27 answers

Recipe for a Sweet Salad

My MIL called and told me that I am to bring a "sweet salad" for Christmas dinner. She said, "not lettuce, not pasta, but a sweet salad. It could be Jell-O based (I'm not a huge Jell-O fan) but it doesn't have to be. It has to be in a bowl or pan that can be passed around the table. We will be 22 people, but only 14 are adults. You can bring one large salad or two smaller ones." This was followed by, "we will be meeting at 3:00 so that your kids can have naps first. We will have one bloody mary and a few appetizers; I don't want people to fill up too much. Then we will open gifts and relax. We will have dinner after that. Does that work for you?" Ha! Yeah, I guess that will work fine! She's so funny! So, Mamas...any great recipes for me? Thanks!
Oh, fast and easy is good, or something that can be prepared in advance. We will go to my parents' Christmas Eve and spend the night there and then head to the in-laws the afternoon of the 25th. I will need to make it the morning of the 24th and bring it with me or else be able to throw it together at my parents' the 25th. Thank you!

3 moms found this helpful

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So What Happened?™

Wow Ladies! Thanks for all your recipes! I made Shellie's Jell-O salad and it was delicious with all the fruit in it! I also made Bridgett's Cranberry Marshmallow fluff and my kids loved it. I can't wait to try many of the other recipes. First up: Shellie's frozen berries and Lee's grape salad. And yes, Margaret, MIL is a control freak! It would have been easier if she'd given me a recipe, but it was more fun to see her reaction when I told her they were new recipes that I'd never tried before!

Featured Answers

"Carmel Apple Salad"
8 Apples, cored & cut in chunks
1 bag mini snickers
1 Tub Cool Whip.

Cut snickers in half. Mix apples, snickers & cool whip together and serve. More dessertish than salad but it goes fast!

1 mom found this helpful

1 LARGE container cottage cheese (or 2 smaller)
2 packages Jello (the smaller size, same flavor)
1-2 tubs of coolwhip (depending on how creamy you like it)
frozen or canned fruit to complement jello flavor (ie, mandarin oranges with orange jello, or raspberries with raspberry jello)

Thaw and drain fruit, thaw coolwhip. Put cottage cheese in large bowl, stir in the jello powder, fold in the fruit and the cool-whip. Really easy to put together, always a hit for us! Yes, it uses Jello, but it's not gelatin-ized, so I don't count it as jello :)

1 mom found this helpful

I second the grape salad someone posted before. It is awesome ! We have had it quite a bit and everyone loves it. Have a very Merry Christmas !

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

This isn't a dessert salad but it is a good appetizer.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

(normal amount...I usually double this)

4 cups broccoli
1/4 cup raisins
1 small red onion- chopped
1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
Bacon bits (to taste)

Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Make dressing, then mix broccoli, dressing and chopped onions, refrigerate about 4 hours. Add the rest of ingredients just before serving, (or before you have to leave to go where ever you're bringing this).

Have a great organized time.

4 moms found this helpful

If it were me, I'd combine some beautiful fruits (chopped apples, sliced figs, dried cranberries, tangerine or clementine segments, green grapes, sliced strawberries - whichever fruits are available and reasonably priced), and make a simple dressing of mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature, thinned and mixed with a little honey, a splash of Balsamic vinegar, and just a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon (add in some orange juice if it's not thin enough). Toss some toasted chopped pecans or walnuts on top. Don't put too much dressing on, let the fruits shine through.

3 moms found this helpful

I have an AWESOME sweet salad with minimal ingredients, and it's super-easy to make...

GRAPE SALAD

1 lb seedless red grapes
1 lb seedless green grapes
1 pkg (softened) cream cheese
1 small container of sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
brown sugar to taste

**Remove grapes from the vine (of course :) and wash and DRY all grapes. Important to dry them.
**Combine the softened cream cheese with the sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
**Add grapes and stir until grapes are coated with the cream cheese mixture.
**Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the bowl of grapes to taste. (I like mine sugary, like I nearly cover the grapes with a layer of brown sugar. As you start scooping the grapes out, the brown sugar starts to mix through the grapes, and carmelizes a bit, and it's delightful! But use as much or as little as you like.)

This is a simple, minimal ingredient sweet salad that is DELICIOUS. I've taken it to lots of functions, and everyone RAVES about it. I can't tell you how many people I've had to give the recipe to...

(P.S. I'm so excited I get to share a recipe!!! I don't really know how to cook, so usually when people ask for recipe stuff, I don't get to share anything :( But I can throw together a salad with the best of them! LOL)

3 moms found this helpful

I love this Cranberry Marshmallow salad, and my 3 year-old son is wild about it too. I usually would double the recipe for big gatherings.

2 c. raw cranberries
4 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. whipped cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. chopped apples
1/2 c. nuts-pecans or walnuts
!/2 c. crushed pineapple

1. Pulse cranberries in food processor until ground, stir in marshmallows and sugar. Chill overnight.

2. Next day, add apples and nuts. Fold in whipped cream. Chill thoroughly.

That's it, simple and really good.

2 moms found this helpful

Waldorf Salad.
Ambrosia Salad

2 moms found this helpful

I suppose it's technically a "pasta" salad... but my aunt always brings Frog Eye Salad to our holiday gatherings. Google it -- it's the teensy pasta (similar to tapioca) with pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, etc

I've never made it -- but it's a bizarre and tasty sweet salad! :) And the kids will love it just because of the name!

2 moms found this helpful

Lol, well it sounds like MIL knows what she wants! Anyway, this recipe sounds kinda weird, but I swear it tastes great! It is an asian coleslaw and is sweet. Here is a link for a variation of the recipe:

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_make-chinese-cole-sl...

You can google and you will find some different recipes for the same thing with an ingredient or two changed. I just make sure to use some sesame oil and the rice vinegar which you can get cheap at any asian market. It's really good!

2 moms found this helpful

this is our family favorite for all holidays

1 bag cranberries
2 cups water (Just enough to cover the cranberries in pan)
2 cups sugar
3 small packages of red jello (strawberry, cherry, cranberry etc)
1 large can crushed pinapples
1 cup chopped nuts (optional we skip this but down south they put it in)

put cranberries in bottom of large sauce pan cover with water and turn on heat. cook till they have popped (it will sound like popcorn)

when done and mushy add in sugar and jello mix well add in pinapple and mix well pour mixture into dish (1 large cakepan type dish or 2 smaller dishes if your going to pass them around the table)

refrigerate until firm

topping
2 - 3oz bars of plain cream cheese cut into cubes
2 small containers of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 small bag of mini marshmallows (I use the bag size from aldi's but about 3/4 bag of campfire mini's works as well)

put cream cheese into mixing bowl pour marshmallows over it then pour the whipping cream in. beat till it is turning into whipped cream add sugar and beat it till it is whipped cream

after the jello portion is set then frost the top with this topping. it is a huge hit at the holidays good luck

2 moms found this helpful

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