July 25, 2012

Real Men Eat Jello

I must confess... I almost cannot get these words out....they come slowly and heavy-hearted from my mouth and hearing this with my own ears makes me feel.........well.......that I have failed as a Southern homemaker and devoted mother. From Darling, all the way down to our youngest, Rob, none of them will eat, or even taste, a jello salad! Yes, I know.....but it's true! Sigh.................

How did this happen? My mother-in-law, Miss Barbara Rose, made a traditional holiday salad, which she served at Thanksgiving and Christmas, without fail. I have the recipe, which I shall share during the upcoming holidays.


Miss Barbara Rose

 It was one of her signature dishes that I looked forward to and always thought it was one of the best tasting recipes she ever made. Lo and behold, when we had a house-full of children and grandchildren last weekend, they all began talking about that very salad and how much they "disliked" it! WHAT? That's almost sacrilegious to me....they are southern boys and you simply cannot be raised in the south and dislike a congealed jello salad. You will find some form of these recipes at every funeral, cotillion, church social or dinner table from Mississippi to Tennessee.

Well, all is not lost. The Divine Miss M and I will carry on the tradition and keep making and serving these cool delights, not only at the holiday meal, but all four seasons. This strawberry salad is simply divine and comes from Miss Margaret who was a dear friend of Mothers. Miss Margaret lived in Columbus, Mississippi and lived to be 92 years old. This salad can be served for a salad or dessert and it's like tasting a fresh, cool strawberry in every bite! Ya'll enjoy and remember, there's always room for jello!


STRAWBERRY SALAD
2 3-ounce packages of strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water
2 packages of frozen strawberries, thawed
1 20- ounce can of crushed pineapple, do no drain
3 mashed bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups sour cream

Combine jello and water and stir until dissolved. Add the strawberries, pineapple, bananas and pecans. Pour half of the mixture into a 9 " x 9" dish and chill until firm. Spread the sour cream over the firm mixture. Pour the remaining jello mixture over the congealed salad. Refrigerate at least four hours. Estelle's served this jello delight with a touch of whipped cream! Heaven.....I'm in heaven.......

1 comment:

  1. It's our job to share the past, the dishes of our Mothers and Grandmothers and dear Aunts! Personal preference and the men are "forgiven" for their lack of good taste! Love this recipe, so good with any meal!

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