The Recipe
This recipe clipping is from a newspaper. Based on the tiny portion of an advertisement photo on the back, I would date it late 1970’s.
To avoid being wasteful I halved the recipe and used a 4-cup mold. Nevermind the fact that the contents of this entire blog could be considered “wasteful.”
Maybe I’m just getting better at this jello molding thing, but this one was very easy and probably the most fun to make. If you use pre-grated carrots, total prep time is probably less than 10 minutes and setting time is around 6 hours. I let the lemon tier set just under an hour before adding the other layers. The cottage cheese does tend to run and the bottom layer droops a little, but otherwise I think it turned out how it was supposed to.
The Verdict
My brother and I stared at it for a while, silently taking bites and trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with this salad.
It tastes like actual nothing with a hint of lemon and carrot. The cottage cheese kills the sweetness of both of the other layers, but only the top lemon layer tastes good on its own. It is entirely possible that someone came up with this recipe specifically for aesthetic purposes.
I wouldn’t go so far to say this jello salad is terrible, because it’s not. It just reminds me of something you’d eat at a funeral luncheon served by elderly church ladies. It would probably pair alright with some scalloped potatoes and a roll but after the meal you’d still end up feeling unsatisfied and sad.
I’d never eat it again, but I’m sure anyone who gravitates toward bland earth-toned jello might genuinely enjoy it.
Bon appétit!
Molded Memories 
The top is pretty.
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It really is! 🙂
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I just read this entire blog top to bottom (starting with 1900s and so forth) and I must say, I’m so disappointed to reach the end! I certainly hope you continue. I LOVE this and also A Dollop of History. I have no idea why I find these crazy Jello molds so interesting. I’m honestly going to try the Emerald Salad Ring soon and I’ve never made nor even eaten anything like these.
My full experience with Jello is limited to the little squares of it I’d get at Luby’s Cafeteria with my grandmother and … This thing my aunt used to bring to Thanksgiving every year when I was a kid. I believe it was orange jello, Mandarin orange slices, cottage cheese, and mini marshmallows. I don’t know if it had a name and I definitely wouldn’t eat it. It wasn’t in a mold, just all stirred together in a bowl and honestly looked like slop.
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Your comment makes me so happy! I’m really glad you enjoy my blogs. I still have a big stack of jello salads to work on so no worries, more content will come soon. 🙂
I think I know what type of jello you’re talking about! I’m pretty sure something like it showed up at my family dinners too! Of course as a kid I wouldn’t eat it either. But now tasting jello is kind of my job because the universe works in mysterious ways…
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Honestly, Jello is more appetizing to me than cottage cheese. Eek. I can’t get around the texture and appearance. ADDING Jello to that mess just seems wrong lol
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Oh I totally get it!! It’s always the texture that messes me up. Emerald Salad is probably a good one to start with, or even the rice chantilly. Baby steps. 😉
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