Do you hate cranberries? Do you love cranberries? Love or hate cranberries this recipe is for you! How do I know? Well, I do not like cranberries in any form. I can get around most cran-whatever juice varieties and an occasional dried cranberry if there is enough chocolate to cover up the taste. But canned… ah Not one of my favorites!
Family Background Regarding the Cranberry
My Mom on the other hand LOVED cranberries. She worked diligently to get me to eat these berries, usually jellied, at each of the major holidays. My parents even came up with a rule for the dinner table. That rule stated that you had to eat a little of everything on the table. This rule made it easier for them to force my brother and I to eat certain foods. I did learn how to get around most items on the table with as little pain as possible. Cranberries were usually the most painful item for me.
And then, Cranberry…
Somewhere along the way this Cranberry Banana Jello salad came along. I have no idea where my mom got the recipe. All I know is that it was always a favorite of mine and rapidly disappears around my house even now. Even among very picky eaters, this gelatin salad is a hit.
The Best Part
4 Ingredients and it is so simple! Small children can help with this recipe, but be careful with the hot gelatin, (first aid kit).
Cranberry, Banana, Strawberry Gelatin
Course: Food Recipes, Appetizer, Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes5
minutes4-6 hours
15
minutesThis delightful gelatin salad will be a hit with the whole family. It incorporates just the right amount of each flavor so that a new taste sensation can be experienced by everyone.
Ingredients
4 Large, (5 small), bananas
1 14 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
2 – 3 oz or 1 – 6 oz strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups water to make gelatin
Directions
- Mash bananas well.
- Add and mash the jellied cranberry sauce
- Make gelatin – DO NOT add the extra cold water that the box directions indicate after dissolving the gelatin in the boiling water
- Add the gelatin to the fruit mixture and mix well until all ingredients are well mixed.
- Chill for up to 8 hours
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Do not over mash the bananas. There is a delicate balance between big chunks of banana and puree. A happy medium will be perfect. This effect is best accomplished with a hand potato masher. Over mashing will make this recipe runny.
- – The bananas should not be green and they should not be over ripe. There is that sweet spot when a banana is past the green stage but is not yet starting to turn brown.
- – The gelatin boxes tell you to bring 2 cups of water to a boil, dissolve the gelatin, and then add 2 cups of cold water. DO NOT add this additional water. It turns this recipe into a chilled fruit soup. It tastes ok, but it’s not “right.”
- – Other flavors of gelatin can be used. Raspberry works well for a friend who is deathly allergic to strawberries. Experiment and have fun with other flavors
- – The chilling time can be reduced if small single serve containers are used.
- I have learned recently that using several smaller containers not only shortens chilling time, but it also helps with keeping the ingredients suspended together better during the chilling process.
