Cooking With Cops: Light ‘Em Up Jello

light 'em up jello

Remember way back in the 70s when everyone’s grandmother made her signature Jello dish?

Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, that odd wiggly-jiggly bowl of red stuff with pieces of fruit cocktail living in a state of suspended animation.

In addition were those molded lumps of colored “not-quite-liquid” but “softer-than-solid” desserts capped with once-frozen whipped toppings.

Then, as quickly as the squirmy dishes hit the home culinary scene, they disappeared, returning to a state of Jello limbo, waiting to once again claim the spots on the menus now occupied by frozen, pre-cooked pies and cakes.

Well, here’s a Jello recipe that’s held its own in my world. Yep, this dish is still ranked pretty high in my hood, and I think you’ll like it too, especially if you’re fond of strawberry cheesecake.

Light ‘Em Up Jello

The evidence (ingredients)

(2) packages of strawberry flavored Jello

(2) cups of water

(1) cup of mini-marshmallows softened in hot water

(1) small can of crushed pineapple

(1) package of cream cheese

(1/2) pt. whipped cream (the squirt kind works and tastes much better than the frozen stuff for this dish. But either will do nicely).

Okay, now it’s time to bag and tag all the evidence and deliver it to the lab for assembly.

 

The Procedure

anthrax poison. the silent killer

Dissolve Jello into (2) cups of hot water (Follow instructions on the Jello box. Cold water will not work!). Stir in softened marshmallows. Pour into 9×13 dish, or dish size of your choosing. Refrigerate until mixture has just barely begun to set. Remove from refrigerator and stir in pineapple. Use whisk to blend in cream cheese (it takes a bit of patience to get the cream cheese to a fairly creamy texture—you’ll never get out all the small lumps—but it is well worth the effort!). Whisk in the whipped cream. Some people enjoy a small sprinkling of chopped walnuts into the mixture at this point. Personally, I think they’re crazy, but if that’s your thing then more power to you. But I say don’t mess with perfection and step away from the nuts—both the people who like them and the walnuts!

Refrigerate until set firm.

Scoop into preferred portion sizes and top individual servings with a generous squirt of whipped cream.

Enjoy, and I know you will!