Jello Dessert

For Sunday dinners or other family get-togethers, Mom often made this jello dish which seems to me like a dessert, but which Mom always served during dinner. What's not to like about having dessert during dinner?

Nowadays, Mom makes jello for "the babies." In recent years, "the babies" means the cluster of five grandkids all born within a few years. But, now that there is a new baby just born, it might not be accurate to call a group of five- to eight-year-olds "babies." Still, the babies like this jello dish, so Mom will keep making it for them.

If you can make jello, you can make this dish. The only difference is mixing in thawed cool whip into the jello before putting it in the fridge to cool. Be sure to mix it well so that the cool whip dissolves. As the jello sets, it will separate with the cool whip will rise to the top, but with the jello mixed in. The picture shows how the final jello dessert has two layers: the bottom is just jello and the top is jello-infused cool whip.

Jello Dessert

Dissolve 3 ounce package (any red flavor) and ¼ cup sugar in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water. Chill until slightly thickened. Blend 1 ½ cup thawed cool whip into gelatin. Chill in 1 quart or 6-8 individual molds until firm (several hours). Enjoy!

Sausage Pie

When we were kids, Mom made Hamburger Pie. It was this recipe here, but with ground beef instead of ground pork. This recipe is essentially a quiche, but Mom said that if she called it quiche, none of us would eat it. But, by calling it Hamburger Pie, it became a family favorite. I vaguely recall putting ketchup on it as a kid. But this sausage pie does not need ketchup; it is perfect on its own. Of course, you could substitute any meat in this recipe or completely leave out the meat and just add an assortment of vegetables. You could also substitute the parsley with another herb. This pie is flexible and easily adaptable.

For this pie, I used pork sausage. Also, while any pie crust would do, I used Mom's pie crust recipe that I previously posted about in the Apple Pie post. This Sausage Pie was very good. My taste tester approved, so perhaps this pie will become part of our regular rotation.

 

Sausage Pie

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar 
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• pie shell
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 375. Brown the sausage. Then, drain well. Combine sausage, onions, cheese and flour; mix well. Spread in an unbaked pie shell. Beat eggs with evaporated milk and parsley. Slowly pour over sausage mix. Bake pie for 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set. Enjoy!

Mississippi Mud Cake Version 2

So, after I made and posted about the first Mississippi Mud Cake, Mom informed me that I left out the marshmallow fluff. So, I just had to make this delicious cake again, only this time with the marshmallow fluff. The recipe is just the same, only this time with fluff layered into the cake before baking.

As with the original version, I did not add nuts to this cake. Mom never put nuts in this cake because us kids would be outraged to find nuts ruining our cake.

I think that the next time I make this cake, I will also swirl some marshmallow fluff into the frosting. Whether you make this version or the other version, both are delicious.

Mississippi Mud Cake Version 2

Cake

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 6 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow fluff

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until just blended. Stir together flour and cocoa and add to the butter mixture. Mix well. Spread in about half in a greased and floured 9x9 pan. Then add the fluff (you may not need to use the entire jar) and blend in. Cover with the rest of the batter. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely. The fluff will mostly be on top of the cake.

Frosting

• 4 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoon cocoa
• 2 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Add in additional milk, if needed to make frosting spreadable. Spread frosting on cooled cake. Enjoy!