Cranberry Salad

Earl Murphy
December 2014

I was looking through my recipes this morning and came across this one for cranberry salad. My father-in-law Earl Murphy found it somewhere although I have no clue where. He never used a computer so it could have been in a magazine, newspaper, or even on a Jell-O box. He loved it though and it became his contribution to Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinners. When he got to the point where he no longer cooked, my sister-in-law or I made it for him. My husband and sons never liked it so I haven’t made it since before my father-in-law passed away in 2015 but thought it appropriate to share with my heirloom recipes. I altered the original recipe a little so am sharing both versions. Hope you enjoy.

Cranberry Salad 

Original version

1-pound cranberries, fresh

2 boxes cherry Jell-O, three ounces each

3 cups water, 1 very hot

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 large can pineapple, crushed

1 cup pecans or walnuts, crushed

Mix Jell-O and water. Chill until partially set. Grind cranberries, drain off juice. Add sugar. Drain crushed pineapple (can use one cup of juice in place of one cup water). Mix cranberries, pineapple and nuts with chilled Jell-O and refrigerate.

Altered version

1 can whole cranberries

2 boxes cherry Jell-O, three ounces each

3 cups water (2 very hot)

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 20 ounce can pineapple, crushed

1 cup pecans, crushed

Mix Jell-O, water, and sugar together. Chill until partially set. Mix cranberries, drained pineapple (use with water), and pecans together and stir into partially set Jell-O. Refrigerate until set.

The Murphy clan together on the last Christmas we shared with Earl
December 2014