Marian's Raspberry Jello Salad

Perfect Pairing: Clear glass bowl

I have never been a big fan of jello salads.  It was kind of like, what’s the point?  Also, they always remind me of Aunt Bethany on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  I make an exception for this particular jello salad.  It is special. 

After my grandma passed away my grandpa met, fell in love, and married a wonderful woman, Marian.  We were all so very happy for the both of them.  Marian brought this salad to a family holiday when I was a kid and I LOVED it.  I loved it so much that I asked her for the recipe.  This was probably the first time I ever asked for a recipe and I felt very grown up.  Below is a picture of my original transcription.  My mom still uses this when she makes the salad.

This looks nothing like my handwriting today.  I must have been experimenting.  Also, I was old enough to know how to spell marshmallows, raspberries and package.  No excuse for that.  Nowadays if I want a recipe I just take a picture of it on my phone.  There is something to be said about these handwritten, stained, misspelled versions. 

The base of the salad is raspberry jello, frozen raspberries, and applesauce.  The topping sounds odd at first, sour cream and marshmallows, but it is awesome.  The marshmallows kind of melt in the sour cream and it makes a heavenly topping.  The salad is quite pretty so I suggest showing it off in a clear glass bowl!

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Baked Potato Bar

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Onion Jam

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Jicama with Chile Lime Salt

Perfect Pairing:  Margarita Glass

We happened to be in Mexico for the Super Bowl this year.  We watched the game in our room because we didn’t feel like fighting crowds at bars for hours.  Also, the view from our room was pretty spectacular and we wanted to enjoy it.  The downside of this plan is that the game is shown with Mexican commercials, and let’s be honest, I usually watch for the commercials.  So that was a bit of a bummer.  Thank goodness for YouTube!

Of course we still wanted to have the requisite Super Bowl appetizers for the game, but with a Mexican flair.  My dad had just been fishing so I made ceviche with his fresh fish as well as pico de gallo and guacamole.  I think my favorite appetizer of the night was Jicama with Chile Lime Salt.  It is healthy, refreshing, and just three ingredients.  My parents had a version of this before I arrived at The Hacienda, a gorgeous restaurant in Cabo.  I loved the idea so much I made my own version.

You just need three things: jicama, limes, and chile lime salt.  Chile lime salt is one my favorite spices.  It is the “secret” ingredient in my favorite Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup.  I think jicama is an underappreciated vegetable.  It is crisp, kind of like a cross between a cucumber and a pear, and just slightly sweet.  A cup of this root vegetable is under 50 calories, has no fat, and 6 grams of fiber!  Don’t let the gnarly outside scare you. 

There is no better serving piece for this recipe than a margarita glass.  I was able to borrow one from the hotel with a little sweet talking to our friend Jorge.  I coated the inside of the glass with a layer of fresh lime juice and then sprinkled a generous serving of the chile lime salt.  The jicama sticks are piled inside and then topped with another squeeze of fresh lime juice.  This will definitely be going into my normal rotation.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with your sweethearts!  If you are looking for a quick dessert for tonight’s dinner check out this simple Cherry Cheesecake I posted for Valentine’s Day last year.  I am fortunate enough to have dinner made for me this year.  Lucky me!

 

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Dressed up Green Beans

Perfect Pairing: Large platter

 

 

I made this yummy side dish for Easter dinner.  It was a hit! 

I love al dente green beans on their own, but why not add bacon and egg?  What could it hurt?  Answer:  nothing, it is awesome.   This is an impressive dish that is quick and easy, especially if you hard boil your eggs ahead of time.  Click here for my favorite hard boiling method.    

I am excited to make this again with fresh green beans from the farmers market.  Now it is in writing…. I am going to the farmers market.  Here is the thing; I love the idea of tooling around at an urban market picking out fresh items for dinner.  I love it!  Why don’t I do this more often?  I must be getting to the market too late or not going to the right spot because my farmers market experiences in Chicago have been less than stellar.  By the time I get there everything seems picked over and underwhelming.  I vow to change that this summer.  

The Perfect Pairing for this dish is a large platter.  Originally I had a bowl picked out, but decided it would be more appealing on a platter.  It really is a nice presentation! 

 

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Cheese Plate

Perfect Pairing: Cheese Slate

Anytime I am lucky enough to enjoy a cheese plate or cheese flight I find great pleasure in figuring out the best combination of cheese, cracker, bread and topping.  It needs to be the perfect pairing (look at that, no wonder I started a blog of the same name) of crispy and creamy, salty and sweet. 

My favorite first course when I throw a dinner party is a cheese plate.  It requires minimal work to put together, it looks fancy and it is kind of an interactive experience for the guest.  There are a lot of great sites out there that give some amazing tips on how to create the perfect cheese plate, so I am not going to go into great detail here. 

I like to have 3 to 5 cheeses, about 3 oz. per person.  I typically like a combination of goat cheese, blue cheese, soft cheese like brie or camembert, and a salty, hard cheese like an aged manchego or romano.  For toppings I like store-bought fig preserves, caramelized onions or store-bought fruit mostarda.  Fresh fruit on the side like apples, pears, grapes and berries are all tasty accompaniments.  When I serve a cheese plate I like to serve it with a combination of homemade crackers and simple store-bought crackers.  I will be posting the cracker recipes on the blog soon.

The Perfect Pair for a cheese plate is a cheese slate, like those available at Crate and Barrel.  The cheese looks great on the black slate and it is easily accessible for guests.  A great feature of the slate is that you can write on it in chalk to let the guests know details of the cheese.

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