

Gelatin: Animal skin and bones. No thanks.

Late to this thread and no recipes to bring but feeling like I've just dropped in on a DL potluck party. Picturing you all working the tables spread with offerings, bowls in manicured hands, all mmming and oohing as you taste and compare ingredients.

R155, you are talking about one of two things. Could it be Jell-O 1-2-3 that was popular in the 1970s-80s? Or Possibly you remember one of the mock Jell-O 1-2-3 recipes from the same time period. They were made by making Jell-O per usual, chilling slightly, then whipping a portion of the partially jelled substance. Some recipes had you add whipped topping to the whipped gelatin for added chemicals and whiteness. Then the whipped and unwhipped masses were layered into a parfait-like concoction.

r155 Was it this?

I recall several of those parfait style stripey jello desserts.... Think there were different ways/methods.... Years ago, remember my mum had a small Jello desssert book, more like a pamphlet.... Pub by the Jello company.... I prefer those to the firmer ones in R160's pic

Knox Blox

Whip 'n Chill

Exactly R162! Great w/booze though!

r162 Mmmm jello shots.

I made Jello 1-2-3 many times, following the directions on the box, but it never came out with layers of equal heights as shown on the box. The packaging was deceptive.

Did our beloved and iconic Fanny incorporate gelatin into her confection's?

Far upthread someone asked if there was a natural version of gelatin. Yes, there is. It is imported from Switzerland and is made from agar, a form of sea weed. It is in a powdered form and sweetened and flavored with natural ingredients. No artificial colors . It didn't quite satisfy, but good to know it exists if a vegan is coming over. In my opinion, I don't see how it could work to make these jello desserts being discussed.

Jello 1-2-3 was the best shit ever.

And so elegant r169.......

Not half as elegant as Hostess Snack Cakes!

R168 thanks.

Another bit of info on Agar: It can be purchased in health food stores and probably Asian markets. I once was invited to a macrobiotic dinner where they served an agar and fruit dessert. Wow! Very good, probably better than the instant mix. The mix was convenient, however. Another plus is that the mix did not require chilling to set.

[quote]... you are a clever lad! It's not the enzyme, but rather the citric acid which prevents the setting.

This is false. The citric acid has nothing to do with it. It is the bromelain, which is made up of two enzymes. R133 had it right the first time. Canned pineapple can be used because the heat of the canning process deactivates the enzymes.

Some other fruit enzymes will also prevent gelatin from setting, such as papain in papaya, and actinidin in kiwi.

R162, KNOX BLOX! Yes!

There’s also a version you can make with pectin, which is derived from fruit or something. My mom made them once when I was a kid.

I love this thread.

R174, that was already established way upthread at R141.

R159 and R160, those aren't exactly what I'm remembering but they both look so wonderful I'm going to try to make them. I don't know if they still sell that 1,2 3 thing but I'll bet I can come close with real whipped cream, the kind you make from heavy cream, not the one in the can. That's for R159's anyway. Yours , R160, looks just as good, more like candy. I want to give that a try too. OMG, I haven't had jello in years. I'm going to buy out the store and I think I will have so much fun trying. Even if I mess up, it's jello. It'll taste good anyway.

Thank you both!

When I was a kid, there was no Jell-O instant pudding, just the kind you cooked on the stove. And when the instant kind came out, I never really liked it. But I guess as with so many things, ease of use wins out over quality. There aren't as many of the cooked versions available anymore, but I use them when I can find them. The butterscotch is pretty good (although butterscotch pudding from scratch isn't that difficult.)

Does anyone remember that they used to sell Jell-O chocolate tapioca pudding mix?

YES R174, someone w/more knowledge put us on the right path. I also corrected myself, and had responded to "clever lad" Citric acid is only a prob w/lemon, lime, and rhubarb. Rarely would it be acidic enough. Thinking now, Papaya may pose such a problem too, due to papain. This enzyme is ubiquitous in many commercially prepared meat tenderisers it is so effective.

BONE BROTH. such a ring to it! (and not a jello ring)

r154 I remember a relative bringing this Thanksgivings when I was a kid, it is delicious

R160 we could call those GBLT JEWELS

It's easy to make pudding from scratch. It's just milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, a pinch of salt, cut up a good quality chocolate bar or if you want vanilla just add vanilla extract and if you can afford it a vanilla bean. It takes about 10 minutes prep and about 15 minutes cooking. You do have to pay attention to it. You don't walk away but then you don't walk away when using cooked pudding from the box.

Make sure you temper the eggs yolks or you'll get scrambled eggs and when it's finished take it off the heat to add a little butter and the vanilla extract. Quickly put it into serving dishes and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the pudding, so that it touches the pudding so it doesn't form a skin. You have to do this with boxed cooked pudding too. If you like it warm, leave the plastic off one portion and enjoy, although usually there is enough left in the pot to enjoy it hot and put away all the actual portions. Nothing is quite as satisfying as licking still warm pudding from the pot and spoon.

The cranberry Jello looks divine... Love Cranberry, but have never tried, nor have I seen Cranberry flavoured Jello.... I shall be on the lookout for it now!

Only for Thanksgiving: bring two cups of water to the boil, stir in a can of cranberry sauce (smooth) until it melts, then two packets of raspberry Jello until they dissolve. Once it's all liquid, add a drained can of Mandarin oranges, and a handful or two of dried pecans. Pour into a heatproof glass dish, or a copper mold. Serve for Thanksgiving. Divine!

R184 I think it's seasonal.

No refrigeration r185?

Sounds goodR185.... Love the orange w/the cranberry.... Always add zest or Grand Marnier to mine, orange extract works well too,, Bet your recipe would be great w/orange Jello too!

The Minnesota Lutheran Church I grew up in in the 60's had pot luck suppers several times a year. They consisted of many kinds of hot dishes, many Jello salads and many deserts. Everything was home made. All kinds of Jello salads. Some had fruit in it, some had grated carrots, some were multi layered. All were delicious for a kid.

R183

Some of us like pudding skin.

I like my pudding circumcised r190.

R178–I remember the chocolate tapioca. Delicious but I think the mixture of chocolate with that odd prearly texture didn’t work for people. I still like regular tapioca pudding.

I’m a native Midwesterner and get back often, but I haven’t seen jello salads since I was a kid in the 70s. Three bean salad was even more common but I haven’t seen that in awhile and I liked it much more.

The last time I saw jello anywhere was at one of those cafeterias popular with the blue rinse crowd in Georgia and the the cafeterias and the blue rinse women are dying off quickly.

Jello salads were popular everywhere in the US and well born people liked a good aspic, not just Sotherners, who tend be awfully annoying about claiming provenance and authenticity of food.

R192.... Try as I might, can't warm up to tapioca! Have had it in the trendy Asian bubble-teas too. I think my brain gets confused, like it should be chewed..... Most people my age or older do like it (50+). I'll stick w/the Jello!

Aren't the bubble tea tapioca pearls supposed to be chewed?

R95. Guess that's dependant upon the size of the bubbles in question.... It never seems they would be successfully chewed no matter what! Think others just swallow, but it bothers me. I'm one of those who has a problem w/textures of foods. Rarely though do things bother me as much as tapioca. Go figure...?

I want some of this NOW!

There is a cranberry jello salad I used to like at thanksgiving and I like the pistachio jello salad. I don't think I ever made jello, unless someone was sick and had a hard time eating. Jello is great if an old person is having trouble swallowing liquids.

We NEVER eat those in the metro NY area, at least not since the early 1970s. I suppose midwestern palettes are less adventurous, much like their fashion.

Jello is popular now for adding to box cake mixes to make a cake that is super moist and flavorful.

I meant to say that Jello pudding is added to cake mixes.

That would be your "pudding in the mix" variety r201.

My sister used to make chiffon, which was Jell-O made with milk instead of water, and then whipped before chilling.

My sister used to make a cake in the 70s that was a boxed yellow cake and then after it was baked she would poke the handle of a wooden over the top, then pour various colors of liquid Jello into the holes. It was then spread with whipped cream. It looked pretty, very Christmassy and festive.

[quote]BONE BROTH. such a ring to it! (and not a jello ring)

I saw myself

a ring of bone

in the clear stream

of all of it

and vowed,

always to be open to it

that all of it

might flow through

and then heard

“ring of bone” where

ring is what a

bell does

excuse me while i throw up

[quote]My sister used to make chiffon, which was Jell-O made with milk instead of water, and then whipped before chilling.

Do you have to heat the milk like you do with water in order to get the Jell-O dissolved?

I'd rather eat tapioca than cum.

R189 was there also usually lutefisk at those church meals too? I've always wondered how the Scandinavian cooking traditions make it palatable as so many complain about the texture but so many also seem to love it.

R155 I know you posted upthread that R159 R160 weren't quite like what you remembered but in the ballpark. Was it maybe Jello 1-2-3 (do they sell it anymore?) Jello or pudding parfait desserts were very popular in the 60s (probably 70s too.) I know that there are several recipes for them in some of my mother's 60s-70s cookbooks (including the pamphlet type book published by the makers of Jello.) Unfortunately, those are in inaccessible storage at the moment or I'd look up the recipes for you. If I remember somewhat correctly, you made the jello using the soft set method; this cools and solidifies the Jello in about 30 minutes but it is not fully set. You then spoon small portions into parfait glasses, then put in a layer of what I am almost positive was Dream Whip, then gently spoon in another layer of Jello, then Dream whip to top it off. You could use thinner layers of gelatin to make more layers which make the dessert look a bit more elegant. Does Dream Whip even exist anymore? It was superior to Cool Whip in taste and texture, as far as non-cream whipped topping are concerned.

Jello gelatin and Jello puddings were a staple at home when I was growing up. As was Junket Rennet Custard; once I reached the age of about 4 I decided that the stuff tasted thoroughly disgusting. Thereafter it was Jello gelatin or pudding only for me.

I bought a box of strawberry jello today. Now I’m pondering the possibilities.

R2 Is that the same thing as ambrosia salad?

Not exactly. Ambrosia (also called Bride's Salad, because it's so easy to make) is an old fashioned, chilled dessert that goes back at least to the 1920s. It's oranges sliced very thin, then sprinkled with shredded coconut and some liquer (like Cointreau?) I guess it was good after a heavy meal, or in hot weather.

Some Jello salads use this idea as a base, adding mini marshmallows etc...but originally, Ambrosia was simpler.

Found this funny article, though what they're discussing isn't the traditional Ambrosia....

I have never been served a Jello salad. I don't think I would like it.

My mom's from the East Coast, and would have just considered all those "chilled salads" frivilous. If you're serving peaches, carrots, whatever, you don't suspend them in gelatin (which is kind of a nothing junk food), you just put them in their own dish. Puddings and custards were alright, as they at least contained milk, which is more of a "real" food.

It's funny how our tastes in food can be so shaped by what we grew up with. We just didn't have Jello salads in my town or at any of my relatives tables...so they just seem a little foreign and slightly repellent to me.

[italic]But[/italic] I would try one...

When I was a little kid I would see those "pudding in the mix" boxed cake mixes and always think it meant the finished cake had a yummy chocolate pudding filling. Alas, I was always disappointed. (Were they even any creamier/moister/whatever than regular cake mixes?)

R207, I guess you would have to heat part of the milk to get the Jello to dissolve. I can't remember seeing my sister make it. Nowadays "chiffon" recipes call for either evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk, and sometimes Cool Whip folded in. But there is always also a small amount of boiling water at the beginning to dissolve the Jello. But what my sister made back then was much simpler, I believe it was just Jello and milk, and then whipped with beaters then chilled. I don't know the exact recipe or techniques though.

Yes the "pudding in the mix" cake mixes were supposed to reliably produce a moister cake. That was the selling point they pushed.

Betty Crocker cake mix boxes still say "The Pudding's in the mix!". They are noticeably moister than say, a Duncan Hines mix.

I love it but it's NOT Salad liars it's a desert! Stop perpetuating this lie! "Salad" my ass! Hehe

It's not a [italic]desert[/italic] , Salad Liar r218, it's a [italic]dessert[/italic] .

Since several of you have mentioned cookbooks, does this one sound familiar to anyone? My Mom had one the she received for her wedding shower in 1957. I believe it was a smaller format, gray with red printing on the cover. (but I could be thinking of another of her cookbooks). The back section was devoted to menus for every day of the year, three meals a day. I thought it was the most sophisticated thing ever! I'd reread that section over and over, thinking it was so clever how on Sunday they'd sever roast beef then on Monday have hash from the leftovers.