Saturday, April 7, 2012

Melmac and Jello...and so forth...


It's an Easter tradition at Willow Manor to make the green Jello salad my grandmother used to make in the 1950s. I'm not a Jello-maker, but I'm compelled to make this every year, in her honor.  Easter dinner is just not right without it.  It's basically shredded cabbage, carrots, and crushed pineapple in lime Jello.  She used to serve a dollop of Miracle Whip on top, which is a tad too retro for my taste.

I made it in the cool retro Melmac dish I found yesterday at G-Dub (my local Goodwill store) for 99 cents.  I love the yummy cream-of-wheat-ish pattern.

Melmac dates from the 50s and 60s, and is made from a resin called Melamine, sometimes referred to as Texasware. It's lightweight, colorful, and fun. There's a whole stack of it on my kitchen counter. I can't function without it.

The confetti-like patterns remind me of melted crayons, and my first box of 64, with the built-in sharpener on the back. I read recently that the scent of crayons is actually been proven to lower your blood pressure.  I randomly pop the lid of my big jar of crayons and inhale. I already knew it was good for me.

This little cup, a garage sale find, was my first piece.  I got it because it reminded me of Grandma's green Jello salad.










Hope you and yours enjoy the Easter weekend...

22 comments:

  1. I grew up on Miracle Whip "sandwiches". I just love the stuff! Go ahead, Tess, and live for the moment...put that dollop of Miracle whip on top. After all it's only once a year! And yes, we Texans are colorful and fun, but I take exception at the "lightweight" part!! :)

    Happy Easter!

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  2. Bologna still calls for fluffy white Wonder bread and Miracle Whip...it's been too long since I've had one!

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  3. Love this post! I think that salad is probably Danabug's worst nightmare, though: carrots and cabbage disguised as Jello, lol! I always enjoy your updates from G-Dub runs...and of course your Fridy Scioto pics over on FB. Happy Easter, my friend :-)

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  4. Hmmm...as a work of art it is interesting. It looks like goldfish swimming in a weedy pond.

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  5. Dr. L: Ha! Carrots and cabbage incognito! Impostors!

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  6. Memories. The grandmothers and the aunts had jello concoctions perfected for almost everything except the entre.

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  7. Happy Easter. Lime Jello and all.

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  8. That cup is spectacular. Did R Burnett Baker really say he had Miracle Whip sandwiches? Was his mother Swedish? My late mother-in-law who WAS Swedish couldn't have invented anything worse sounding (although she did try)!

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  9. We had a set of Melmac back in the 50s! I still remember setting our table with it. My 'go to' dish in honor of my mother is Strawberry Whipped Cream Jello Angelfood Cake! Yes, that's the name!

    Happy Easter to the residents of Willow Manor.

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  10. Happy Easter to you too, Willow!

    I understand the need to celebrate grandmothers. Mine used to keep a candy dish full of Reese's Pieces. When she died I asked for the dish. On holidays I fill it and wait for my kids to come in and exclaim "great grandmother's candy dish!" as they lift the lid and help themselves to a handful of candy.

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  11. We too make many particular dishes for special days in remembrance of those who have left us. Since my sister's recent passing, many more have been added to our repertoire for she was an extraordinary cook apart from being an extraordinary human being.

    I hope your tribe gathers around you for a wonderful Easter celebration!

    Hugs . . . Arija

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  12. Fantastic. The green jello salad we made was around Thanksgiving -- I did make it a year or so ago, and it's delicious with cucumber and marshmallows. I'm not kidding. :)

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  13. Elizabeth: cucumber and marshmallows?! Okay...I have to try it...

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  14. Interesting! My mom's family always makes some jello concoctions, but this is one I haven't seen..or tasted! Have a wonderful Easter!

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  15. Yes, that IS my worst nightmare! Blech! :)

    MY mom's lime jello salad has chopped apples, celery, pecans & cream cheese in it. Yum!

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  16. I used to LOVE jello salad when I was young. Now, not so much...Also, my absolute favorite sandwich as a kid was bologna, with miracle whip, and white bread. It was pure heaven if the bologna was fried first. Of course you had to put little slits in it, to keep it from changing shape. Not a single person in my adult family can stand miracle whip! What's wrong with these people!

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  17. Miracle Whip is an acquired taste...we can't help it...we were raised on it...

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  18. Melmac reminds me of camping. Ugh.

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  19. That salad is a new thought. Not a particularly happy one. But new.

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  20. Melmac (ours was pink) and green Jello (with carrots, pineapple, cottage cheese, and nuts) -- now those are things that bring back memories. Love that retro look on your cup!

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  21. I do hope your Easter weekend was wonderful Tess! You have sparked some memories with this post for sure! Love that green tea cup:)

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  22. My grandmother made a confetti-jello salad similar to this...I remember her saying it was "a soothing dish"

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)