Perhaps it's because Jell-O is pretty cheap to buy or easy to make that this colorful, versatile dish has become a staple in the Mormon diet.
Thora Eager, of the Cedar Hills Utah 2nd Ward, thinks it probably has much to do with the many things a cook can do with a Jell-O recipe.
"You can do so much fun with it," Eager said, "You can change the colors, add different fruits, layer it, add a topping."
And the grandchildren love it, she said. They look at it not as food so much as a treat.
Because Mormons tend to have large, close families, there are plenty of get-togethers that include food.
"We always have Jell-O as a salad or as part of a dessert," she said.
"Jell-O is inexpensive, can feed a lot of people and is fast and easy to make. Also there is such a variety. Not just the flavors in the store but the foods that you can make with it," Eager said. "It's kinda funny. It's just part of our life. Every ward dinner or Relief Society dinner has Jell-O salads on the tables next to the green salads."
A favorite in the Eager household is Mahana ("You ugly") Jell-O, so named because it's not one of the prettiest salad dishes. It is taken from the "Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes."
Mahana Jell-O
1 16-oz. container cottage cheese
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 large package lime gelatin
1 large package lemon gelatin
4 cups boiling water
½ gallon vanilla ice cream
In two 9-by-13-inch cake pans, divide the cottage cheese, pineapple and nuts. Arrange evenly into bottom of each pan. In a separate pan, dissolve both boxes of Jell-O into the 4 cups water. Add ice cream until melted. When ice cream is melted, pour equally over the cottage cheese, pineapple and nut mixture. Let set. Makes 24 servings.
Well-known Mormon songwriter Janice Kapp Perry submitted this recipe to the latest "Worldwide Ward Cookbook" in honor of her mother, Ruth Saunders Kapp. It's such a hit at get-togethers that she rarely makes any other. (She avoids green Jell-O recipes because when she was a child, green Jell-O always had vegetables in it.)
Raspberry Nut Jell-O Salad
1 large package raspberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 21-oz. can raspberry pie filling
1 small can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
Dissolve Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water. Add pie filling, pineapple and nuts. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch pan. Chill until set. Beat cream cheese, adding sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Add sour cream gradually (it's very important to add it gradually). Spread over set Jell-O. Chill several hours before serving. Makes 12 servings.
e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com
Mormons and Jell-O
Mormons and Jell-O — what is the attraction
They find in this savory, jiggly concoction?
Perhaps, since they cannot drink coffee or tea,
This sugary treat is one small vice they need!
It's colorful, bright and the kids love the flavor.
Each recipe seems to have something to savor.
Jell-O is versatile — that much is true —
Just add this or that and it's something brand new!
But here is the secret they faithfully keep:
Mormons love Jell-O because it is CHEAP!
Janice Kapp Perry