The Jell-o Project: Not as Bad as it Looks

The comeback Jell-o had to be a Statement Jell-o, and nothing makes a statement like Red Hots, celery, nuts and mayonnaise. Oh yes. This Jell-o contains all four of these delightfully mismatched ingredients, and more.

It should be noted that Jell-o salads with creamy middle layers should never be attempted in a mold. I've made this mistake once before and will not make it again. It makes for a perfectly ugly turn out.

Also, the next time I make a Jell-o with nuts, and a darkish piece of walnut is front and center for the photo shoot, I will remove said walnut or turn said Jell-o. (I swear. It's just a walnut.)

The final lesson learned is that whenever one feels sad about the feedback she received on her Jell-o salad, one should drive the bulk of the left-overs to Mrs. Andrea Bell's house where all bad feelings will suddenly disappear as Mrs. Bell gushes over and gulps down convincing amounts of Jell-o.

Here's the recipe:
2/3 cup red hots
2 cups boiling water
6 oz. Lemon Jello
1 1/2 cups applesauce
8 oz. cream chese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chopped celery

Dissolve red hots in water, then dissolve Jell-o in water then mix in apple sauce. Pour half into a casserole or glass bowl. Mix cream cheese and mayo together until smooth. Add in celery and nuts and combine. Spread mixture over the first half after Jell-o is set. Then add the remaining Jell-o and return to fridge to set completely.

And now for the feedback:

Me: I thought it was delicious. The cinnamon smell was delightfully obvious and the texture of the apple sauce, red layer was perfect. The middle layer was a bit much to take on its own, but together with the cinnamon-apple layer, it made a surprisingly good combination.

Jonah: Really didn't have any words for the Jell-o as he was eating it pretty quickly. He said he liked it al lot, although he did not request seconds. As a result, my findings on this subject were not conclusive.

Robert: Ate it. Kindly encouraged others in the family to eat it as well. Said it was "not bad." I suspect he is remaining vague in order to decrease his presence in these blog posts.

Ethan: Ate one bite, nearly threw up. (Or maybe he's just getting really, really good at pretending like he's going to throw up.)

Isaac: whiffed the Jell-o. Looked at the Jell-o. Refused to even go near the Jell-o. As a side note, he also refused to eat his beef stroganoff and his broccoli.

In conclusion, they can run, they can hide, they can fake vomit but it doesn't change a thing. Jell-o is back.