Subject: That salad from Utah that you need at every church picnic...
Date: Aug 15 17:46
Author: vickilynn
Mail Address:
ok, I am not from Utah or surrounding states and so I can't remember what this special salad is that all the western church members considered a MUST HAVE at our picnics at our ward in the east. It was made from a special pasta that you can't get here in the east. I lived in a ward that incorporated an air force base in its membership so we got a lot of TBM sons and daughters of pioneers etc. and they always made a big deal about this salad! Anyone know what it is called?

 

Subject: Re: The pasta is: Acini de Pepe (INDEED!)
Date: Aug 15 23:03
Author: Mahonri
Mail Address:
This is even a salad we had at our wedding reception. Had oranges and other fruity things in it. Sort of like a tapioca or something.

Mahonri

 

Subject: Re: Frog Eye Salad. nt
Date: Aug 15 17:55
Author: vickilynn
Mail Address:
I guess that must have been it...doesn't sound too exciting! lol...
Probably was though, because the pasta was little tiny pieces, I guess like frogs eyes...actually more like frog's eggs.

 

Subject: What kind of good Exmo Provo RS Pres would I be...
Date: Aug 15 18:47
Author: Deb
Mail Address:
...if I couldn't give you the recipe for Frog-eye salad, so here it is. My mother can't get the Acini de Pepe in California either, I have to send it to her. I have used Orzo, which tastes about the same, but doesn't look like frog's eyes.

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in its own juice, undrained
2 (11-ounce) cans mandarin orange segments, drained
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces)Acine di Pepe Pasta, uncooked
3 1/2 cups (8 ounces) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed and divided
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Maraschino cherries (optional)

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, flour and salt.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice to equal 1 cup. With whisk, gradually stir juice and egg into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well.

In large bowl, stir together pineapple juice mixture and pasta. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Add crushed pineapple and chunks, oranges, 2 cups whipped topping, marshmallows and coconut; mix gently and thoroughly. Cover; refrigerate until cold.

Top with remaining whipped topping; garnish with cherries, if desired.


Subject: Gee, I guess my 4 months in Utah wasn't enough...
Date: Aug 15 18:59
Author: daily
Mail Address:
I'm from California and spent many years in the "field" with too many Utah morgbots and never had this salad. I guess I wasn't special enough....


Subject: Oh yes, and if anyone else needs....
Date: Aug 15 19:00
Author: Deb
Mail Address:
...the recipe for funeral potatoes, green jello salad, zucchini casserole, homemade garlic pickles or Brigham's Brownies...or needs instructions on making turkey carcass sleds, clorox bottle piggy banks, quiet books, 72-hour kits, or hell, you name it...I'm your man (sorta).

You can take the woman out of the Relief Society, but you can't take the Relief Society out of the woman! GOD HELP ME!


Subject: Deb, remember the 72 hour kit that you assemble in a milk carton? n/t
Subject: I am all thumbs when it comes to crafts...
Date: Aug 15 19:39
Author: vickilynn
Mail Address:
and so once they had me demonstrate the milk carton kit because that was one thing I couldn't screw up! LOL...


Subject: I HAVE one of those 72-hour kits in a milk carton!
Date: Aug 15 19:46
Author: Kim
Mail Address:
I have it because sometimes my mom really gets into being a doomsdayer. She made several of them in Relief Society and I became a lucky beneficiary.

Hey, I think maybe there is a candy bar in there now that I think about it. I'm gonna go home and break into it. What do you bet it's stale?
Subject: By Golly...that's it!!!
Date: Aug 15 19:23
Author: vickilynn
Mail Address:
I couldn't remember the name of the pasta...but that is exactly what they called it!!!
Bless you for bringing back such wonderful memories...(oops, sorry for getting carried away!)
Seriously, even though the recipe was from my mo-days it was actually a pretty good salad, so thanks for the recipe!


Subject: Re: What kind of good Exmo Provo RS Pres would I be...
Date: Aug 16 06:53
Author: Cat
Thanks for the recipe - I'm from the UK and I find it hard to believe that people eat this sort of thing!

Are these sweet salads exclusively US Mormon or are they typical to a region of the USA.

I do not know anyone here in the UK who has ever even HEARD of a sweet salad containing sugar, fruit or candy. Salads here are made of vegetables, almost all raw, possibly with rice, pasta or couscous - end of story.

Are these salads served for dessert or with the main course?

Kind regards


Subject: ROFLMAO... Yes, Mormon traditions are just plain weird!
Date: Aug 16 09:55
Author: Deb
Mail Address:
Cat,

You are right. Salads are made of vegetables. Salads are not sweet. But you just can't use that logic in Provo, Utah.

It's not just the UK that thinks differently. When I lived in Alabama and said the words "Jello salad" to someone they looked at me like I was cracked and told me that Jello was a dessert. WHAT??? One more lie exposed in my 40's.


Subject: here's a picture
Date: Aug 15 19:01
Author: LauraD.
http://www.foodsubs.com/PastaSoup.html



Subject: What about that nasty casserole with ground beef and green beans?
Date: Aug 15 19:03
Author: daily
Mail Address:
I couldn't hack that one at all. (Apologies to those folks who actually LIKE it!)


Subject: AAHHHH!!
Date: Aug 16 08:48
Author: "Mountain Man"
Mail Address:
Thanks very much for the horrible memories! LOL!! I have visions of strangling my mother now.........I HATED that casserole. My nevermo wife calls the dish "ca ca potatoes."
Geez....just bring in a Domino's pizza and be a hero for a day!! I don't think the morgbots like the lousy casseroles either, but they are to gutless to say anything. "Pass the Miracle whip drenched reconstituted potatoes please...." LOL! I gotta barf now........


Subject: mystery salad
Date: Aug 16 08:36
Author: "Mountain Man"
Mail Address:
Had to go to Utah for a funeral,which of course,sucked the big green weenie. Then in the "multipurpose room," was this weird buffet for the family. My nevermo wife says,"This is the strangest food I've ever seen!" Frog/fish eye salad....YUCK!!..Pardon me while I BARF!!!


Subject: If there's a way to put sugar in food, Mormons will do it.
Date: Aug 16 10:37
Author: Stray Mutt
Utah consumes more sugar per-capita than just about anywhere else in the country. It's the drug of choice.

I helped my sister finish preparing some brisket for a little reunion buffet. The sauce called for 12 cups of brown sugar! I think the brown sugar outweighed the meat.

As far as Jell-O salad goes, when I would go through the cafeteria line in high school, at one end of the line would be a slab of Jell-O on a wilted piece of lettuce with a blob of Miracle Whip on top. That was a salad. At the other end of the line would be a slab of Jell-O without the lettuce but with a blob of Cool Whip on top. That was a dessert. Mmmm-mmm-mmm. That's good Utah eatin'!


Subject: But it's CAFFIENE that's so bad for you!
Date: Aug 16 15:37
Author: Breeze
Mail Address:
My kids come back from their dads laughing and confused about the evils of caffeine. Meanwhile my little ten year-old daughter has gained about 10 pounds because her dad is stuffing her with gooey desserts the entire time. Now her clothes don't fit!

But, by golly, it's CAFFIENE that's is so bad for you.

uuuuurrrrrrgggggg!


Subject: So, reading this stuff about food.....
Date: Aug 16 15:17
Author: Ben
Mail Address:
.....makes me wonder what the definition of "ethnic food" is in Utah. When Stray Mutt mentions sugar, I'd hate to think what someone who cooks like this would do with (or to) baklava!

It also puts me in mind of the old Monty Python sketch which had a BBC newscaster repeating, "Lemon Curry?"

Ben
Subject: Small Utah mormon town eating
Date: Aug 16 20:40
Author: Kim
Mail Address:
I was going to respond to the post about mormon salads and the mass consumption of sugar, but it is closed [it is now the thread above]. It reminded me of the Relief Society provided luncheons for family members after a funeral. After my great-grandmother's funeral a number of years ago in the small town of Centerfield, Utah, we returned to the church building after going to the cemetery for the luncheon. This was a buffet style luncheon. There was one long table. At one end was a large plate of sliced ham. At the other end were rolls and pieces of cake (box-mix variety) for dessert. In the middle were twelve different "salads" which in that town means Jello. You have to hand it to these small townfolk. They really know how to make some pretty amazing jello concoctions. The one that stands out in my memory however is the light green colored one. It actually was not literally "jello," but was jello-brand pistachio pudding mixed with Cool Whip and...now get this...
the multicolored marshmallow bits from Lucky Charms cereal. You got it: pink hearts, blue moons, yellow stars, and green clovers! Some of the young finicky eaters who didn't like ham certainly got their recommended dietary intake from the "Jello" food group, as did we all. After we awoke from our sugar coma, it was a brand new week.

I suspect many have had similar experiences with small town mormon eating. I wonder how many have actually seen or heard of homemade dish carriers. I don't know if they actually have a name, but I will try to describe them. They are round, about 18 inches in diameter on the bottom, made from some fabric or even knit. they have sides somewhat like a large bag with handles on two opposite sides. I'll never forget seeing my brother's new wife open a Christmas gift from my grandma containing one. It was knit and even had a plastic lining. My sister-in-law was baffled by it...as were we all. She thought it was maybe a hat and put it on her head. It was my mom, being from the same small Utah town, who explained how you put your plates and cups and eating utensils in it to take to the ward party. (Apparently this town doesn't or didn't believe in using disposable plates, etc.)

Later my sister-in-law thanked grandma for the gift. Grandma was pretty sure that she and my brother didn't have their own dishes carrier yet, and she was right.

Anyone else ever seen a knit home-made ward party dishes carrier? Or better yet, been in a jello coma?



Subject: Re: Small Utah mormon town eating
Date: Aug 16 21:21
Author: Switz
In my church (Catholic) we have the funeral dinners also. BUT it is a FEAST. Yes, ham but also roast beef, turkey or if it is a funeral for a Latino then Ethnic food that that family likes. All sorts of side dishes, the usual tossed salad, potato salad in summer and veggies. Maybe a fresh vegetable tray and always dinner rolls. The cakes are generally from Scratch, not box nor store but made from someone's favorite recipe. We also jokingly have a standing order that if anyone brings Jello, especially green, they better be planning their own funeral.

Coffee, tea or cold drinks are served. The tables are nicely covered with table clothes and we use real china dishes, not the paper kind. :-)


Subject: Mormon potatoes
Date: Aug 16 21:33
Author: Kim
Mail Address:
I have to chuckle, Switz. Your post reminded me of what a Catholic former co-worker told me once (in Salt Lake City). She said that for funerals at her church they often serve what they call "Mormon potatoes." Mormons serve the same thing at their funerals but call them "funeral potatoes."


Subject: Re: Mormon potatoes
Date: Aug 16 22:06
Author: Switz
I don't remember anyone serving those here... thank goodness, I can't stand them!! LOL! On another note our funeral dinners are financed differently also. There are various bake sales over the year for the funeral fund or people can just contribute by cash or check if they prefer.

The funeral committee pays for all of the meat, and whatever else was not donated by the Parish members. When the fund gets low there is a call for help and another bake sale. Heh, heh, another thought just occured to me... the water available for the people who prefer that is ICED, yeah with real ice cubes in it.


Subject: Jello with hamburger, beans and macaroni . . .
Date: Aug 16 21:57
Author: Devoted Exmo
Mail Address:
When my father died, he lived in a small town outside of Utah. The mormons from this small ward brought a few dishes in. It was the worst concoction of stuff. Kraft macaroni and cheese with kidney beans and Green jello with hamburger, kidney beans and macaroni. I kid you not!

This was on a week end and my mom couldn't get any money out of the bank (Pre-ATM days) and she had to run to the grocery store, spend her last dime, and buy ham and rolls to feed the group gathered at her home after the funeral of her husband -- just so there would be something to serve!


Subject: Re: That was one good thing about our HT
Date: Aug 16 22:09
Author: Switz
The day my husband died I called the HT and let him know. He asked how many there would be for supper and I told him (the kids were heading home). He told me not to worry about supper and showed up just before supper time with hot fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw and dinner rolls.

We still see him and his wife now and again, he has been ill, and they at least are still friendly towards us.


Subject: That was really kind!
Date: Aug 16 22:24
Author: Devoted Exmo
Mail Address:
Maybe you will get to return the favor some day!


Subject: Oh and one more thing!
Date: Aug 16 22:27
Author: Devoted Exmo
Mail Address:
My mother remarried. She married a non-mormon, but she remained active in the church.

Not long after, her new father in law died. She had a lot of out-of-towners in for the funeral and hosted them at her home. She called the relief society president and asked if they could help. "Well, your father in law was not a mormon! I don't think we should be involved!"

My mother left the church and never went back.


Subject: Small town eating, in general...
Date: Aug 17 08:00
Author: goingplaces
Mail Address:
seems to have a lot in common...my in-laws are very fundy midwest Methodist and they and my husband describe eating habits and choices that are almost identical to all of the Mormon eating rituals described in posts. Even the wedding reception fare and the way the wedding reception is conducted, save for the ring ceremony which is part of the church service is the same, right down to the use of the "cultural hall" and the bad red-ice creamy punch!
When I first came to the board and read these descriptions, I thought they were really about my DH's family!
No emphasis on jello, though,they like it...as well as anything doused in mayo, crushed potato chips, or heavy cheesy sauces.
The no alcohol thing is big with my mother-in-law all the way since childhood. Every year at Thankgiving, I make the Silver Palate Cookbook sweet potatoes with bourbon glaze. We never tell my MIL what "the secret ingredient" is; she LOVES it and is all about going for seconds and thirds on it...
Also, one year, I cooked the turkey on our grill in a disposable pan to free up oven space.
Busy with other preparations, I forgot to check it and by the time I realized it was cooking a little too fast, the bottom of the bird was deep brown and charred. In desperation, I poured a bottle of Chardonnay in the pan and turned the heat down. Later, at the dining table MIL proclaimed it the best T-day turkey she ever ate!

goingplaces


Subject: hilarious!
Date: Aug 17 10:16
Author: Makurosu
I still get a chuckle at how Mormons call green jello a "salad." I had a Mormon boss a few years ago, and I was eating dinner with his family and he said "Hey Sam, have some salad." I looked around the table and didn't see any leafy green vegatables. He handed me a bowl of green jello. I looked back at him in disbelief.

I think it's a Mormon in-joke. Funny too, I think.

BTW Kim, I've been thinking about your experience with the jello with the pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers (and new blue diamonds!), and it seems to me that those marshmallows are a little hard to be in jello. You know, nice soft jello and then hard marshmallows. Bleah! Or did they have some kind of soft marshmallows?

Also, shouldn't Lucky Charms be considered Satanic?