Strawberry Jello Salad

My mom makes this “salad” every year during the holidays. I have always liked it but somehow this salad became even more enticing the year my brother-in-law discovered it.

To understand this, you need to know a little about Mike (yes, I am married to a Mike and my brother-in-law is named Mike, so for the purpose of this blog, my brother-in-law will be nicknamed the “wax man.” Mike waxes his truck every week, sometimes twice a week. I think his truck was brand new in 1942 (slight exaggeration here) and it still looks brand new today!

Anyhoo, wax man is a VERY picky eater. Nothing on his plate can touch. He hates cheese and doesn’t usually care for anything mixed up, like a casserole. This list goes on and on but you get my point. When wax man first encountered this Jello salad, he was already convinced that he would not like it since things are “mixed up” in it (this is one of the reasons I like him to taste test my GF recipes…if wax man likes it, then it must be good! His son, my nephew Christian, is just like him. Refer to my post on Udi’s Lemon Streusel Muffins to see what I mean).

This just occurred to me: I send my GF creations for rigorous taste-testing (and complete honesty!) to Sam’s class (6 year olds), Luke’s class (2 year olds) and to my nephews Christian (6 3/4 year old) and Cole (2 years old)…

Then to my brother-in-law who is 41 years old. Interesting correlation! LOL! 😀

Anyway, back to the strawberry Jello salad: not wanting to hurt my mom’s feelings, wax man reluctantly gave it a try.

Fast forward 9 years later and the rest of us start campaigning in August to ensure a piece for ourselves! No kidding, as soon as the wax man walks into my mom’s house on Christmas, he grabs the Jello salad and carries it around with him. He even requests this salad in lieu of a cake on his birthday!

Strawberry Jello Salad

2 (3-0z.) pkgs. Strawberry Jello

1 cup Boiling Water

2 (10-oz.) pkgs. Frozen Strawberries (in syrup), thawed

1 (1 lb. 4-oz.) can Crushed Pineapple, drained

3 medium Bananas, mashed

1/2 cup Pecans, coarsely chopped

1 pint Sour Cream (or try vegan sour cream if you are dairy free)

• Combine Jello with boiling water in a large bowl, stirring until Jello is dissolved.

• Fold in strawberries (with syrup), drained pineapple, bananas and pecans.

• Turn half of the strawberry mixture into a 12 x 8 pan (I used a silicone Bundt pan). Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

• Spread top with sour cream and gently spoon on the rest of the strawberry jello mixture.

• Refrigerate until firm.

If you are not a fan of cranberry sauce, this would be a good alternative!