Everyone in the family has their own version of mom’s basics - the turkey, the stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans almondine, waldorf salad, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls of some kind plus pumpkin and mince meat pies: and depending on the numbers to be served there could also be a ham.
But the unique one dish we never run across with any other family is a side dish (I call it a palate cleanser) I still make every year.
It does not have a name but when we speak of it we would say that “lime jello thing”.
Ingredients:
1 6 oz package lime jello
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple (packed in pineapple juice, not sweetened juice)
1 8 oz package Philadelphia Cream cheese
The entire process is done the nite before, so the end product has time to jell in the fridge.
1- Before time to start the mixing:
A. Ahead of time drain, the crushed pineapple (I use a wire mesh bowl) into a container, separating and saving the juice. This is done ahead of time so the juice is already well separated when you are ready to mix things. I leave this step working in the refrigerator so the juice remains cold.
B - Leave the Philadelphia cream cheese out of the fridge for a an hour or two before starting to mix things, The mixing will go easier if it is already softened.
The mixing:
2- Mix the Jello with two cups of boiling hot water into a very large bowl - much larger than needed to contain the mixture. Mix until well blended. (A very large bowl helps eliminate splatter escaping the bowl later on during later mixing).
3 - Cut, spoon, or chunk the Philadelphia cream cheese into the bowl of hot jello.
4- On high speed with an electric mixer, mix the hot jello and cream cheese until the mixture appears as one - the cream cheese and jello are totally combined - and the top is frothy.
5- Pour the pre-drained pineapple juice into a two cup measuring cup. Add enough cold water to give you two cups of cold liquid. (leave the crushed pineapple in the fridge)
6- Mix the cold liquid into the jello-cream cheese mixture, the same way as when mixing the jello with the cream cheese - high speed, creating a very well mixed mixture.
7- Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 square pan.
8- Place the pan in the fridge.
9- After the mixture has jelled for at least a couple hours, remove it from the fridge and fold in the crushed pineapple. This is done this way because if the crushed pineapple is added before the mixture has jelled at all, then all the pineapple will be on the bottom of the mixture, instead of being mixed throughout it).
And that’s it.
It is the combination of the lime with the pineapple and the cream cheese that makes the dish refreshing during the course of big meal.
My wife makes a similar lime Jello salad, but she adds pecans and also uses sour cream rather than Philadelphia cream cheese. It used to be a big hit with the kids, but it’s gotten to the point where I’m the only one who eats it. My wonderful wife humors me and makes the dish knowing full well I’m the only one who will partake.
Oh my gosh my mom used to make that. After she passed I tried to duplicate it, guessing at what was in it. It sounds very much like your recipe. Hers also had walnut pieces in it.