I suppose that’s partly true, especially if you’re a kid. My reality is closer to “if you had (fill in the blank) all the time, you’d never fit into a swimsuit again.” Even so, I believe the holidays are a good time to enjoy the comfort foods and heirloom recipes that we grew up with. Therefore, I think I’ll go with another of my dad’s sayings, “anything in moderation.”
Ambrosia, also known as Twenty-four Hour Salad, Overnight Salad, or “that salad with the little marshmallows” has been a tradition in my husband’s family for four generations. The last couple of years, my daughter has taken on the task. It’s always a challenge to make the overnight-salad as good as Grandma made. It’s one of the few recipes that I recommend following to the letter. It can be quite time consuming, but it’s worth it, the results are just not the same if you cheat.
Great-Grandma swore that you had to use full size marshmallows, and cut them into quarters with kitchen shears. According to her, they could soak up the dressing better than miniatures. To this day, I haven’t dared make it any other way. I did have a friend once, though, whose mother made this with colored minis, and I really could not taste the difference.
Another family favorite is Cranberry-Orange Ring. Fast, simple and cheap, it’s at the other end of the holiday fruit-salad spectrum. It has just entered its second generation as Thanksgiving tradition. When it’s made with raspberry jell-o, it’s very kid-friendly. I personally prefer a cranberry flavored jell-o, for less sweetness when serving mainly adults.
Ambrosia
2 cups Royal Ann cherries, halved
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 cups mandarin oranges
2 cups quartered marshmallows, not miniatures
1 egg
1 ½ tbsp. sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup orange juice
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Combine well-drained fruit and marshmallows. Beat egg until lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Mix well.
Cook in double boiler until smooth and thick, stirring constantly.
Cool completely. Stir in whipped cream. Pour over fruit and fold in. Chill 24 hours before serving. Do not freeze.
Cranberry-Orange Ring
1 - 6oz. box red jell-o, raspberry, cran-raspberry, or cranberry
2 cans whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained well¼ tsp. each, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
Dissolve jell-o in hot water, per box directions. Add spices. Stir in cranberry sauce in place of cold water. Chill for and hour until partially set. Gently fold in mandarin oranges, and pour into 6-cup mold. Allow to set at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
To make un-molding easier, dip mold to the rim in very hot tap water for 10 seconds. Immediately flip onto serving plate and re-refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ambrosia
2 cups Royal Ann cherries, halved
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 cups mandarin oranges
2 cups quartered marshmallows, not miniatures
1 egg
1 ½ tbsp. sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup orange juice
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Combine well-drained fruit and marshmallows. Beat egg until lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Mix well.
Cook in double boiler until smooth and thick, stirring constantly.
Cool completely. Stir in whipped cream. Pour over fruit and fold in. Chill 24 hours before serving. Do not freeze.
Cranberry-Orange Ring
1 - 6oz. box red jell-o, raspberry, cran-raspberry, or cranberry
2 cans whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained well¼ tsp. each, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
Dissolve jell-o in hot water, per box directions. Add spices. Stir in cranberry sauce in place of cold water. Chill for and hour until partially set. Gently fold in mandarin oranges, and pour into 6-cup mold. Allow to set at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
To make un-molding easier, dip mold to the rim in very hot tap water for 10 seconds. Immediately flip onto serving plate and re-refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish with whipped cream just before serving, if desired.
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