Foodie Friday: Jell-o Dessert

Jell-O Packaging from the 1970s

Today, dear reader, I am sharing a recipe from my childhood. When I was a kid, Jell-o salads and desserts were staples of our family gatherings and holiday meals. Although I was never a fan of finger Jell-o or Jell-o Jigglers, as they are now called, I do love a good Jell-o salad or dessert. With the warmer weather, my craving for familiar Jell-o recipes has been ignited. As a child, the main dessert for our Easter dinner was a unique but delicious Jell-o dessert. The dessert included whole graham crackers, butter, walnuts, crushed pineapple, and cherry or strawberry Jell-0. Although it is an odd combination, it is delicious and nostalgic.

I don't remember where my mom found this recipe or from whom she could have found it, but this Jell-o dessert was part of our Easter celebrations for as long as I can remember. My entire family enjoyed it and looked forward to it at the end of the meal. My dad, who could be somewhat picky, ate this dessert with relish. I am unsure what brought up the memory of this recipe or my craving for it, but I have been craving it for a few weeks.

With my family situation, calling my mom for the recipe is not an option. However, my sister and nephew were gracious enough to forward me the recipe and remind me it is in a small family cookbook my sister created for a family reunion. Before reaching out to my sister and nephew, I searched the internet for this recipe and found no results. It simply does not exist online, which I find odd. Perhaps this recipe is unique to our family and is some obscure creation someone concocted in the late 70s or early 80s. Maybe I am just showing my age by looking for a Jell-o recipe in 2025. Does anyone eat Jell-o anymore? Hmmmm...

Anyhow, yesterday, I made this dish for our after-dinner dessert. I am embarrassed to admit I ate two sections of it throughout the day. It tasted like I remember and made me think of Easter celebrations when I was a kid, when the world seemed safe and bright, and my family was intact. It made me sadly happy if that makes any sense. If you try it, I hope you and your family enjoy it.

Jell-O Dessert

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

2 small boxes or 1 large box of cherry or strawberry Jell-o ( I prefer strawberry)

24 graham crackers

Directions:

Make the Jell-0 following the package directions and allow it to partly set up in the refrigerator. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the chopped walnuts and drained pineapple; blend thoroughly. Place twelve graham crackers on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread the pineapple mixture over the graham crackers, then place 12 more graham crackers on top. Pour the partly set up Jell-o on top of the top layer of graham crackers. Place in the refrigerator and allow to completely set up before serving; allow at least two hours. Top with whipped cream, and enjoy.

It sounds like an odd blend of butter, sugar, nuts, and pineapple, but trust me, it is delicious. I have no idea if it has a different name or if it is an obscure recipe only my family enjoys. However, it reminds me of spring, childhood, happier times, and good memories. On this chilly spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy food that makes you remember better days, and keep washing your hands.

Our Soap Family Is The Best

Sometimes, you take for granted what is right in front of you. One of the many conversations The Bibbed Wonder and I have had over the last few weeks is about the good people we have who follow and support our little farm endeavor. I don't look outside my little bubble very often. I don't spend much time on social media unless you count Pinterest; I don't stalk other businesses' pages and try to avoid conflict and drama at all costs. I'm happy and content in my little world with my tight little circle, minding my own business and not paying too much attention to what goes on in other people's circles. It's just what I do, and it makes me happy.

Lately, there has been much buzzing outside my circle, but in my vicinity, if that makes sense. I've been paying the tiniest bit of attention to this buzzing, reading posts and comments, and it dawned on me that we have the absolute best customer base. We really do. We post twice a day on social media. We put ourselves and our business out there for the world to see and have only ever been met with kindness. There is no snark, rudeness, bashing, or unkindness. Not only are you all kind, but you are classy, respectful, and gracious. In this world, those components are rarities.

Do you know how many Christmas cards we receive from our soap family every holiday season? The answer is over a dozen. I don't have a dozen biological family members who send me a card wishing me a happy and joyous holiday season. If I were a Christmas card-sending kind of person, I would send you cards in return. I keep each and every one of those cards, and when I open the box to put in a new one, I always end up reading the kind messages, and it makes me smile. We receive notes and cards throughout the year thanking us for what we do, thanking us for making great products, and words of encouragement and kindness. Before our minor overhaul of the soap studio, the backsplash was what I called the wall of fame. I displayed all the cards, notes, and messages from our soap family in this area, which was almost filled. Looking at these notes every day made me happy. With the overhaul, I placed the cards in a decorative box in a drawer. This is now where I keep your kindness.

You all take the time to send me handwritten notes, emails, and messages. I received the loveliest message from Sarah C. in Texas, thanking us for the handwritten note and the extras. Sarah, if you are reading this, we welcome you to the farm anytime! These messages are gifts that we greatly appreciate. It is our pleasure to provide you with exceptional products made with care and a conscience. We genuinely love what we do, where we do it, and with whom we do it. None of this would have been possible without you, but the fact that you took the time to thank me is pure class.

In this world driven by social media, numbers, likes, and followers, there is a lot of room for negativity and criticism. When a business does a giveaway on social media, I often see disgruntled posts from those who didn't win on other business pages. What I love about our soap family is you all congratulate the winner. You don't complain if you aren't chosen; you take the time to commend the person who won. I haven't seen that on other pages, but you all impress me. Seriously, thank you all for being good people.

So, thank you to each and every one of you for not only supporting us but for being good people. We appreciate you. On this overcast but warm spring day, stay safe, be smart, keep it classy, keep being kind, keep being you because you are amazing.

Suds and Clay

My beautiful and talented friend, Deb Frew, owner of Stokehole Pottery

The talent and creativity in our area are abundant. On Saturday evening, The Bibbed Wonder and I had the pleasure of attending a talent showcase at Stokehole Pottery in downtown Indiana. Deb and Birch Frew are a great couple and the talent behind Stokehole Pottery. Deb is classically trained and always impresses me with her education, life experience, and travels/studies abroad. She truly is a master at her art. Not to mention, she is a delightful human.

Deb created a soap dish challenge for her students during the month of February. The challenge consisted of choosing one of our soaps for inspiration and creating a soap dish to display the soap. The creativity, ingenuity, and talent on display Saturday were impressive. The creations were beautiful, humorous, and ingenious. Two potters created adorable soap dishes with everyone's favorite Christmas grouch and his cute canine sidekick. There was a stunning and unique soap dish with flowing lines and gorgeous curves for our Vanilla Bean Dream soap. A hilarious but lovely soap dish was created for The Panty Dropper Soap. A soap dish with an adorable goat was made, along with an adorable magnet gifted to us. A beautiful creation of a 3-D pear was made for our Sweet Anjou Pear soap. A lovely maiden is sitting without panties for The Panty Dropper. Deb kept with her theme of beautiful, clean simplicity and created a stunning white dish for our round bars. Each one was truly amazing.

We are so grateful to Deb for thinking of us and using our soaps to inspire this creative challenge. We also appreciate the talented potters who took our soaps to the next level with their beautiful creations. It was a fun night to meet many gifted individuals and see how our creations sparked their creativity. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. I love being part of a creative community of small business owners who support each other. It was an evening filled with laughter, creativity, and community.

Deb offers classes at her original countryside location and her downtown location. To learn how to create pottery, check out Stokehole Pottery's list of courses and workshops. Deb and her studios are hubs of talent and opportunity for our community. There are summer programs for kids and classes/workshops for beginners and advanced potters. Deb provides a stress-free and nurturing environment for her students to learn and create.

On this beautiful spring day, stay safe, be smart, explore the talent in your community, and keep washing your hands.