Christmas Jello Recipe (Holiday Salad):

This is my mother's favorite Christmas Jello recipe. She makes it every year. I'm not sure where she got it from (probably over 40 years ago), but it's delicious and makes a LOT.


INGREDIENTS:

BOTTOM LAYER


• 8 oz lime Jello (box mix)
  
• 8 oz can crushed, drained pineapple (reserve liquid—pineapple should almost be dry)
  

MIDDLE LAYER


• 8 oz cream cheese
  
• 1 package prepared Dream Whip (box mix of whipped cream--makes 2 cups per package, so can use Cool Whip instead, for example)
  
• 3 Tbsp pineapple juice (this is where the pineapple juice from the previous layer comes in)
  
• 1 1/2 package Knox Gelatin
  
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
  
• 2 Tbsp hot water (optional...can use the 3 Tbsp pineapple juice and warm it up, instead)
  

TOP LAYER


• 8 oz cherry Jello (box mix)
  
• 1/2 package Knox Gelatin

~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE: You'll need either a huge baking dish, like 3 quarts or bigger (9.5 X 13.5 X 3 inches rectangular) or divide into more than one container to set. The 3-quart dish will fill to the very top. You'll also need refrigerator space to store the container. Trust me...it's worth it.

If you want to use a fancy mold, you'll need to have space for the part that doesn't fit inside. But when unmolded, it's pretty--red, white and green, with the green on the top with bits of pineapple inside.

~~~~~~~~~~


DIRECTIONS:

BOTTOM LAYER:
• Dissolve lime Jello in 2 cups of hot water in BIG baking dish. Add crushed drained pineapple and 1 cup cold water. Stir. SET.
  
  

MIDDLE LAYER:
• Dissolve 1 1/2 packages of Knox Gelatin in 2 Tbsp. hot water (my mom uses the pineapple juice instead of the water here, which also works when heated).
  
  
• Mix cream cheese, sugar and heated pineapple juice (about 3 Tbsp) in bowl. Add dissolved Knox Gelatin and Dream Whip to the mixture. Spoon and level on top of the green Jell-o in the dish. SET.
  
  

TOP LAYER:
• Dissolve cherry Jell-o in 2 cups of hot water. Add 1/2 package Knox Gelatin and dissolve. Add 1 1/2 cups cold water and let almost set (still liquid, but cool, otherwise, the white will dissolve into the red). Pour over white layer SLOWLY (or the white will flake off into the red), and not directly (pour onto a spoon over the white mixture), covering the entire top with the cherry Jello. SET.
  

Serve cold as either a side 'salad' or dessert...or a midnight snack (my favorite). This is also good with different flavors of Jello.