My Nemesis: The Jell-O Pretzel Salad

In my family, we never ate Jell-O salad. It was just something that we never made. We had heard of this salad and we knew it existed. At dinner time we would discuss the notion of “the Jell-O salad,” but no one really ever had a desire to make it. We knew that people ate this dish, just not us. Trust me when I say it was something that NEVER appeared on our dinner table.

Would it be a stretch if I said that my family was food snobby, maybe? We were a traditional Italian-American family and we ate Italian peasant food. Were we highbrow eaters? No! We ate what was in our comfort zone, and what we were familiar with.

“The Jell-O salad” was not in our repertoire. We ate straight Jell-O, and that was not a problem. Jell-O in a molded form with fruit sitting in the middle of our table, well that would be something all together different.

As a child, I feared “the Jell-O salad” as much as I feared the boogieman. I had seen this dish on TV and in magazines. As far as I was concerned, it was an enigma. I knew it existed, but if I never had to confront it that would be OK.

Not soon after I married my husband, “the Jell-O salad” made its first appearance in my life. My mother-in-law, SJ, had told me that she was making her son’s favorite dish. It was the infamous Strawberry Jell-O Pretzel Salad. I looked at this strange concoction like I was Louis Leakey first discovering the Lucy. It was a multi-layered dish that wiggled, and despite the name it was served for dessert.

For the record—SJ is the most wonderful person in the world—I love her like my own mother. She is the greatest mother-in-law that anyone could ask for. She is a great cook and I have learned so much from her. Everything she makes tastes great and I eat usually everything that she makes, except “the Jell-O salad."

So there I was face-to-face with “the Jell-O salad.” I stared at it quizzically because I was perplexed by this dish. It was not a salad per say—neither lettuce nor greens were involved. Also the notion of cream cheese, pretzels and Jell-O put together—really? I could not wrap my head around this.

My mother-in-law is a saint. She knows that I can be picky about food. She clearly picked up on my wrinkled nose and raised eyebrow, and asked me if I would like a piece. I gasped in horror! I did not want to insult SJ because I love her dearly. What was I to do? I run the risk of insulting family, yet SJ was there watching me squirm in discomfort.

The tension was building, the sweat was gathering around my brow. In my most polite voice I managed to eke out a “no, thank you.” She knew and she was on to me. I sat there quietly (OK, now that is a dead giveaway because I am never quiet.) and there was a pregnant pause. Finally I blurted out, “I just can’t eat that!”

She looked over at me and laughed. She finally said to me, “This is your husband’s favorite dessert.” The statement just hung there in the air. As a note, the rest of the family looked over and took the opportunity to laugh at me while I was figuring out what I wanted to say.

I looked at her and told her the truth. I said “Italians don’t eat Jell-O salad!” She laughed at me, as did my husband.

I told her that as a child I ate Jell-O. My Nana would have little bowls of it in her refrigerator. It was a sweet treat that she would make for the grandchildren. Also Nana would make it for us if we were sick. Other than that, Jell-O was never eaten in our house.

From that point on, my relationship with SJ has changed. She has carte blanche to tease me about my aversion to “the Jell-O salad” and I tease her about it not being a real food.

SJ will continue to make this dessert for the family, so my husband can get his Jell-o salad fix. My children will tease me and ask for Jell-O, and my standard retort is, “Go ask your grandmother to make it.” We all have fun at my expense, but that is just how my family is.

Do I love my family? Unequivocally, hands down, yes! Will I continue to feed them until my last dying breath? Yes, because there is no greater satisfaction to an Italian mother other than feeding her family.

Will I conquer my fear and make “the Jell-O salad”—nope! Do I feel bad that I have deprived my family of this type of food? I can rest at night comfortably knowing that they will be fine despite me not making this dish.

This is why we have SJ in our lives—wonderful mother-in-law, grandmother extraordinaire and the designated Jell-O salad maker.

SJ has offered to share her recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Salad—a simple salad that any Jell-O lover will surely enjoy.

SJ’s Jell-O Pretzel Salad

Ingredients: 

2 cups crushed pretzels

3/4 cup melted butter

3 tsp. sugar

1 large box strawberry Jell-O

2 (10 oz.) boxes frozen strawberries

2 cups cold water

1-8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 (4.5 oz.) tub Cool Whip

Directions: 

First layer (crust): Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine pretzels, sugar (3 tsp.) and melted butter in a bowl. Spread mixture in 9x13 inch pan and press with hands to form a crust. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove to cool.

Second layer: Beat 1 cup sugar into cream cheese and stir in Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.

Third layer: Mix 2 cups boiling water, and Jell-O. Mix in the strawberries and let it set (about 10 minutes). Pour this over the cheese mixture and chill until Jell-O is set.

Enjoy!