Jello Salad

It's ubiquitous at every family holiday, at least in my family. Not part of the meal, per se, but also not a dessert, and definitely not a real "salad," Jello salad exists in a separate culinary realm. It's the tiny throw-pillow on a bed covered with shams. It's the baby's breath in a bouquet of roses, the gloss applied on top of lipstick. While not strictly necessary, and perhaps not missed when it's gone, Jello salad is comforting, sweet and oh-so American.

You start with Jello mix in your favorite flavor—strawberry, cherry, lime, orange or raspberry. You can't really screw it up, so choose whatever you like. Popular additions to the Jello base include fruit (mandarin oranges are often de rigueur), nuts and marshmallows.

According to the JELL-O Web site (that's just plain Jello to you and me) congealed salads became popular as early as the 1930s, but today they remind me of post-World War Two housewives and the days when vacuum cleaners were a novelty. No longer cool, Jello has become kitsch.

But it's not Christmas without cherry salad! It's not Easter without orange salad with chopped walnuts, marshmallows, grapes and mandarin oranges from a can. And how could we celebrate July 4th without strawberry delight, a strawberry Jello and cream cheese concoction poured over sponge cake and chilled? No matter that I'm too full anyway and pie is waiting. The taste instantly reminds me that though most days are just ordinary, today is a holiday.

My Favorite Jello Salad Recipe:

1 package cherry JELL-O
I can cherry pie filling

Make JELL-O and pour into a glass dish. Pour in pie filling and spread around. Chill.