This recipe is from my favorite grandmother, DeeDee. According to my mother, it has many variations, and my grandmother always served it with great presentation at parties, family dinners, and ladies luncheons.

　　The recipe has high stakes: You get but one chance when you unmold it. Just recently I recall overhearing my mother exclaim "Damn!" as she was getting the salad ready for yet another meal. It was runny — not enough time in the refrigerator.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8 to 10

　　1 package lime or lemon Jell-O, dissolved with 1 cup hot water

　　3/4 cup cold water

　　1/4 cup mayonnaise

　　1 bottlecapful of vinegar

　　1 cup cottage cheese

　　1 cup (total) chopped celery, onions, carrots (if you add too much the Jell-O will be too watery to gel)

　　Ripe olives or parsley

　　

Step 1

In a bowl, combine the dissolved Jell-O, cold water, mayonnaise, and vinegar and mix thoroughly. Transfer to the freezer or refrigerator and allow it to chill well. When it begins to get firm, remove it from the freezer or refrigerator and beat with an electric beater until fluffy. Add cottage cheese and chopped vegetables. Before you put the mixture into a mold, decorate the bottom of the mold with olives or parsley so that when you unmold it there will be a pretty design on top.

　　

Step 2

Another variation is to forego the vinegar and add fruit with the cottage cheese. Just be sure that the salad is firm (overnight in the refrigerator or a few hours in the freezer), otherwise it will be messy when you unmold it.