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Jell-O

6/27/2020

18 Comments

 
Picture
If you’re worried and weary, as so many of us are these days, make a retro Jell-O salad.    
 
Those of us who are baby boomers know this jiggly dessert was once as American as mom, apple pie and baseball.  Plus,
it was easy to make; cost pennies, and came in dozens of bright Technicolor flavors.
 
Of course, life in the ‘50s and early ‘60s wasn’t exactly a picnic either.   
 
We didn’t have a pandemic, but we had the Korean War and the Cold War.  On its heels was Joe McCarthy’s nasty
anti-Communist crusade and the blacklisting in Hollywood that followed; dangerous backstreet abortions, and only
the most rudimentary help for those battling mental illness.  And, even though there wasn’t a name for it,
systemic racism permeated everything.   
 
None of these events affected us.    
 
We spent summer days riding bikes and playing tag and hide and seek and Cowboys and Indians.  The phrase “play date” didn’t exist; we only knew that we had to be home in time for dinner.  Inside, in our dens and living rooms and bedrooms, knees touched as we played with Barbies and plastic horses and jacks and coloring books.  Saturday mornings were for watching cartoons on TV.

Now because of COVID-19, most of us are, and should be, very cautious.

At this writing, the virus has claimed 125,033 American lives and 495,000 deaths worldwide.  Twenty-seven states are seeing an increase in new cases, with Texas, California and Arizona reporting new record numbers.  Just as troubling, a growing number of those thought to have recovered are left with permanent and serious organ damage.

As for the Hubster and me, we’re doing our best to do everything right—wearing masks and socially distancing; washing our hands often, and getting outdoors for Vitamin D.

Luckily, leaving the house wasn’t necessary to make a Creamy Lime Jell-O salad.  
 
I chose this recipe because it felt nostalgic, bringing me back to the simpler times from my childhood.    
 
The lime really screamed the color lime, and besides, there was cream cheese and mayonnaise in the mix.  Three cans of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup (and as I remembered, still not enough cherries) and chopped pecans topped off the ingredient list. 
 
After finding the recipe, I started to wonder if other boomers recalled the Jell-O concoctions they loved from the time they were small.  So, I posed that question to a closed Facebook group I’m in, one where many of the members are about
my age.
 
The first reply came in less than a minute.  Ultimately, more than 200 folks posted their gelatin memories, including orange with mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks; strawberry Jello-O with 7-Up, and plain black cherry.  Some still served the family recipe, often featuring Cool Whip and walnuts.     
 
The lime salad I had called for a mold, but I had given mine away.  That meant the end result didn’t look nearly so fancy as the pictures accompanying the recipe.  My take ended up in a rectangular Pyrex dish, but I’m sure it tasted just as good.  In fact, it was probably better because I added a cream cheese/whipped cream frosting on top, and then garnished that with lime green sugar sprinkles.
 
Just looking at this creation made me feel a little bit happier, and eating it made me feel good, too.  Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than therapy, which I can’t go to now anyway.
 
What Jell-O salad do you remember from your childhood?
 
P.S. Here’s the recipe I used.  For extra flair, mix four ounces of softened cream cheese; a pint of freshly whipped cream, and half a cup of powdered sugar together.  Then, spoon and smooth on top of the salad.
https://homemadehooplah.com/creamy-lime-jello-salad/   
  
18 Comments
Diane
6/27/2020 02:31:01 pm

Like you, I too got rid of my jello mold but a good substitute is a bundt cake pan, I just make sure to make enough to fill the pan. We use to make the jello with whipped cream mixed in. We had it either molded or in a graham cracker crust pie. I don't remember seeing cool whip in the 50s, maybe in the 60s but by then my mom quit making it. Thanks for the memory.

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Hilary
6/27/2020 04:34:46 pm

A bundt cake pan would actually work better. My old mold had little flower patterns and sometimes the jello would get caught up in the pattern. I like the idea of graham cracker crust jello pie, too -- that one will be next for me! :)

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Larry Grant
6/27/2020 02:49:06 pm

Brought back memories of my mom getting creative in parfait glasses with colorful jello layers. She would also simply make a bowl with canned fruit added. Canned pears was one of my favorites.

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Hilary
6/27/2020 04:35:14 pm

We need to get some parfait glasses now. xo

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Holly
6/27/2020 03:29:15 pm

My memories of jello are from being sick! My Mom made it when we had the mumps. We didn’t really have them as desserts, but, they are comfort food in my mind. Any comfort is much needed, these days!

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Hilary
6/27/2020 04:37:00 pm

When I was sick at home, our comfort food was a grilled cheese sandwich (which my mom called toasted grill cheese, a term popular in the Midwest where she was from) and chocolate milk. Even though I was sick back then, I still love to eat this as a comfort food meal. And yes, MUCH needed now, more than ever. : )

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leslie spoon
6/27/2020 05:15:01 pm

That brought back some good memories. thanks

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Hilary
6/27/2020 09:28:15 pm

There's always seemed to be some in our frig in a Pyrex dish. Very rarely was fruit added, though. : )

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Deb Harpster
6/27/2020 05:18:49 pm

i never liked jello but i loved how your blog post took me back to "those good ole days." isn't it wonderful how a word, a scent, an image can transport us to the land of memories? my mom used to open up a can of "mixed fruit cocktail" and put it in cherry jello. we always had a fresh salad with dinner but cveggies (like beans and corn...yuk!... were canned. it is no wonder that as soon as i had my own plot of land to grow a garden, i devoured rodale's bible of organic gardening and then planted e v e r t h i n g i could think of! of course! you also reminded me that "presentation" is more than just looking pretty! it is fun to put food together creatively and somehow, it ends up tasting better!
thanks for sharing, hrg! xo

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Hilary
6/27/2020 09:31:37 pm

We didn't do a lot of canned veggies -- mostly frozen, which I still like to make, especially in the winter months . As I've gotten older, we also don't eat as much. For instance, if I'm making a casserole that has veggies in it, I don't do extra veggies on the side and sometimes don't even have a green salad. BTW, I thought everyone liked Jell-O but it's amazing how many people don't!

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Marybeth Webster
6/27/2020 08:08:20 pm

It's a good mental health technique to count your blessings, especially when things are tough. I feel blessed that I don't have to eat jello any more! I never did like it. thanks for reminding me of something I didn't even know I wasn't missing!

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Hilary
6/27/2020 09:35:27 pm

Haha! I think that for some people who might not mind the taste of
Jell-O, it's the weird jiggly texture that turns some people off--it's also NOT vegetarian because it's animal gelatin, after all. I loathe bananas for a lot of reasons, but one reason is because of their mushy texture. No thank you! : )

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Tammy Dalcin
6/28/2020 08:28:44 am

My favorite memory of Jello is when my mother would serve it to us warm. I know this sounds odd, but my sister and i loved it this way. Usually mom would make it when we had a cold or flu, and it was the only thing that she could get down us because of lack of appetite. My favorite flavor was lemon lime or strawberry. There was something about it that just magically made me feel better. I don’t know if it was the flavors or just the love my mother put into those cups of warm jello. I don’t like jello at all In it’s firm form. The texture just doesn’t suit my pallet. I do remember as a child eating it at family reunions and i would swish it around in my mouth until it became liquid, because that texture was just yucky to me.
Those are my jello memories.

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Hilary
6/28/2020 10:32:34 am

This is the first time I've ever heard of eating Jell-O this way on purpose! But I can see how doing this would soothe one's throat and feel good. But now I want to know: did your mother get this idea from her mother or a friend, or did she happen to come on it herself, or was it an accident that ended up working? I do remember when my mom made Jell-O and I wanted some, I would taste it warm and be very anxious for it to set to I could finally eat some. :)

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Susan J.
6/30/2020 08:28:47 am

I always liked the red Jell-O best when I was a child - cherry, I believe. Our family liked it plain inside with Cool Whip atop, from a plain Pyrex casserole dish. I've seen plenty of those old vintage recipes, and some of them look more like punishment than dessert, LOL! My mom still has her old 1970s recipe-card box with a hundred or more full-color recipe cards in it. As a child, I was fascinated with them. Many were beautiful, but one horror was of "tomato aspic". WHO would want to eat tomato Jell-O??!!! ACCCK! It was one of the first pictures I put in one of my first FB albums. I still can't believe anyone would want to eat that, but apparently it's a "thing". Go figure! To each her/his own.

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Hilary
6/30/2020 09:41:45 am

We always ate our Jell-O plain and sweet, too, and in the Pyrex clear casserole dish Occasionally, but only if it was in the house, we'd have Redi-Whip to put on top Yes, the tomato aspic and other savory Jell-O recipes sound truly disgusting. I do know there was celery flavored Jell-O, which maybe made it slightly more appetizing because you didn't have the sweetest involved!

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Karen link
8/9/2020 03:09:21 pm

Great memory! Our favorite was strawberry Jell-O with sliced bananas. One day my mom put it in the freezer to speed up The setting process, and the very top got slushy. That way became our most requested!

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Hilary Grant
8/11/2020 11:07:35 pm

The strawberry flavor sounds great, but I loathe bananas. :) I like the idea of it being slushy on top, though.

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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