Just before this cold snap hit, we got all salady one night. Charlie said, “You know what I haven’t had for a long time? Do you remember salads made out of Jell-O with cottage cheese in them?” Well, EVERYBODY who lived in the American Midwest during the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s remembers Jell-O and cottage cheese salad. So he wanted some, so I made some.
Jell-O Salad
Yes, it was good. It always was. It’s good, no matter what you put in it. It’s just good, that’s all. This one was lemon Jell-O, mandarin oranges, large curd cottage cheese, a touch of mayonnaise, and pecans. Hit the spot. NOT VEGETARIAN, because: Jell-O. You can probably make it with fruit juice and agar powder, instead.
While I was on the kick, I made pea salad, another of Charlie’s favorites. Again, it’s pretty flexible.
Pea Salad
This one had a base of lettuce, then frozen peas, mushrooms, celery, hard-boiled eggs, and a topping of mayonnaise mixed with about four kinds of cheese. I put pepper on mine, after serving.
The thought of cold salad makes me shudder today, but that was then.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: What food was typical in your main character’s childhood? Did they love it or hate it? What do they think of it now?
MA
Jane
November 20, 2014 at 10:14amOK. So…I’m thinking Ambrosia Salad.
It has a base of Jell-O, with tine marshmallows (?), pecans, lots of ream Whip (Hate, just add whipped cream), pineapple bits (careful,; they can cause the Jelll-O not to set up), and, er…I’m not sure what all else, but it was usually densely creamy!
GOOD!
Marian Allen
November 20, 2014 at 10:28amYES! I think it had coconut in it, too. At our church pitch-ins, we always have a good variety of Jell-O salads. I think it’s, like, a Commandment or something. 🙂
Damyanti
November 19, 2014 at 8:21pmNever heard of a Jell-o salad!
I might try out the pea salad though– it’s perpetually warm weather in Singapore
Marian Allen
November 19, 2014 at 9:25pmThere are more kinds of Jell-O salad than you could shake a stick at. Mix fruit in, mix chopped veg in, mix whipped cream in, sprinkle the powder over fruit…. The American Midwest went CRAZY over Jell-O.
Christine Campbell
November 19, 2014 at 10:44amThese look lovely salads for the warmer weather, and I like your writing prompt.
I have been doing a series of blogposts on Food in Fiction, Marian, and am ready to do a round up post to finish it off. One of the things I was going to suggest was using foodie writing prompts in our own fiction, and I thought I’d like to point my readers to your blog, where you usually have just such a prompt. Is that okay with you? And please could you give me the proper link to do that. Thanks, Marian.
Christine
cicampbellblog.wordpress.com
Marian Allen
November 19, 2014 at 2:12pmI’ve been enjoying your Food in Fiction posts, Christine! My first thought was THREE MEN IN A BOAT, in which food plays a big part, all three young men having hearty appetites and thirsts. 🙂
The link to this salad post is http://marianallen.com/2014/11/night-of-the-salad-food/
The link to all my food posts is http://marianallen.com/category/food-2/
Thanks for visiting! 🙂