Favourite Things Friday: Jell-O

What To Do When You Encounter Jell-O: The Official Report on Earth by High Commander Dick Solomon

1. Never let it see you're afraid. Jell-O loves this.
2. Smile. Say you are a friend, you come in peace.
3. Reason with it.
4. Offer it a gift.
5. Find out what it wants.
6. Let it see you have no weapons.
7. If it continues to jiggle menacingly, stab it to death with a kitchen knife and throw it in the sink.
–3rd Rock from the Sun

Did you know that Utah is the Jell-O eating capitol of the world? Seriously. We have the highest per capita consumption on the planet and in Utah alone we eat more green {Lime} Jell-O that the rest of North America combined. We make up the major part of what is considered the Jell-O Belt. In 2001, Utah officially designated Jell-O as the state snack food. When the bill was presented to the the joint session of the Utah legistlature, Bill Cosby, long-time Jell-O spokesman, appeared before the assembly and told them that he believes the reason people in Utah love Jell-O is that the snack is perfect for families — and the people of Utah are all about family. During the 2002 Winter Olymics {hosted here in Utah}, there was a set of trading pins featuring Jell-O in Blue Raspberry, Lime and Cherry.

Despite our love for all things Jell-O, Jell-O Shots are not super popular here . And you may have even heard some horrible rumors about Jell-O being served all kinds of weird and often disgusting ways. I've lived in Utah all my life and the weirdest thing I've ever seen with Jell-O was a layer of mayonnaise and shredded cheddar cheese on top { that isn't one of my favorites}. I asked my mom about it, particularly about putting meat in Jell-O {} and she said she vaguely remembered a Jell-O something her grandma used to fix with meat in it, but that recipe never got passed down. It was probably because nobody would eat it. And then there are the few odd flavors {which have thankfully been discontinued}, like Celery and Seasoned Tomato. But by and large, Jell-O remains in the dessert category although is not, strictly speaking, classified as a dessert here. I think we mostly consider it a sweet side-dish. And today I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite Jell-O recipes with you.

Grandma's Best Green Jell-O Salad
1 large package {6 oz.} lime Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1¾ cups cold water
½ pint whipping cream
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can {15 oz.} crushed pineapple
1 container {16 oz} cottage cheese

• In a large mixing bowl dissolve Jell-O into boiling water; stir in cold water and refrigerate until Jell-O just begins to set, about 1 hour.
• In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it is light and fluffy.
• Drain the pineapple and stir the whipped cream, pineapple and cottage cheese into the mixing bowl with the partially set Jell-O.
• Spread the Jell-O salad into a 9" x 13" dish and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 12

Orange Delight Jell-O
1 large package {6 oz.} orange Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 small can {6 oz.} frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cans {8 oz. each} mandarin oranges
1 can {15 oz.} pineapple tidbits
Juice from 1 can of the mandarin oranges, plus water to make 1 cup

• In a 9" x 9" glass dish, dissolve Jell-O into boiling water; add frozen orange juice concentrate and stir until melted.
• Drain the juice from one can of mandarin oranges into a measuring cup. Set the fruit aside. Add enough water to the juice in the measuring cup to make 1 cup; stir into the Jell-O mixture.
• Drain the second can of oranges and the pineapple tidbits, discarding the juice. Stir the drained fruit into the Jell-O.
• Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

Serves 8

Creamy Raspberry Lemon Jell-O
1 large package {4.6 oz} cook and serve lemon pudding mix, plus the ingredients to make the pudding
1 large package {6 oz.} raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 container {8 oz.} frozen whipped topping
1 cup raspberries

• Prepare the lemon pudding according to the package directions. Set aside.
• In a 9" x 9" baking dish, dissolve the raspberry Jell-O in the boiling water. Stir in the cold water.
• Add the prepared lemon pudding to the raspberry Jell-O, mixing well. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
• Cover with whipped topping and raspberries.

Serves 12

To finish up, here is a clip from the movie Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. My favorite part is the Jell-O Scrunchie.

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