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Don't think that there are any good recipes using Jell-O out there? IMHO there are at least two...

BLUEBERRY SALAD

6 ounce package Blackberry Jello
2 cups Water, boiling
1 can Blueberries
1 large can crushed Pineapple
1 8 ounce package Cream cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Pecans, chopped

Add boiling water to Jello. Drain blueberries and pineapple. Save enough juice for 1 cup. Add juice to jello with fruit. Pour into a 2 quart flat dish and let congeal. Mix other ingredients and spread on top.

Cover, chill before serving.

Cranberry Sparkle

2 small packages Apricot Jello
1 can jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 small can Pineapple, crushed, drained reserve juice

Add enough water to the reserved juice to make 2 cups of liquid. Boil. Dissolve jello in this, do not add any more liquid. With mixer, mix in cranberry sauce. This will froth some...you want that. Stir in drained pineapple. Chill

Finding apricot Jell-O is almost like finding hen's teeth. You may have to substitute peach Jell-O.

There are plenty of great Jell-O salads in my family. Lots of cranberry ones for the holidays, some really good for entertaining as well as family meals.
We always made Jell-O eggs for Easter, even before Jell-O offered the molds. I used the plastic Easter eggs you fill with candy, drilled a filling hole in bottom and taped the seam shut, filled them with a small funnel and so on.

There are plenty of great gelatin salad recipes. My DM used to keep unflavored gelatin in the house. You can use your own juice to flavor your gelatin salad. You can still add fruit and the other ingredients that you normally use. You can also use the unflavored gelatin to make aspics. Cheaper and tastes much better than jell-o.

Sherry, why don't you buy unflavored gelatin and use apricot nectar if you can't find apricot jello.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: still tryin,

Cause I never thought about that! Thanks!!!

RE: Congealed salads...I don't like vegetables in Jell-O - as in carrots, etc. Well, let me change that. To date I have not tasted one that I like.

Here is one that can be used as a salad or desert.
Raspberry Salad

2 Pkgs. raspberry Jello
2 cups boiling water (to dissolve jello)
2 pkgs. frozen raspberries
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
Topping
16 large marshmallows
1 large carton sour cream
Combine dissolve Jell-O, raspberries, apple sauce, and lemon juice. Pokur into a 10" X 13" pan let set over night. Combine Marshmallows and sour cream let stand over night in refrig.
In the morning whip the marshmallow and sour cream mixture until smooth. put over the jello.

Still not convinced -- the very word 'congealed' turns me off. I grew up with all kinds of Jello salads and liked them then, but I'll pass now!

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
Don't think that there are any good recipes using Jell-O out there? IMHO there are at least two...

BLUEBERRY SALAD

6 ounce package Blackberry Jello
2 cups Water, boiling
1 can Blueberries
1 large can crushed Pineapple
1 8 ounce package Cream cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Pecans, chopped

Add boiling water to Jello. Drain blueberries and pineapple. Save enough juice for 1 cup. Add juice to jello with fruit. Pour into a 2 quart flat dish and let congeal. Mix other ingredients and spread on top.

Cover, chill before serving.

My recipe calls for blueberry pie filling and I as I mentioned in the other topic - I use blueberries from the freezer - a little water, sugar and cornstarch and cook till thicken - add the froze blueberries.

I also reserve the juice from the pineapple and substitue it forpart of the water. I use less liquid - mine is really dense.

Charming - I caught that in your post above. I bet the pie filling would make it better, but definitely as you do add the extra blueberries.

Yours would work great as a salad and I always serve it as a desert.

These all sound good but I never make this type of a dish because I don't know if you eat it along with a meal..or as a dessert.

It eaten with a meal could you give an example of foods you might serve it along side of?

I think these jello salads were popular in the 50s and 60s and at that time became part of holiday meals. So for most people, it isn't Thanksgiving or Christmas without _____________(fill in the blank).

Tastes change and what was once popular isn't necessarily so anymore -- I remember in the 70s when you couldn't have a ladies luncheon without having quiche and you hardly see it anymore!

I do think that because of the starchy nature of Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinners, that the sweet and cold (and often creamy) congealed salads are a good contrast.

Sometimes on Sundays we would have Sunshine salad -- orange jello, shredded carrots and pineapple and often for Easter Mom would make Perfection Salad (lemon jello, cabbage, carrots, green pepper) and when the "Watergate" salad became popular it seemed every time we had a family dinner that was on the table.

And if we have a potluck at church, there is often a nice selection of congealed salads. They are definitely potluck fare!

Everyone seems to have their favorite and the recipes posted sound good.

Martha

I don't like sweet with my meal. I definitely eat the congealed "salads" as desserts. I'm one of those "odd" people who does not eat cranberry sauce except for leftovers on my biscuit the next morning.

Good way to ruin a ham for me is to glaze it. I've had two DHs. Both asked for pineapple studded ham. Blech. They never got one from my oven.

I'm with you Sherry, don't like sweet meats! I can't imaginge eating sweet and sour anything Yuck. Guess I am slightly cracked. LOL Sue

Sweet and sour orders...I tell them to keep the sweet.

Back in 2000 when DD died, someone brought ham cooked with pineapple for the family. I tried it. Very little was eaten. When we were putting food into containers to refrigerate, share, freeze for later - none of us wanted the ham cooked with pineapple. Such a shame but since DM lived in the "country" (as we all do), the nocturnal wildlife got a treat.