Tag Archives: 2-way

February 16, 2012 · 10:01 am

Fruit Cocktail Salad

Last Friday, Mr. Mulberry called to offer me the job! I quit the haberdashery straightaway, and went in for a visit over the weekend to say goodbye to my dear friends (and to take them this flamboyant Fruit Cocktail Salad, but more on that later). Anyway, I am now a sales girl at Grain-O-Wheat! Well, I guess I should say the sales girl. When I went back to the office on Monday for my first day of work, I found myself once again alone in the lobby. I wasn’t about to be deterred by that, though; I lifted my chin, hung my purse on the lobby desk chair, and sat down. The desk was neatly maintained by its previous occupant. Nothing was out of place. I doubt it had been left alone for long, because it wasn’t all that dusty and all the pens still worked.

Mr. Mulberry came in about 15 minutes later. “Morning, Sally,” he sighed, frowning.

“Excuse me, but I’m not Sally. I’m Lemon, remember? You hired me last week?”

He used one index finger to push the bridge of his eyeglasses back in place. His eyes looked magnified behind the curved glass, and they blinked sleepily. “Ah, yes, I remember. The new sales girl. Settling in?”

“Well, it is just my first day, sir. I was wondering…. Um, I was wondering, where is Sally?”

Mr. Mulberry didn’t move, but he may as well have been squirming in his suit. He cleared his throat. “Maternity leave.”

I clapped my hands with joy. “Oh! How wonderful! Will she be returning soon?”

He didn’t answer. “I’m going to leave some folders of information for you to look at on your desk. They should familiarize you with our products and the way we do things around here.” And with that, he slouched to his office.

I spent the rest of the week flipping through the folders. It’s so much information! I just don’t know how I’m going to learn it all. There’s cereals to learn, and ingredients, and processes. And forms and files and laws. It’s just so much! Still, I am convinced that this job will advance my career far more than the hat shop ever would or could.

I do miss my friends at the hat shop. I made this sweet Fruit Cocktail Salad for them as a goodbye gift, and we had an impromptu going-away party. I will still see them, of course. We have plans to all go out on Friday, and I spent Valentine’s Day swilling chic cocktails with the ladies at a bar in the West Village. Still, it’s not the same as seeing them every day. This recipe is one of the easiest in the book, and its pineapple-y goodness goes well with a rum-based tiki drink (the kind with the umbrellas). You should definitely make this one!

Fruit Cocktail Salad

From Joys of Jell-O

“A recipe you can change at will–almost any canned fruit may be used.”

1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O Gelatin (any fruit flavor) [I used pineapple]
1 cup boiling water
1 can (1 lb. 1 oz.) fruit cocktail
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped nuts
1 banana, sliced

Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin in boiling water. Drain fruit, measuring 3/4 cup syrup. Add syrup and lemon juice to gelatin. Chill until very thick. Then fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into a 1-quart mold or bowl or individual molds. Chill until firm. Unmold. Makes about 3 1/2 cups, or 6 servings.

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November 28, 2011 · 9:51 am

Ginger-Upper

If you live in New York City, you probably know how miniature apartment kitchens can be. Mine is a six-foot-square space with a doll-sized oven and exactly one foot of counter space. (To disclose fully, I did purchase a lovely wooden countertop to shove against the wall, which makes for a total of about three feet of counter space.) So when I proposed to cook a full Thanksgiving meal in this tiny kitchen, my mother asked, “Is that possible?”

We bought a 13-pound turkey that wouldn’t fit in the oven, so we cut it into pieces and roasted only half of it. The other half is in the freezer with the stock my mother made from the bones. We made traditional Midwestern dishes, like green bean casserole and buttered rolls. We made Cranberry Sauce and Glazed Sweet Potatoes. We made a gelatin dessert that will appear on this blog at a later date (I’m not telling yet!). After a whole weekend of leftovers and cleaning up the tiny kitchen, I’m still stuffed!

Saturday, we went to go look at the store window displays at Barney’s and Bergdorf’s and Bloomingdale’s, followed by a stroll through Times Square at night. I hadn’t been to Times Square since I visited New York several years ago, and the bright lights were even brighter than I remembered. Times Square is so bright at night that it could be mistaken for a pocket of daytime from an airplane.

After all that food and touristing, I really needed something light to eat. This Ginger-Upper is perfect for the ailing post-Thanksgiving stomach. It is full of healing pears and ginger ale, set in a gentle gelatin. I tried cutting it into autumn leaf shapes, but as you can see they didn’t quite cut perfectly. No matter how you decide to shape them, they will still be wonderfully light and slightly fizzy. Maybe if you find the right mold, they’ll be pretty enough for the window displays at Bergdorf’s!

Ginger-Upper

From Joys of Jell-O

“Even weight-watchers can enjoy this delight–only 93 calories per serving.”

1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O Raspberry or Lemon-Lime Gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup ginger ale
1 cup diced fresh pears

Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin in boiling water. Add lemon juice and ginger ale. Chill until very thick. [Lemon's note: This means to chill until a spoon drawn through the gel leaves a definite impression, about 1 1/2 hours] Add pears. Spoon into molds. Chill until firm. Unmold. Makes 3 cups, or 6 servings.

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November 22, 2011 · 2:39 pm

Cranberry Surprise

Everyone loves a good surprise. Who doesn’t love the excitement of a surprise party? The lights dim and the anticipation brightens. Then when the birthday man or woman arrives, everyone shouts “Surprise!” and everyone is gay for the rest of the party. Posh ladies love to be surprised with a diamond or a pearl, and we middle-class ladies can make the best of a nice hat. I hear that bachelor parties often have ladies surprise the groom by bursting out of giant cakes. It’s the thing to do these days!

Surprises in food, especially gelatin, are the best kind of surprises. Thanksgiving is in only two days, which means we ladies don’t have much time to get ourselves organized! At this point, you probably already have your menu all planned out and you know exactly how many guests you will be serving. But if you were longing for that one extra side dish, the one that everyone will fawn over until Christmas, then this is the one.

Cranberry Surprise is so easy to make! Your guests will think you spent all day working on it, but you’ll know it only took you a few minutes. This dish is a sliceable gel, which means it should be used as a side dish rather than a sauce (see last week’s post Cranberry Sauce for a relish-type gelatin). Cranberry Surprise is a grown-up way to make gelatin, and is perfect for the classy Thanksgiving table. The surprise inside the gel is the orange pulp and canned whole cranberry sauce, which retain a nice chewy texture inside the firm gelatin. Intended for molding inside the can, the recipe makes a cylindrical shape for a presentation your guests will surely notice. Surprise your guests this Thanksgiving by making Cranberry Surprise, and they’ll always remember what a talented cook you are!

Note on using this recipe:

When unmolding from a can, first puncture the bottom of the can with a pair of scissors or screwdriver. Be careful when doing this! The puncture releases the pressure inside the can and allows the gelatin to slip out more easily. After puncturing the bottom, dip the can in warm water for about 10 to 20 seconds or until it loosens from the sides. Overturn on a serving dish and garnish with orange peel.

Cranberry Surprise

From Joys of Jell-O

“Canned cranberry sauce goes from the can into a quick gelatin mold.”

1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O Orange, Orange-Pineapple, or Mixed Fruit Gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1 orange
1 can (7 oz.) whole cranberry sauce

Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin in boiling water. Remove seeds from orange and put through food chopper. Fold cranberry sauce and orange into gelatin, saving can to use as mold. Pour into the can and several individual molds or a serving dish. Chill until firm. Unmold. Makes about 2 1/2 cups, or 4 side salads or 6 to 8 relish servings.

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November 10, 2011 · 12:00 pm

Tangy Cider Mold

We’re finally having a proper autumn here in the City. The trees are flush with color and the air is crisp as a butter cookie. This time of year, after the debris from Halloween is swept up and before winter arrives, I start feeling wistful. Maybe it’s the transition from a green landscape to a brown one. Maybe it’s the winding down of the outdoor season. But you know what I think it is? I think it’s that everything is slowly going dormant for winter, which means winter is too close for comfort.

One can’t feel wistful for long, however, when her favorite fruit is in season! Apples are overflowing in the fruit stands and cider is showing up in the markets. The Big Apple really does become one big apple in the fall. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, and there will be apple-walnut stuffing and apple pie with cheese, both of which you can find prepared at delis and bakeries all over the city, so you don’t have to do all that work yourself. Because it requires minimal effort, this “Tangy Cider Mold” recipe would make a great Thanksgiving dessert or salad! The recipe is mainly gelatin, apple cider, and apples, so you get a taste of autumn in every bite. This treat is both sweet and tart, and the crisp raw apples make it light and refreshing. It is perfect if you don’t want a heavy slice of pie after all that turkey. I used individual molds for a lovely presentation, but you can use a larger mold if you like. If you don’t have a mold, you can let it set in a mixing bowl and scoop it out when ready to eat. For a fancier look, pour it into wine glasses or champagne flutes and serve when set.

A note on using the recipe:

The recipe says to “chill until very thick” before folding in the apples. This is so that the apples do not simply sink to the bottom, as they would if you added them while the gelatin was still hot. Chilling the gelatin until “very thick” takes about and hour and half, or until a “spoon drawn through gelatin leaves a definite impression,” according to Joys of Jell-O. “Chill until firm” can take anywhere between 3 and 5 hours, depending on the size of the your mold. I usually go with overnight, just to be safe.

 

Tangy Cider Mold

From Joys of Jell-O

“As refreshing as a long, cool drink of cider on a warm autumn day.”

1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O Lemon Gelatin
1 cup boiling sweet cider
1 cup cold sweet cider
1 1/2 cups unpeeled red apples, cut in match-stick pieces

Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin in boiling cider. Add cold cider. Chill until very thick. Then fold in apples. Spoon into serving dishes or individual molds. Chill until firm. Makes about 3 cups, or 6 servings.

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November 6, 2011 · 2:00 pm

Cream-Topped Peaches

Last week in the Big City, it snowed just two days before Halloween. Even in Iowa it doesn’t snow this early in the year! Though I do love snow days, I am not prepared for the early chill. I long for the warm days of summer, and along with it, the summer-season fruit. Fresh tomatoes and ripe peaches may have slid out of season, but with the modern innovations of canning and gelatin, we can have them any time of year!

This “Cream-Topped Peaches” recipe from Joys of Jell-O is a taste of summer despite the chill. In the summer, I just love to top my peaches with cream. Peaches ‘n cream is such a classic combination, and it’s no wonder! Perky peaches just beg for a dollop of cream. In this version, canned peaches set in peach gelatin bounce under a layer of cream cheese. For a wintry effect, you can think of it as a mound of sweet snow topping a summer treat.

For this recipe, you can use either cream cheese or sour cream. I chose cream cheese, which can be tricky to work with in gelatin. You really have to allow it to soften all the way to room temperature in order for it to blend smoothly into the gelatin. The result is a smooth, creamy concoction with delightful jiggle, reminiscent of summer delights! Enjoy!

Here’s an image straight from Joys of Jell-O, so you can make the recipe at home:

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