Um, Jello Mold Salads? From grandmas recipe box..

[SunshineJ]

After my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago I ended up with the recipe collection. Now, I don't mind jello, and while I'm not a fan of jello with fruit in it, it's not something that totally disgusts me or anything. However, for your purusal and enjoyment, I present a few of the findings from her recipe box.
Spinach Cottage Cheese Salad Mold
1 pkg lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup chopped spinach
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp minced onion

Sea Tang Salad (does adding the word "salad" somehow make it taste better??)
family size box lime jello
hot water
salt (dash)
3 tbsp dark vinegar
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup pimento olives
2 cans tuna fish
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Crab Jello Salad Mold
lemon jello
hot water
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup miracle whip
4 diced hard cooked eggs
1 cup diced celery
1 can crabmeat

There were about 15-20 assorted jello mold recipes all total. Some of these may very well be quite good, but I'm afraid that's just not something I have the strength to try! (And I have no doubt my grandkids will post something similar about the recipes I serve on a regular basis as well!)

[Alyantavid]

Oh my. And I thought my grandma's orange jello with shredded carrots was bad!

[RunnerDuck]

Oh yes there are some really nasty jello recipes out there. "Tomato aspic" used to be a very elegant thing to take to a pot luck. Blech. I once had a Polish cook book with a layered jello salad - I think it was called fish in aspic - there were fish, hard boiled eggs, I forget what else - layered in clear jello.

EWWWWWWWWWWWW.

[BAU3]

:

Thats the first laugh I've had all day.

I think I'll make one of those the next time someone asks me to "bring a salad" to a function. That would be so fun to watch.....

[Chinese Pistache]

Love it! I'm reminded of these (also good for a laugh).

[Alyantavid]

"Tomato aspic" used to be a very elegant thing to take to a pot luck. Blech.

Oh I'd forgotten about that stuff.

[BAU3]

Fluffy Mackrel Pudding. Mmmmmmmmm

[Chinese Pistache]

Once upon a time the world was young and the words "mackerel" and "pudding" existed far, far away from one another.

One day, that all changed. And then, whoever was responsible somehow thought the word fluffy would help.

Oh, and eggs, too.

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by Alyantavid

Oh my. And I thought my grandma's orange jello with shredded carrots was bad!

Yeah, I totally never got the whole connection of if the food color matches the jello color then it must be good! (Carrots for orange, celery or grapes for lime, etc.) DH's stepdad absolutely LOVES all the jello mold stuff, so I've kept them all aside for when his mom visits this weekend. I'm sure she'll just *love* me for this one!

[Astrogirl]

:

I have my grandmas recipe books too. They kill me, I need to scan some in and post them.

Have you ever seen the book (or blog), The Gallery of Regrettable Foods? James Lileks goes through old recipe books and makes hilarious commentaries about what he finds. I have the book and laugh my self silly but I also have this deeper desire to try some of these old recipes just to see what the appeal is.

http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I used to live somewhere, where people would bring "pretzel salad" to things, its crushed up prezels, jello, and cool whip! I think the word "salad" is being improperly used if you ask me!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by RunnerDuck

Oh yes there are some really nasty jello recipes out there. "Tomato aspic" used to be a very elegant thing to take to a pot luck. Blech. I once had a Polish cook book with a layered jello salad - I think it was called fish in aspic - there were fish, hard boiled eggs, I forget what else - layered in clear jello.

EWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Can I just point out that making gelatin sweet is a relatively new thing. Traditionally gelatin was only available by boiling meat products like pigs feet. You boil that down, then shred the meat, stir it back in with carrots and onions and you have a really healthy dish, and you're not wasting food.

It's only our culture of everything must contain sugar and artificial colorings that finds that so gross.

Originally Posted by tbone_kneegrabber

I used to live somewhere, where people would bring "pretzel salad" to things, its crushed up prezels, jello, and cool whip! I think the word "salad" is being improperly used if you ask me!

We were raised on this, and actually I still like it... you turn the pretzels into a crust just like a graham cracker crust, the next layer for us was whipped cream cheese, and topped with strawberry jello with strawberries in it. More of a pie than a salad, yes - but how is that any more weird than a no-bake strawberry cheesecake?

[Beauchamp]

I have my mom's old Tupperware jello mold in the back of my cabinet. Somehow that didn't make it out during my declutter phase! I keep thinking maybe one day I will make a jello ring...

The name "Sea Tang Salad" totally cracks me up. I expected the recipe to call for orange Tang powder, but it turns out the *actual* ingredients gross me out even more!

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Can I just point out that making gelatin sweet is a relatively new thing. Traditionally gelatin was only available by boiling meat products like pigs feet. You boil that down, then shred the meat, stir it back in with carrots and onions and you have a really healthy dish, and you're not wasting food.

It's only our culture of everything must contain sugar and artificial colorings that finds that so gross.

No, I think for me at least if it called for unflavored gelatin it may be a little less "gross" in my mind, but all of these specifically call for a sweetened, fruit-like flavored gelatin to mix in. In my mind there are just some things a sweetened sugary gel flavored mix like lemon just should not be mixed with! LOL!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

No, I think for me at least if it called for unflavored gelatin it may be a little less "gross" in my mind, but all of these specifically call for a sweetened, fruit-like flavored gelatin to mix in. In my mind there are just some things a sweetened sugary gel flavored mix like lemon just should not be mixed with! LOL!

No, I totally agree with you that the recipes you posted sound vile. I was specifically addressing the people who were so grossed out by tomato aspic and meat based gelatins - which are the distant ancestors of today's Jello brand gelatin, and still eaten all over the world.

[RunnerDuck]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Can I just point out that making gelatin sweet is a relatively new thing. Traditionally gelatin was only available by boiling meat products like pigs feet. You boil that down, then shred the meat, stir it back in with carrots and onions and you have a really healthy dish, and you're not wasting food.

It's only our culture of everything must contain sugar and artificial colorings that finds that so gross.



We were raised on this, and actually I still like it... you turn the pretzels into a crust just like a graham cracker crust, the next layer for us was whipped cream cheese, and topped with strawberry jello with strawberries in it. More of a pie than a salad, yes - but how is that any more weird than a no-bake strawberry cheesecake?

You can point it out, but I still think fish in jello is gross.

But I may have to back peddle and say you know I might actually like tomato aspic. I have never actually had it but I love tomato juice and v-8. But it still cracks me up to think of a jiggly tomato salad being such an elegant contribution to a pot luck...

Don't know why. Just does.

But fish. No. No.

We're having strawberry pretzel salad tomorrow.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by cristeen

We were raised on this, and actually I still like it... you turn the pretzels into a crust just like a graham cracker crust, the next layer for us was whipped cream cheese, and topped with strawberry jello with strawberries in it. More of a pie than a salad, yes - but how is that any more weird than a no-bake strawberry cheesecake?

Wouldn't you think it was weird to call no-bake strawberry cheesecake a "salad"?

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Wouldn't you think it was weird to call no-bake strawberry cheesecake a "salad"?

That pretzel strawberry dish is considered a dessert, not a salad. At least around here.

I still can't stand it - I hate jello in all forms.

[NiteNicole]

We were raised on this, and actually I still like it... you turn the pretzels into a crust just like a graham cracker crust, the next layer for us was whipped cream cheese, and topped with strawberry jello with strawberries in it. More of a pie than a salad, yes - but how is that any more weird than a no-bake strawberry cheesecake?

I secretly love that stuff. Sweet + salty + cream cheese = mmm mmm good. Anytime we go to a family get together, I am totally hoping that someone will have a retro moment and whip up some strawberry pretzel jello thingy. It IS considered a dessert, but around here it's called "That strawberry jello pretzel stuff your Aunt Deb makes." And by "around here" I mean in my family. Although I haven't actually had to face it since accidentally finding out what gelatin actually IS, so I may never work up the nerve to eat it again. I really really wish I'd just never read that.

Now my own grandmother and great grandmother were big fans of the other jello salads and moulds but only the sweet ones. Thank goodness. But now that I think about it, my mom does a weird orange shrimpy creamcheesey thing that heavily relies on gelatin and a mould shaped like a lobster (why lobster? I do not know, it's clearly only got shrimp in it) and has a big hit on the party circuit since the 70s.

[RunnerDuck]

Originally Posted by mistymama

That pretzel strawberry dish is considered a dessert, not a salad. At least around here.

I still can't stand it - I hate jello in all forms.

It IS a dessert... but it's called strawberry pretzel salad. Although I have also heard it called "pretzel jello."

Calling a no-bake cheesecake a salad WOULD be odd.