Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Folks,

Lindsay found this collection of horrifying Jello molds for her blog: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/39-thing ... -clear-jel

Mind you, some of those are stolen from Lileks.com. And others I'm not sure I agree with; if you accept that Jello is edible at all (I don't), then what's wrong with putting gooseberries in it? And the "seascape" is actually fairly charming.

On the other hand ... a teddy bear?

So, what's the most bizarre thing encased in Jello you've actually eaten or made? Survey above.

Coming from an upper-Midwest Lutheran home, I have a fondness for Jello salad. At my grandfather's funeral in 2006, I counted no fewer than 14 distinct types of Jello salad made by the church ladies. (It's also an indication of how well-respected my grandfather was. Some funerals have only 3 or 4.)

The most common variations are fruit, Cool-Whip (have to draw the line there), cottage cheese, and pretzels (usually not all in the same salad but it's possible).

The version I like is one my mom called Refrigerator Jello (like there's an Oven Jello?). It's orange Jello, with whipped cream (the real stuff) beaten in once it's cool but before it sets, poured on a base of graham cracker crumbs with mandarin orange segments arranged on top. Banana slices between graham cracker base and Jello are optional.

I think the cottage cheese in lime jello was the weirdest. The texture is just awful, ditto the color and flavor.

We celebrate Thanksgiving here in Switzerland every year and I made a jell-o mold once after a friend who lived in the States for a couple years went on and on about this bizarre jelly thing, served as a salad with a couple lettuce leaves under it and do people really do this and how is this not dessert. I thought it would be funny and it was. It was also thrown away practically untouched. I do have fond memories of ambrosia though. I can't remember the last time I've eaten it though. Maybe this Thanksgiving. Anyone have a less pedestrian version?

Mary

Growing up my grandmother would make what we affectionately called "green stuff" for Thansgiving, Christmas, etc. it was basically a lime jello mold with pineapple and cream cheese. We loved it. About ten years ago I made it for Thanksgiving myself. Andy looked at me like I had lost my mind. Haven't made it since, but may again some day.

Amy

We have a Jello salad every Thanksgiving that everybody loves. Blueberry. My SIL introduced it to us. Only have it at Thanksgiving and it completely disappears every time.
fitzie

My aunt made the same "green stuff" Amy mentioned, but with chopped walnuts. We all loved it too. Then I moved to Salt Lake, where Jello was the state food....every restaurant and banquet meal had Jello in some form or fashion (supposedly highest consumption per capita of Jello is in Utah).....consequently, I cannot even look at Jello commercials without getting ill.

Best thing to do with jello....http://www.grouprecipes.com/39209/orang ... shots.html

I had a jello salad about 40 years ago....it was a multilayered one with fresh blueberries and I remember it being delicious. My mom was not a jello person so I never was served one at home.

I'd totally eat about half those salads. More, if I'd had thirds on the mojito one. Also isn't jellied tongue pretty much always going to be in aspic? Isn't that basically what jellied tongue is? I think the compiler of the list is just weirded out by anything in Jell-o. CC had a recipe for nectarines in gelled blush wine that was really good, but I suspect that would have made the list too if whoever made the list had seen it.

I have made meat jello in the past but it was a long time ago and I don't remember exactly what it was. I am not at all fond of jello from a box.
My SIL makes a holiday fruit jello that has little nut covered cream cheese balls in it. She gets mad when I call it Mothball Salad, but I thought it was tasty.

I found the picture of the corned beef and cabbage jello to be the most revolting. I would probably try about half of those salads. All of the ones with eggs were too gross for me.

Gee Willikers! I am leaning to smoke hocks and trotters just so I can do an old fashioned terrine. Well, and maybe some red beans and rice, Louisiana style. I should start looking a mold in the shape of a pig's foot. Number 5 looked utterly edible. The others were quite charming. Maybe I'm having a back-in-time experience, revisiting the '50s when these were all the rage.