Strawberry Jell-O

Jell-O seems to be a mid-western thing, as not many people out in California seem to like it. But since I'm a mid-westerner . . .  I like it. Eleaner Leuenhagen made this Jell-O for the rehersal dinner, when I married her son.

2 (3 oz) pkgs strawberry Jell-O
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 pint strawberries, halved
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve Jell-O and sugar in boiling water. Add cold water. Chill 2 1/2 cups of this until it is as thick as unbeaten egg whites.

Fold in strawberries. Pour into lightly oiled mold, or pour directly into an unoiled oblong glass baking dish. Chill until set, but not firm.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add reserved Jell-O and vanilla, beating until well blended. Gently spoon this over the chilled gelatin. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours.

Unmold (see instructions for unmolding a Jell-O salad in the misc. section), or slice into squares, if using the oblong pan (which is what I always do).

Red White and Blue Jell-O Mold

This is a show-stopper for a Fourth of July picnic. Make it the day before so it fully sets up. The recipe calls for using an oblong baking dish, but alternatively you can use a decorative Jell-O mold if you want to really show it off. Refer to the instructions in the misc. section of this book for unmolding gelatin, if you use a decorative mold.

BLUE LAYER:
2 sm pkgs blueberry, grape, or cherry Jell-O
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed, reserving 1/2 cup juice

WHITE LAYER:
2 sm pkgs lemon Jell-O
3 cups boiling water
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 pint sour cream

RED LAYER:
2 sm pkgs cherry Jell-O
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, do not drain

Blue Layer:
Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add 1/2 cup blueberry juice and blueberries. Pour into a 9x13" oblong glass baking dish. Chill until set. Meanwhile, prepare the next layer.

White Layer:
Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Beat cream cheese and sour cream together. Slowly add the Jell-O mixture, beating to keep it creamy. Carefully pour this over the first layer as instructed below*. Chill until set. Meanwhile, prepare the red layer.

Red Layer:
Dissolve Jell-O in water. Add pineapple and juice. Carefully pour this mixture over the second (white) layer when it has set, using the technique described below. Chill the entire Jell-O salad overnight, until firmly set.


*Hold a big spoon over the set Jell-O in the pan, and pour the Jell-O slowly into the spoon allowing it to spill gently over the previously set layer. This will keep this mixture from entering into the previous layer.

Broken Glass Jell-O

I think Jell-O is a Midwestern thing, so if you're from the Midwest you'll probably enjoy this.

4  small  boxes  (3 oz. each)  Jell-O, in different colors
1  (14 oz.)  can  sweetened condensed milk

2  envelopes  Knox unflavored gelatin

For each flavor, dissolve one box of Jell-O in one cup of boiling water. Pour each into a small pan and chill overnight. I had four of these containers of Jell-O.

After chilling the four flavors, cut them into small cubes. 
Carefully mix the cubes up in a 9 x 13 pan.

In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms, add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool completely. Pour cooled milk mixture over Jell-O. It does help to take the time to skim off any small bubbles that are created when you pour the condensed milk on the Jell-O pieces. Chill overnight.

Cut into blocks or shapes and serve.

Cranberry Raspberry Jell-O

1  (6 oz)  pkg  raspberry Jell-O
1  (20 oz)  can  crushed pineapple
1  (16 oz)  can jellied cranberry sauce
1  pkg  frozen raspberries
1  cup  chopped nuts
8  oz  cream cheese, softened
1  cup  sour cream

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to reserved juice to equal 3 cups. Bring to a boil. Add Jell-O and dissolve. Add frozen raspberries. Mash up the cranberry sauce and add to Jell-O mixture. Add pineapple and nuts.

When ready to serve, blend cream cheese and sour cream. Spread over top.

Dairy Berry Ribbon Salad

This is my all-time favorite Jell-O salad. Recipe came from The Wisconsin Dairy Board.


RED LAYER
1  pkg(3 oz)  red raspberry Jell-O
1  cup  boiling water
16  oz  frozen raspberries, partially thawed


WHITE LAYER*
1  pkg  (3 oz)  pineapple Jell-O 
1  cup  boiling water
3  oz  cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup  whipping cream, whipped


BLUE LAYER
1  pkg  (3 oz)  grape Jell-O 
1  cup  boiling water
1-1/2  cups  canned blueberries, drained
1/2  cup  reserved blueberry juice

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add partially frozen berries. Stir gently until berries thaw and separate. Pour into a mold or oblong Pyrex baking dish and chill until set, but not firm. (Will only take about 30 minutes.) Immediately begin the next layer.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Chill until partially set (to an egg white consistency). Blend cream cheese and whipped cream. Fold into gelatin. Spoon over red layer in mold. Chill until set, but not firm. Immediately begin the next layer.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add 1/2 cup blueberry juice and chill until partially set. Fold in blueberries. Spoon over white layer in the mold. Chill until firm, or overnight. Unmold and serve.

To unmold Jell-O, fill the kitchen sink with enough hot water to the depth of the mold. Just very, very briefly, lower the mold into the water, but do not let the water get into the Jell-O. The gelatin will melt very quickly, so you need to be brief with this. Turn mold over onto a serving plate. Or you can spray the mold with PAM cooking spray before filling. This method works well. 

*I like a thicker middle layer, so I double all the middle layer ingredients for a larger layered salad.

If you made this in a large oblong baking dish, it would probably fit in. But there is just something nice about a ring of Jell-O.  Fill the center with fresh raspberries after unmolding onto a plate.