Cool off with congealed salads

The garden is starting to produce tomatoes and cucumber, and I start to think of congealed salads. I am thinking back to childhood and how we would enjoy eating on the front porch or the picnic tables under the old oak tree in the side yard.

Congealed Cucumber Salad

1 package lemon gelatin

½ cup hot water

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. hot sauce

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

8 oz. carton sour cream

½ cucumber, minced fine

Dissolve gelatin in hot water and really cool. Beat in sour cream with beater. Add other ingredients. Pour into mold and let congeal.

Tomato Gelatin Salad

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup chill sauce

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 3-oz. packages lemon gelatin

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add other ingredients. Pour in 9×9-inch pans and congeal. I like to pour into egg cartons and let congeal then flip out on a serving plate and garnish with fresh mint and a walnut or pecan. It will last two weeks, or you can make it up ahead of time. It’s great with chicken salad and fresh fruit.

Summer Salad

3 oz. package lime gelatin

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 small package cream cheese

½ pint heavy cream

1 cup hot water

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. When it begins to thicken, add marshmallows and other ingredients. Whip cream before adding to mixture. Chill and serve in lettuce.

Pineapple Salad Supreme

2 tablespoons gelatin

1 large can crushed pineapple

1 pint cottage cheese

1 chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped pimento

½ tsp. lemon zest

½ cup cold water

1 tbsp. sugar

¾ cup salad dressing

½ pint heavy cream, whipped

1 cup of nuts (I use English walnut just because pecans were all over the farm, and I used so many in other dishes that I wanted a change. But pecans are just fine to use.)

Dissolve gelatin in cold water and heat over hot water to liquid consistency. Add gelatin to all other ingredients combined and congeal.

Growing up, we always had peas or butter beans on the table. We had a wonderful tomato, onion, cucumber, hot pepper, sugar, vinegar mix that we put over our veggies that was so good, I could eat it just with cornbread and the peas. We only had it in the summer. It tasted so fresh and was wonderful on top of the peas or another side dish.

Vinegar Slaw

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup sliced cucumbers

½ diced onion

1 tablespoon hot peppers – only if you like it hot

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups red vinegar

In a bowl that you can cover, put all chopped veggies. Heat vinegar to warm and pour over veggies (not hot, just warm). Add sugar and cover until very cold. This is simple but adds so much flavor to your purple hull peas or crowder or sweet peas. You can just put on top of all your veggies – cannot go wrong.

Onion, Herb and Tomato Tart

¼ cup chopped very fine tomatoes

1 can crescent rolls

1 large onion

1 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. fresh rosemary

2 tsp. brown sugar

4 oz. chopped white cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Press crescent rolls onto cookie sheet and press seams together. Fold edges to form edges on crust. Bake nine minutes. Cook onion and caramelize; add rosemary, brown sugar and tomatoes. Arrange cheese over crust then add onion and tomatoes. Bake four to six minutes then cut and enjoy. Cheese makes everything better – load it up while hot and enjoy.