Nicknames

My mom used to make this salad in the winter and pull out a container when she wanted to serve something that reminded of Summer. My brother Craig made some this past December and shared it with Bill and I when we visited in February. It holds great in the freezer for several months.


Frozen Fruit Salad
1 15 ounce can crushed pinapple
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 envelope gelatin
1/4 cup water
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups whipping cream
1 15 ounce can fruit cocktail
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine pineapple, sugar and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Stir into the hot pineapple mixture. Then stir in the cream cheese. Allow to cool until slightly set. Whip cream to firm peaks. Fold cream, drained fruit cocktail, cheese and pecans into pineapple , cream cheese mixture. Spoon into molds and freeze 12 hours. Dip molds into warm water to loosen and remove salad. Slice to serve.

Hints: Reduce the sugar by 1/3 if desired. I like the old fashioned fruit cocktail because it reminds me of Mom's salad but using a different kind of canned fruit works very well, too. Just make sure it is diced up nicely, so that the frozen product turns out.

Nicknames. Some are well deserved and some are not. Some are meant to tease and some meant to flatter. This salad got a nickname that was a tease but also a bit accurate. My brother Craig started calling this salad "Crisco" salad and unfortunately it stuck. My Mom even started calling it that. So now the whole family asks for Crisco salad. Doesn't sound appetizing at all, does it? But it is yummy.