RECIPES AT THE TOP! CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM!
Pink Stuff a/k/a
Strawberry Jello/Cottage Cheese Salad
www.AtHomeMyWay.blogspot.com
- 1 small box strawberry jello (3 oz) (any flavor will work - and I even used generic instead of Jello brand)
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 1 cup crushed pineapple (I used half can) (undrained)
- 1 cup evaporated milk (comes in a can)
- 2 cups cottage cheese (undrained)
Instructions:
Dissolve jello mix and boiling water. Stir well. Then add crushed pineapple (undrained), stir. Add the evaporated milk and stir, and then the cottage cheese, stir. Pour into a serving dish if desired and the refrigerate overnight.
Growing up in Florida was HOT! It is a no brainer that instead of baked goods, my mom found ways for us to have desserts that were on the cool side. She often had jello in the fridge for us. Sometimes it was just jello mixed with canned fruit or banana slices, but other times it was Pink Stuff, which I adore to this day!
My mom relays a story that she worked at a restaurant there in Florida when she was first married to my dad. I think it was called Trade Winds and it was one of those southern, buffet restaurants with bell boys and waiters, where you added each item to your tray in separately little dishes. She tells me that they made up many different flavors, colors and textures of jello salads and that the fancy ladies that came into the restaurant really enjoyed them. My mom had grown up in a pretty frugal household so lots of choices was not something she was used to. She says she was almost mesmerized by the array of colorful and beautiful desserts that she first encountered working at Trade Winds.
Fast forward from 1960 to 2018 when this past week my mother-in-law had knee replacement surgery. In the fog of pain meds and the pain itself, she hasn't had much of an appetite, but still needed to eat, especially so that the pain meds didn't make things more miserable for her tummy.
I decided to make my sweet mother-in-law a little selection of light, snacky type foods in the hopes that something might taste good. I made:
Growing up in Florida was HOT! It is a no brainer that instead of baked goods, my mom found ways for us to have desserts that were on the cool side. She often had jello in the fridge for us. Sometimes it was just jello mixed with canned fruit or banana slices, but other times it was Pink Stuff, which I adore to this day!
My mom relays a story that she worked at a restaurant there in Florida when she was first married to my dad. I think it was called Trade Winds and it was one of those southern, buffet restaurants with bell boys and waiters, where you added each item to your tray in separately little dishes. She tells me that they made up many different flavors, colors and textures of jello salads and that the fancy ladies that came into the restaurant really enjoyed them. My mom had grown up in a pretty frugal household so lots of choices was not something she was used to. She says she was almost mesmerized by the array of colorful and beautiful desserts that she first encountered working at Trade Winds.
Fast forward from 1960 to 2018 when this past week my mother-in-law had knee replacement surgery. In the fog of pain meds and the pain itself, she hasn't had much of an appetite, but still needed to eat, especially so that the pain meds didn't make things more miserable for her tummy.
I decided to make my sweet mother-in-law a little selection of light, snacky type foods in the hopes that something might taste good. I made:
- Homemade Ham Salad using bologna instead of ham, which is another family favorite. Here's how I do it using leftover ham. The only change this week was that I used bologna.
- Becca's Ranch Dip - recipe coming soon! This dip is one of my mother-in-law's favorites which is why I sent it. I took a box of Wheat Thins to go with it.
- Pink Stuff - My thought was that it was cool, refreshing, light, and still had cottage cheese and fruit which might offer a little nutrition, and protein.
The Pink Stuff was easy to make and I had forgotten about it until a friend at work suggested a jello salad for my mother-in-law. It was so easy to stir together that I even found another box of jello in my pantry and made me some. Its not overly sweet, but I love it! I had to call my mom and tell her I was making it, and of course that led to the retelling of some Trade Winds stories. Oh how food can take ya back! And one taste took me back to the many times my mom had made it for me! š
After a long winter of heavy and hearty comfort foods, this little selection of salads and the dip really sounded good to me. I hope you'll give one of these recipes a try.
Enjoy!
P.S. I shared this recipe this week at Sweet Little Bluebird - Weekend Potlock. Click this link to find it and other FANTASTIC recipes!
P.S. I shared this recipe this week at Sweet Little Bluebird - Weekend Potlock. Click this link to find it and other FANTASTIC recipes!
Gina
Yum, I will be trying some of these recipes! Makes me hungry:) Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteLovely blog. Thanks for sharing with us.This is so useful.
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