I am completely aware that Jell-O salad is out of fashion.  The only people who eat and/or make it are well into their 80's and continue to do so because what was good enough for bridge club in 1967 is good enough for bingo night in 2012.  Well, guess what?  I don't care.  I love Jell-O.  I love the way it squashes in your mouth, I love all the beautiful colors and I especially love the combination translucent/creamy Jell-O squares that the Chinese restaurant around the corner from our old condo gave out for dessert.  Whether they wanted it or not, the family at Thanksgiving dinner is going to have it forced upon them.  It's a pot luck, beggers can't be choosers.

This Jell-O salad screams Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas and I promise is it better than Aunt Bethany's green Jell-O in Christmas Vacation.

One word of warning: Cranberry flavored Jell-O is very hard to find.  If you can't find it, then use raspberry in it's place or just two packages of orange.  If you do find it then thank your lucky stars and buy all they have.  It'll keep.  I found my supply at Homeland.  Target does not carry the cranberry flavor, so get yourself over to the nearest Homeland and stock up.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 pkg. (4 oz. size) cranberry flavored Jell-0
• 1 pkg. (4 oz. size) orange flavored Jell-O
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 cup cold water
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• zest from 1/2 lemon
• zest from 1/2 orange
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 – 2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and cut into bit size pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl until completely dissolved.  Add cranberry sauce, cold water, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon and cloves; mix well.  Cover and refrigerate about 1 1/2 hour or until thickened.

Stir in oranges and walnuts.  Pour into 6-cup mold sprayed with cooking spray.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.  Unmold by running hot water on the outside of the mold until it starts to loosen.

How beautiful it that?!

Some may say that I'm old fashioned.  I prefer to think of myself as an old soul.