Well my word. I had no idea the words “congealed salad” would cause such confusion.
Or, you know, the word “squash.”
So for the record, you use YELLOW SQUASH (some people call it “summer squash”) to make the Squash Supreme.
And a congealed salad is what some of you are calling “Jello salad.” This just happens to be one instance where Southerners are not brand-specific, which is odd now that I think about it because we are, after all, the people who refer to every single kind of carbonated beverage as “a Coke.”
Anyway, as penance for all the congealed salad confusion, I will now share with you my very favorite congealed salad recipe. I love it because if I’m going to eat some kind of sweet salad with my meal, it might as well do double-duty as dessert. And this recipe does just that.
Cranberry Orange Dream
Top Layer:
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 package (8 serving size) raspberry Jello
1 package (8 serving size) cranberry Jello
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 15 oz. can Dole mandarin oranges, drained
Middle Layer:
1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 8 oz. tub thawed Cool Whip
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick melted butter
Stir boiling water into Jello mix in a large bowl until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce until melted. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate about 1 1/4 hours or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Gently stir in mandarin oranges.
While Jello is setting, stir together all crust ingredients and press firmly onto the bottom of a 13×9 inch dish. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
Then, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth (I use a mixer for this). Gently stir in Cool Whip.
Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust. Pour Jello mixture over cream cheese layer after you’ve added the oranges – before it’s fully set.
Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Garnish with additional whipped topping, if desired. Chopped pecans are great in the Jello mixture, too.
I do hope that’s helpful.
And, as always, it is my pleasure to serve the internet, one clogged artery (and / or sugar coma) at a time.
Thank you and have a lovely evening.
Ah, yet another receipt! Good for us!
And shouldn’t that be CONGEALED arteries? :0)
hey, sugar-free koolaid, lite cool whip, light cream cheese & we’ve got a decent diet dessert!
Coming from East Texas I totally understand. Everything “congealed” is Jell-O, and all carbonated drinks are “coke”. LOL… :-)
Have you ever had the “Cottage Cheese Salad” made with Jell-O. It’s AWESOME! :-)
Thanks for the recipes, and the coke comment. I grew up in Georgia, and worked in a movie theater in high school. I can’t count the number of times a customer would come up and order something like this: “four Cokes: one orange, one Sprite, a diet and a Mr Pibb”. :)
I’m coming out of Lurkland to say I LOVE your blog and I am hooked!
Thanks for clearing that up cuz I thought it meant salad gone bad. You know, like salad dressing left out way too long. I was seeing stomach pumping in your future. But I am from the Midwest, what do I know? We drink POP.
I can’t believe I’m going to admit this but when I read “congealed salad” I wondered if it was possible that you made a leaf lettuce salad with bacon grease as the dressing (thats a southern thing right? My mom used to do that) and then let the grease harden or congeal. LOL! Man, I’m dumb.
Now that I laughed so hard at Janelle’s comment that I had to wipe the monitor off! Mama- you just made congealed salad sound wonderful! I would be willing to make AND eat that! Thanks for the clarification!
And, we drink pop. Confused the living daylights out of those poor souls in Chicago. My brother-in-law nailed me in the side and told me that they drink soda. Who knew?
Thanks for bringing the northerners up to speed. Now, if you could get a recipe for the Cottage Cheese Salad . . . :)
That is one of my FAVORITE congealed salads ever!!!
I’m about 4 months pregnant and I crave fruity stuff all the time, so I’ll definitely have to make this soon!
Okay, I must be a “Southerner” by blood because I remember my Grandma using these exact words you’re using and I knew what you meant! She was originally from Missouri . . .is this Southern?! I just know she was the best cook in the whole world and shared what she knew with me. For that I’m eternally thankful – even if I do look like I eat all that good Southern cooking. Glad you had a good day!!
Hi BooMama. I never knew I was a Yankee until I met my husband who is from Western North Carolina. I grew up in Virginia and always considered myself to be from the South. I went to college in Illinois and all those yankees thought I was really southern…go figure! My lovely mother-in-law lives with us. Now there is a southern lady. She calls jello a congealed salad and also mashed potatoes are creamed potatoes. One night, I asked what the difference was between mashed and creamed potatoes…showing my ignorance, I know. She told me that mashed potatoes are mashed and creamed potaotes are, well, you know, creamed. That settled it! Some things are meant to remain a mystery. Happy Monday.
I knew EXACTLY what you were talking about, thankyouverymuch. Fellow Alabaman here, of course!
Yeah, it doesn’t happen so much any more, but I can remember going to a restaurant as a kid and ordering a Coke, and the waitress would ask, “What kind?” A root beer, please.
When I read congealed salad I knew what you were talking about and I’m in Minnesota! (Mom grew up in Kansas City though…)
Anyway, just thinking of the word congealed doesn’t bring to mind something I’d like to eat. If you can’t call it a jello salad at least just settle for gelatin salad! ;) Thanks for the recipe!
Alrighty then. I might actually eat that kind of congealed salad. Sounds way better than the bottom-of-the-fridge goo I was imagining. I feel better now.
How interesting…..I didn’t know it could cause such an uproar, either…..why I just thought EVERYBODY had congealed salad at a Holidayish kind of meal….in fact, we always have it when I go to my in-laws house. I knew exactly what you meant! Ha. Yep, and a coke can be many different flavors, right?
Southern girl, you!
Thanks for the recipe- I’ll be making it and the Squash for Sunday lunch- Mother will bring meat and fresh corn to go with it- Thanks Boomama! Keep em coming!
I remember visiting my sister-in-law’s house in GA and she asked me if I wanted a coke. I’m a northern girl, through and through, and I said, sure! She then led me to the pantry and said, “What kind would you like, Pepsi or Mountain Dew?” Since COKE is my FAVORITE POP, I was highly disappointed, and slightly confused that she would use the word “coke” to refer to all types of soda! And now that I’ve used every word imaginable to define a carbonated beverage, I think I’ll go now.
Oh, and I’m definitely making your jello salad for my family’s reunion this weekend!
I grew up in Mississippi, and we *always* had congealed salad for special meals – potluck suppers, Sunday dinner – you name it. Since I went up North to college (and stayed in Chicago when I married), I’ve had to remember to say “jello salad” to all my friends here. My husband often says that the word “congealed” makes him think of gravy congealing in the fridge. “Jello salad” sounds more appetizing. :) My absolute favorite congealed salad is the strawberry one with cream cheese and a pretzel crust. YUM!
Wow – I learn so many things on the internet………. What??? I thought everyone knew what congealed salad was!! I’m finding there are things that are “southern” that I didn’t even know were “southern”!
This looks SUPER yummy!! Thank you for sharing this!
His,
Mrs. U
Out here in California we don’t get very many jello salads- I’m always excited when I go to a potluck etc and someone brings one… I’ve never had one with a crust before tho’. Looks like my family will have to be introduced to this new flavor sensation in the new future!
Oh, that sounds so good.
I’m stealin’ it. ;)
I didn’t know there was another kind of squash to use! =) The congealed salad comments were a riot, by the way. ps – I was sorry to see your Bulldogs lose. My Bulldogs (UGA) didn’t even make it this year.
Hey, anything with cranberry and orange in it is going to taste like a dream.
Being a transplant to the South (from the West), I had never heard the term “congealed salad” until I moved to Atlanta. I thought it sounded odd too, at first. Thanks for clearing it up for everyone.
Just wanted you to know that it was just like being at Mammaw’s house reading about congealed salad.
And the correlation between NOT calling it Jello, but calling everything Coke–genius, I tell you. What a keen eye for observation.
“Congealed” is just such a weird word, don’t you think? And not appetizing at all. Like a blood clot is congealed blood, in a way. I much prefer “Jello salad” myself. But yes, I’m from the west, and that’s how we say it out here.
I was pretty sure that congealed salad was Jell-o salad. And that yellow squash was what was needed for the recipe – it just sounded tasty with what we Okies call summer squash – but not with winter squash (acorn, butternut, yucky stringy stuff).
I’m learning that Okie is a weird hybrid – not quite Southern, but not Yankee either – just Okie.
And my four-year-old throws me out of Mimi’s house when he goes over there for a visit. Every time – “Aren’t you going, mama?”
Hmm.. guess I should quite writing this forever-long comment on your blog and go post something on mine.
Thanks for setting us straight. Its Jello salad here in CA. I swear I thought we were the only ones who ate it. Love the blog. Found you on a friend’s site.
Thanks for clearing that up. I was scared. Love your blog. Found it on a friend’s site.