More Tricks With Jello

Jello must be one of the greatest inventions of our times. I can see from Mom's recipe box that she enjoyed collecting jello salads. The nice thing about it was that there seemed to be endless ways to fix it. So here are some very easy things to add to that simple box of jello, in order to turn it into something more! To start off, I will throw in one of my own recipes that I picked up from one of my bosses. Being more conscious of refined sugar, I enjoy this Pomegranate Salad that uses Knox unflavored gelatin.

Pomegranate Salad

I box of unflavored gelatin
Cranberry and/or Pomegranate juice

Mix the gelatin according to directions, using the juice for the cold liquid. Let set until syrupy. Then add at least 1 cup-2 cups of pomegranate seeds. Turn into a glass dish or mold. This looks very festive for Christmas, especially if in a clear dish or on a glass plate.

Cherry Salad

1 pkg. 3 oz. cherry gelatin
1 can of cherry pie filling

Mix the gelatin according to directions. Let set until syrupy, add the cherry pie filling. Chill until set and cover with sour cream (or try non fat Greek yogurt).

Red Jello Combinations

Use any kind of red jello (tropical, raspberry, cherry or strawberry), 1 and 3/4 c. water, add applesauce, and nuts to taste after jello initially chilled.

Another good combination is to use rhubarb, shredded apple and pineapple in red jello.

Lemon Jello

Use crushed pineapple, grated carrot, cabbage, and pimento.


I think the secret to jello is to experiment. These hints were written out very simply by Mom without exact measurements. So be creative, add as little or as much to the base of jello, and enjoy!

Lime Salads

Frosted Lime Walnut Salad

1 3 oz. lime gelatin
1 c. boiling water
1 can (1 lb. 4 oz) crushed pineapple
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
1/2 c. finely sliced celery
1 T. chopped pimento
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, cool until syrupy. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mold in 8 inch square pan.

Aunt Lucille's Jello Salad

1 3 oz. lime gelatin (no water)
1 small package of marshmallows
1 small can of crushed pineapple

Heat all ingredients in top of double boiler (or in microwave) until the marshmallows are melted. Let cool and then add:

1/2 c. walnuts
1 small carton (12 oz.) small curd cottage cheese
1 c. whipped cream or Cool Whip

Place 1 3 oz. package raspberry gelatin (made according to directions on box) in bottom of pan, refrigerate until set. Then add the lime mixture on top; chill until set.

61 Years & Counting

My Mom and Dad,
Bob and Verna,
Tried and true,
Two of a kind,
A perfected pair;
What can be said of a legacy so strong?

Mom, a courageous adapter
Bearing her children so late.
Always prim and proper,
With her hair neatly pinned up into place,
Wearing crisp dresses for daily domestic duties,
While sporting smooth nylons with thick heeled, cinnamon shoes.
Yet, breaking the mold at times,
When donning her daughter's pants and tee shirt
For her horseback riding debut,
Or when making her initial splash with stylish swimwear
Into a steamy jacuzzi at age sixty-five, no less.
Mom, never gave up,
Proven by hiking miles of mountainous terrain,
Tested by three distinct personalities
And committed to pray them completely through life,
Mom, the courageous adapter. . .

Dad, the consistent encourager
Skipping round the world with his four year old girl
Flying by his hand and heart,
Cheering at basement ball games to ringside seats in gyms.
He was one to enjoy all of God's creation,
From touching thick seedy licks of a cow
To scratching the ears of numerous dogs, too many to count.
Dissecting a flowery array while in marvel of His heavenly Maker's hand,
Echoing the encouraging call when storm clouds rolled,
"I believe it's breaking, boys!"
Daily reassurance given that
"Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world,"
"The joy of the Lord is your strength,"
Dad, the consistent encourager. . .

Yes, 61 years and counting
More years than many a life,
Mom and Dad
Most faithful prayer warriors
For their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Never too tired to bend before the Almighty
Just one more time on behalf of their loved one,
Yes, even for the wayward soul,
Always rejoicing as all of their descendants safely returned to the fold.

61 years and counting
A fulfillment of a promise long ago,
Thank you Lord, for Mom and Dad . . .

(Your daughter remembers the treasures you gave,
8/12/36-8/12/97)

Orange Salads

Orange Sherbet Salad

2 1 lb. cans of crushed pineapple
2 3 Oz. packages orange gelatin
1 pint of orange sherbet
1/2 cup of broken pecans

Drain pineapple saving the syrup, adding enough water to make 2 cups. Add the gelatin to the juice mixture, heating to nearly a boil, stirring well. Remove from heat and stir in sherbet until dissolved, then add pecans. Chill until set in 13x9 pan or a bit smaller. Serves 8-10.

Mandarin Orange Salad

2 3 Oz. packages of orange gelatin
1 6 Oz. can of frozen orange juice
1 11 Oz. can of mandarin oranges (drained)
1 9 Oz. can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Dissolve gelatin in 2 cups hot water (including juice from the mandarin oranges). Stir in frozen orange juice. Cool until syrupy, then add pineapple and oranges. Then pour into 13x9 pan or a bit smaller. Serves 8

Granny's Jello Salad for Turkey Dinner

1 3 oz package of orange gelatin
1 3 oz. package of lemon gelatin
1 9 Oz. can of crushed pineapple (drained)
1 can of white cherries (drained)
1 cup of red Tokay seeded grapes
1 cup of marshmallows
1/2 cup of chopped nuts

Dissolve gelatin according to package directions, substituting cherry and pineapple juices for the cold liquids to be added. Whip gelatin mixture, cool until syrupy, then fold in 1 small cool whip, along with pineapple, cherries, grapes, marshmallows, and nuts. Pour into mold or pan. Serves 8-10.

Aunt Lucille's Apricot Molded Salad

2 pkg. (3 oz.) orange gelatin
2 c. hot water

Mix and let thicken. Drain large can of apricots and 1 small can of crushed pineapple. Add apricots and pineapple to the gelatin solution when jelled.

1 3/4 c. fruit juice (from apricots and pineapple)
1 egg
3 T. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. butter (add after pudding mixture is cooked)

Bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly until thick. Cool and then add to gelatin mixture. Pour into mold. Chill until set to serve.

Salads

Mom loved to make salads, usually scrumptious jello salads. She often appealed to her friends for their recipes, especially if she found theirs extremely tasty. Over the years, she came up with some good ones we all enjoyed. One of her best was Broken Glass Salad, that she would make in a pan and then slice into individual squares; hence the look was that of broken glass. But the salad looks beautiful in a mold as well, and is very festive for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Broken Glass Salad

1 3 Oz. package raspberry gelatin
1 3 Oz. package lime gelatin
1 3 Oz. package cherry gelatin
3 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water

Dissolve each package of gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; add 1/2 cup cold water. Pour into 3 8 inch square pans; chill until firm.

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 3 Oz. package lemon gelatin
1 pint whipping cream (or 1 small Cool Whip)
1 cup marshmallows

Blend pineapple juice, water and sugar; bring to a boil. Add lemon gelatin and stir until dissolved. Chill until mixture is of consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in 1 1/2 cup of cream, which has been whipped until shiny. Cut pans of gelatin mixture into 1/2 inch cubes; fold into lemon gelatin mixture with marshmallows. Pour into large flat pan (or large mold); chill until firm. Cut in squares and frost with remaining whipped cream. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 12 servings

This is also good with substituting different flavors for the gelatin cubes, i.e. using orange and lime is especially colorful for a Thanksgiving salad

Vernabelle

The year has arrived to finally complete a dream I've had for my family. I grew up in a home where Mom made everything from scratch, things like sauces, gravy, salad dressing, mayonnaise, noodles, breads, and endless desserts. Rarely, did you ever find a box mix for cake or a frozen entree to heat up in the oven. Of course as kids, we always craved what you didn't have, we wanted those bags of Chips Ahoy! But not! Not really, because nothing tasted as good as Mom's Sunday dinners, Thanksgiving feasts, or holiday meals. I grew up from that determining to be the kind of Mom who would be remembered for homemade cooking too, even though modern times would have me give it up. So this is a blog for recipes from the best, from Vernabelle. These are her choice recipes to pass on to the next generations, with the encouragement to delight yourselves in the ministry of homemade food for your families . . .

After Mom had passed away, I told Dad of my plans to write a recipe book from Mom to pass on to each of our family members, and he was quite delighted. I asked him to write a preface for me and this is what he wrote:

"Cooking is both an art and a ministry to be cultivated through experiences whether good or bad. My young wife, Verna, was a 'city' girl learning so well from her mother who was an excellent cook.

Throughout the years, Verna, developed into a homespun, masterful, culinary artist without creating fancy dishes but with solid, basic, tasty food, pleasing to the palate for her husband and family.

One of my favorite dishes was tenderized round steak, mashed potatoes with gleaming golden brown gravy, and giant Lima beans, prepared carefully and lovingly. She would top this off with some unusual treats from some of the recipes found in this book.

May the readers be motivated to try them and determine to be the best cooks possible!"

Robert C. Strubhar, Verna's husband
(otherwise known as Daddio)