A Colorful St. Patrick's Day Salad

We always associate the color green with anything Irish or related to St. Patrick's Day. Green is one of my favorite colors and we all know that if we don't wear anything green on this day, a pinch is in store for you! It's fun to be a part of this interesting day by wearing a green article of clothing.

If you don't have anything green to wear, you might could get away with cooking something green! The recipe I'm sharing is for a "St. Patrick's Day Salad". This refreshing salad gets its color from, naturally, lime gelatin. It also contains a number of ingredients that compliment the lime flavor, including marshmallows, cheddar cheese, crushed pineapple, mayonnaise, whipped cream and chopped nuts. It's as pretty as it is good to eat.

When making a gelatin salad (or congealed salad, as many refer to them), it's a crucial step to dissolve the gelatin completely in the boiling water. The people at Kraft Foods, who make "Jell-O" gelatin, state that dissolving the gelatin should include two minutes of stirring to completely dissolve the granules. A thorough dissolving will improve the outcome of the salad, especially if it's to be congealed in a gelatin mold.

While this salad can be molded in a gelatin mold, to make it easy, I simply congeal it in a 8-inch dish. To make this salad look especially festive and eye-appealing for serving, cut the salad into squares and place on top of a lettuce leaf on a salad plate. A spoonful of whipped cream or sour cream placed on top, along with a green maraschino cherry would be the crowning glory! If you're having company, the recipe may be doubled to serve a larger number, simply by using a shallow 2 quart dish to congeal the salad in.

If green isn't your color or you have nothing to wear that's green this coming Sunday, try making this salad instead!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY SALAD

• 10 large or 100 miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) lime gelatin
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Place marshmallows in the boiling water and return to boiling. Remove from heat and add the gelatin, stirring to completely dissolve. Place in refrigerator to cool until slightly thickened, but don't let congeal. Fold in the remaining ingredients, except for the cream. With cold beaters and a cold bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the gelatin mixture. Turn into an 8-inch square dish and chill until firm. Cut into squares and place on lettuce leaves. Decorate with whipped topping or sour cream and a green maraschino cherry. Yield: 8 servings.