I certainly didn't taste it, but this one lady brought her jell-o salad in her crisper drawer.
She said she didn't have a bowl big enough.
So the entire crisper drawer was what she used to prepare and serve it in.
Can you stand it?
There sat a drawer removed from the fridge with jello salad in it. Just in it. Literally, poured into, and set in, the drawer. Here it is 20 years later and I can't get it out of my head.
Is there NOTHING people won't try dropping into Lime Jello?
The last Mormon event I went to they just had desserts - no jello that I recall. Several of the kids, unsupervised, had taken plates and were just running up and down the tables, piling and piling giant heaps of cookies and cake on their plates. I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for them, since perhaps they were just really deprived, or to feel annoyed at their parents for their children's bad manners.
I once tried a navy bean dish which turned out to be just navy beans and chopped kale. Boiled, a little, at least. But no seasoning of any sort, no broth, nothing to accompany them. The beans were hard, bland and dry; the kale was tough and bitter. Crushed potato chips would have been greatly appreciated.
Not a pot-luck, but back in the day when we had real ward dnners, the beef that was catered from a local restaurant gave the whole ward food poisoning.
There was a couple in my old ward, who were referred to as sweet spirits, who used to have the most amazing food repertoire. The man in particular would talk of all these wonderous dishes made with spice and exotic ingredients. You'd imagine vast tables heaving with colourful plates of extraordinary food, like something out of a culinary magazine.
Well you would until you learned that no matter what that guy cooked, or attempted to, it turned grey. They were one of the only couples feeding the missionaries (UK ward) and even they were disturbed (in the stomach) after dining in their home.
I still don't quite know how anyone can turn dishes like spaghetti bolognese grey, but he managed it!
While as mish in Canada, at a ward social, we were warned off the rice-crispy treats. Apparently a guy in the ward was a big time prepper and he made the 'treats' for every social. Instead of rice-crispies he used deep fried meal worms. He was trying to prove insects could be delicious but failed as the plate was just a full when he took it home at the end of the night.
I wish I'd tried them now, just for the experience.
I knew of an old rancher that had castrated a bunch of calves. He was a prankster. He cooked up the mountain oysters, ran them through a meat grinder, mixed them with spices and mayo, put them in a mold and then when it set he put it on a platter, garnished it well, put some fancy crackers on it and sent it to a Relief Society dinner with his cooperative wife...
Not to spoil anyone's fun , But I know EXACTLY what the dish is you were talking about ( topped with crushed potato chips ). When I was a little girl , The R.S. sisters would always make Tuna/Noodle casserole with potato chips crushed on top. My Mom loved it so much that she started making it at home.
It's actually 'tolerable' if you put cheese in it. I remember asking my Mom : "Why do you put potato chips (crushed, of course ) on top of a casserole with noodles" . She said people could stand the tuna casserole better with the crunchy effects. She was right. I haven't made a tuna casserole for so long that I'll have to try it with the potato chips again.
I went to a RS luncheon where the main hot dish smelled just like dog dung. It permeated the gym and I though I'd puke. Of the bad smells that really get me down, dog poop is the worst. I kept trying to get it up to my mouth and couldn't do it. Some people were holding their noses and chowing down. I couldn't figure it out. To me, there had to be some reason why it all smelled like dog poop. Re-purposing? I just couldn't do it.
We never had anything bad at our choir potlucks at my Catholic church. No jello at all, but some realy good Irish sausage, Kielbasi and sauerkraut, pulled pork, vegetable salad, fresh fruit cut up, lasagna, eggplant parm, home-made potato and egg salad, Italian pasta salad, deli sandwiches cut into small pieces, and really good homemade cakes and breads. Yummy! So glad I was never a Mormon, for culinary reasons as well as so many others.
Brother-in-law's ward had a dinner that over hundred people ended up with food poisoning (Logondale, NV). Many of them were hospitalized. Smart ass me said, "So much for the blessing on the food." He didn't appreciate it.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2015 12:19PM by magic823.
One must wonder if some of these dishes were created because of of a lack of ingredients in the home, or people are simply that inconsiderate.
We do not attend many potlucks, but when we do, I spend a fair amount of time and energy into bringing something that is a crowd pleaser. Time tested crowd favorites such as mini sausages in BBQ sauce, high quality baked beans etc.
I understand everyone is not a developed cook, however, one would expect shaming in that from a mormon housewife. Do they not still teach these things in RS?
I would take pride in anything I brought to such a function, and would take offense at others bringing experimental, unsafe (from a sanitary view) or poorly made food.
My guess is that one reason these dishes were created is that things like jello are extremely cheap, and you can feed a crowd when you've given your tithing and other donations, plus bills leaving little else for buying ingredients.
My mother used to make a jello Walfdorf salad. It was made with red jello and contained chopped apples, celery and walnuts. After it had firmed up, she'd smear Miracle Whip on top. I suppose it tasted OK, but it just always seemed weird to me and put me off Waldorf salad for years - but now I love the real thing.