Buffet-style Pozole Rojo - chicken or pork

A big, easy-to-serve version of Family-style Pozole.   Instructions for the pork version are below the chicken version.  Very popular for parties in the fall to winter season, especially as Christmas approaches. Pozole is traditional for Christmas Eve.  It is very simple but somewhat time-consuming to prepare. It's way easier to make than homemade tamales. Special tamales, including sweet tamales, are about the most labor-intensive Christmas-time food project in our town.  And Pozole is easier than its cousin, Menudo, too.

Pozole can be largely prepared in advance of a party, except for the raw vegetable accompaniments. It is served in bowls. Not for a formal-style gathering.  Good for brunch on cold mornings, or for people with a cold. The recipe may be doubled or tripled to serve from an electric roasting pan (they vary in capacity), but the weight could strain the handles of the roaster if lifted. Transport part of Pozole (especially liquid) in a separate container.

CHICKEN POZOLE

Ingredients

One family-pack chicken thighs (about 5 pounds)
Chicken broth or water
One very big can of Mexican-style hominy - about 3 Kg or almost 7 pounds
One 8-oz. package dried pods of Chile California or similar very mild chiles
One 2-oz. package dried pods of Pasilla, Pasilla Negro or Pasilla-Ancho chiles (optional)
Garnishes (see below)

Chicken and Broth: Simmer chicken thighs in enough water and/or chicken broth to cover, until tender but not falling apart. Remove from broth. Cool, remove skin, bones and visible fat and cut chicken into chunks.  Strain chicken broth, mix some warm water with the skin and bones and strain into broth.  Skim fat from broth.  If making ahead, it will be easier to remove the fat from the broth after refrigeration. 

Chile Puree (Red Sauce): Tear off and discard stem ends of chiles. Tear in half lengthwise (or break very dry chiles into pieces). Remove as much of the central seed membrane as can be done without too much work and shake out loose seeds.  Tear each chile into several pieces.  Sometimes chiles are toasted at this point, but I learned to make this dish without toasting the chiles.  Pack chile pieces into a large saucepan, cover with water, cover pan and bring to a boil. Remove covered pan from heat, setting aside for 30 minutes to soften and cool chiles.

When at least cool enough to leave your hand on the bottom of the pan, process chiles and part of the liquid in a blender or food processor until skins are reduced to about 1/4 inch chunks, or until smooth. Work sauce through a coarse sieve to remove skin and seed fragments. Or use a food mill or berry press to remove the seeds and skins. You may add the remaining liquid or some water to the skins, stir and strain again. Discard skins. Chile puree may be prepared the day before and refrigerated, or up to a couple of weeks in advance and frozen.

Final Preparation:  Heat broth and chunks of chicken meat in a large kettle.  You can also use an 7 or 8-quart slow cooker turned to high heat, but heating and simmering will take longer. Drain, rinse and add hominy to chicken and broth. Add chile puree and salt to taste. You should have leftover chile puree (red sauce).  Many recipes call for 4 ounces of dried chiles to make puree for this much hominy and meat.  The packages above should make enough sauce for 2 big batches unless you serve additional red sauce as a garnish.  The red sauce can also be used to flavor other dishes.   

Add water and/or additional chicken broth to bring Pozole to a soupy consistency. Adjust salt and simmer to blend flavors, for at least half an hour. The hominy swells as it simmers, so you may need to add additional water, broth and/or chile puree later. Refrigerate or freeze extra chile puree.

To Serve: Ladle into serving bowls and serve with these garnishes:

• A big bowl of thinly shredded or finely chopped cabbage (with tongs for adding cabbage to the Pozole).  I think pre-packaged Angel Hair Coleslaw (cabbage only) works very well.

• Finely diced red or white onion (offer minced scallions for more sensitive tummies or when available onions are very strong)

• Lime and/or lemon wedges (or lemon or lime juice)

• Sliced or julienned radishes

• hot pepper flakes, reserved red sauce and/or hot sauce 

• dried whole oregano to rub over individual servings as desired. 

 Cool and refrigerate leftover Pozole.   You may need to add additional liquid when reheating.   

Notes, including directions for Pork Pozole

The cabbage, onion and/or scallions and citrus are mandatory accompaniments. Other garnishes are optional but may be expected. Minced cilantro and/or Italian parsley are not traditional garnishes for this dish in winter in many regions, but are often offered.  Sometimes shredded iceberg lettuce is substituted for the cabbage and avocado is offered.  I don't know if these are traditional, however.    

I learned to make this style of Pozole from a friend who grew up in Michoacán.   Many of the people who live in our little town are from this state of Mexico.  This state includes mountainous regions where it freezes in winter, so cilantro is not available then.  This state also includes wintering grounds for Monarch butterflies.

PORK POZOLE

In our little town, Pozole made with pork butt or pork neck and a pig's foot is common at Christmas-season family gatherings. You may also use pork in the recipe above.  Pork shank and Boston pork butt are common choices for this size recipe.  Four or 5 pounds of lean country-style spare ribs (not real spare ribs) is an easy choice. Cut into large chunks before or after simmering in water or broth until tender.  Cool meat enough to remove visible fat and any bones.  For buffet-style Pozole, shred meat with two forks.

In some recipes, the pork is cut into one inch or 1 1/2 inch chunks and browned before simmering, adding some minced garlic at the end.   Rubbed oregano or coriander and a bay leaf may be added to the liquid as the meat simmers.   In some regions, the cook may add garlic cloves, cumin and/or a little ground allspice to the red sauce as it is placed in the blender to be pureed.   Garlic, cumin and oregano will make the dish taste more like chili.  Coriander is the seed of cilantro, but has a different flavor.  I have made pork pozole with bay leaf and a little coriander added to the meat, and liked it.  Remove bay leaf before serving. 

Our friend Rosie likes to add some dried Pasilla chiles with the traditional dried California chiles.   I believe that the name "Pasilla" refers to the wrinkled appearance of the dried chiles (like a raisin).   You could also try Ancho/Poblano chiles, which are sometimes smoked while drying.  Here, one popular choice is called "Pasilla-Ancho".  These may be dark Ancho peppers, but I'm just guessing.  Any of these will give a deeper color and more complex flavor to the dish. None of them are very spicy.   We have used a 16 oz. bag of Chile California and an 8 oz. bag of Chile Pasilla-Ancho to make red sauce for a season's worth of Pozole. Chile California is a red, dried version of the Anaheim Chile.  It is very similar to New Mexico Chiles, but milder.  Guajillo chiles are also used for Pozole, often in combination with one of the others above. 

Sometimes we see red hominy (made from red corn) in big cans this time of year, too. 
 
In Mexico, various raw or cooked vegetables (and other accompaniments like chopped hard-cooked eggs) are also offered when other kinds of soup are served, so diners can add the ones they like.

Allergy information: Contains corn.

Coconut/Oatmeal cookies

David loves these. The recipe is from blogger Jane Galt (nom de blog) who writes,

These are the rare cookies that improve with age; they just get crispier and more delicious every day. Hope y'all enjoy.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (old fashioned; not quick or instant)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in egg. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to mixture. Stir in nuts and coconut. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.

Allergy information: Most sweetened, flaked coconut products contain corn derivatives and also a sulfiting agent to preserve whiteness. Sulfites can cause anaphylaxis in sensitive people.

Chewy Chocolate Chip or Coconut Cookies or Bars

The Best Recipe includes recipes for both traditional chocolate chip cookies and big, chewy cookies like the ones you get at cookie stores. And they tell you how they came to the ideal recipes. The latter recipe uses melted butter. Following are tweaks and variations on that recipe. The bars are seriously chewy.

You can divide the dough to make more than one kind at the same time. You might want to prepare some cookies to eat while warm and bars to cool for later. Or make part nut or coconut and part chocolate-only cookies. If preparing part of the batch with nuts, prepare them after the no-nut cookies to prevent problems for anyone allergic to nuts.

If you don't have two big cookie sheets (around 11 x 17 inches) or if you want to make smaller cookies, you may not be able to get all the cookies in the oven at the same time. But you could make one sheet of cookies and one pan of bars at the same time - say a 9 x 13 inch pan of coconut bars and 6 chocolate chip cookies (slightly smaller than in the directions) to eat while warm. They would fit on a smaller cookie sheet. Or make a big sheet of big cookies and a 9 x 9 inch pan of bars. I would put the sheet of cookies on the top oven rack if I chose this option. Cookies will be done before the bars. You could move the bars to the top rack when you take the cookies out if you like.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm. (1 1/2 sticks, 12 Tablespoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons flour (stir, spoon into cup, level without shaking)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
I prefer not to use the full amount of chocolate chips in most chocolate chip cookie recipes. Half a cup for the entire recipe below is fine for me. Choose your personal chocolate level.

Directions

Set oven racks at medium-high and medium-low levels. Set oven temperature to 325 degrees. This is a lower temperature than most cookie recipes. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugars well. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, then the vanilla until well-combined.

Sift baking soda into some of the flour, whisk together with the rest of the flour and the salt. Beat flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture just until combined. Do not over-mix. Stir chocolate pieces or other additions (below) into dough.

Big Cookies

If dough seems too soft to handle, refrigerate for a few minutes while preparing cookie sheets. Line 2 large cookie sheets with baking parchment. Roll scant 1/4 cup portions of dough into balls. For a "bumpy" look, pull apart and jam together again with jagged sides facing up. Space on cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, reversing sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking. For smaller cookies, reduce baking time. When cookies are golden brown and have started to harden at the edges but are still soft and puffy in the center, remove from oven. Cool on cookie sheets on rack. Serve warm (not hot) or allow to cool completely then peel from parchment. Makes about 18 big cookies.

Bar Cookies

If you are worried about the bars sticking to the pan, oil the pan or spray with non-stick spray and line the bottom and two sides (leave enough at the two sides for "handles" to remove cooled cookies for cutting) with parchment or waxed paper, folded under to fit the bottom flat, while missing the corners. Oil waxed paper again to plaster it flat to the pan. This is a good idea if you are baking the bars in a metal pan which you could mar while cutting the bars.

Press dough in a 10 x 15 x 1 (at least) inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 23 minutes or more, until golden and starting to harden at the edges but still soft and puffy in the center. You may also bake half the dough (with chips, etc.) in a 9 x 9 inch pan or 3/4 of the dough in a 9 x 13 inch pan for 20 minutes or more. Prepare the remaining dough as cookies. See above.

Cool bars in pan on a wire rack. If you lined the pan with waxed paper or parchment, loosen the sides of the cooled "cookie" and lift out of the pan with the paper "handles" to a cutting board. Peel paper off the bottom, place right-side up and cut into bars with a serrated knife. Cover when fully cooled. You may put cut bars back in the baking pan if you don't want to dirty more dishes.

Chocolate Chip/Nut Cookies or bars

Add 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans with chocolate chips. You may substitute white baking chips for half the chocolate chips. Save a few nuts to garnish the top if making bars.

Coconut/Nut Cookies or Bars

Toast 1 cup sliced almonds or whole almonds or pecans and cool, or use raw almonds or pecans. Chop nuts if not using sliced almonds.

Lightly mix nuts and 1 1/2 cups sweetened dried coconut into the prepared dough. You may also add chocolate chips as above. You may reserve up to half the nuts to garnish the top if making bar cookies (try to pick the large pieces if using chopped nuts). Press into the dough lightly before baking.

Bake as for chocolate chip cookies or bars (see above).

Milk Chocolate-topped Coconut/Nut bars

Omit chocolate chips. Press dough containing coconut and half or more of the nuts (in the variation above) into baking pan. See directions under "bar cookies" above. Sprinkle remaining nuts over the dough and press into dough lightly. Bake as for bars above. Remove from oven and cool for three minutes in the pan, or until center feels "set". Sprinkle with Guittard Milk Chocolate baking chips (or other favorite chocolate). Leave some of the bars "bare" if you like. Allow chocolate to melt and swirl over the top of the bars. Chocolate may not harden for several hours after cookies are cooled. You may wish to refrigerate cooled cookies for a while if you want the chocolate hardened sooner.

To cover about half of a 9-inch square pan use 1/2 cup chocolate chips. For the entire pan, use 1 cup.

For a 9 x 13 inch pan use 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Use 3/4 cup to cover half the pan. If you cover half the bars lengthwise with chocolate, you can make 5 rows of bars (the long way) with the middle row half plain and half chocolate.

For a 10 x 15 inch pan use 2 cups milk chocolate chips (1 package) for the entire pan of bars, 1 cup to cover half the pan.

Lemon Bars

I can't eat these because of the cornstarch in the powdered sugar. But people still expect me to make them for parties and big gatherings. This is due to the cooking reputations of David's mother and his sister.

Cookie Layer:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus a little finely grated lemon zest if desired
(lemon zent not included in original recipe)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and preheat oven to 350º. Spray the inside of a light-colored, shiny metal or glass 9 x 13 inch baking pan (not a flat cookie sheet) with non-stick cooking spray and spread to a thin layer (including where bars meet the sides of the pan).

For the cookie layer, beat together powdered sugar and butter. Stir and knead in flour, avoid overmixing. Pat evenly into the 9 x 13 inch pan. Form a slightly higher rim of dough, about 3/8 inch, around the edge. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Lightly beat eggs, mix flour into some of the sugar, then add sugar and flour to eggs along with the lemon juice. Beat until frothy.

After cookie layer has baked for up to 20 minutes, remove from oven. Quickly pour filling over hot cookie layer and return to oven. Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar, using a fine sieve or sifter. Cut carefully with a sharp knife and remove from pan with a flat spatula. Makes 2 or 3 dozen small bars.

Big Batch:
Double all ingredients. Bake in a 1/2 hotel sheet pan or 1/2 size sheet cake pan, about 12 x 17 inches. Bars will be slightly thicker than those made with the single recipe, and may need to be baked a minute or two longer at each step. Note: Smart & Final or other restaurant suppliers sell 1/2 hotel sheet pans and foil sheet cake pans, which have higher sides. The 1/2 size sheet cake pan will fit inside the hotel sheet pan, which will give it added stability while cooking and removing from the oven, if you wish to bake the bars in a disposable pan. Be sure to grease the pan well to prevent an interaction between the filling and the aluminum pan. You may also slide the foil pan onto a cool, flat cookie sheet as you remove it from the oven to transfer it to a wire rack or racks.

Cream Cheese Marble Brownies

I often make a 10 x 15 inch pan of these brownies, using a brownie mix for a 9 x 13 inch pan, plus the cream cheese filling.  

A double recipe (two brownie mixes) in a 1/2 sheet cake pan is shown in the photo below.  It was baked in a shallow, 1-rack oven, so it shows a little more browning than brownies baked in a big oven.  This pan of brownies was made with two Pillsbury mixes and baked for about 34 minutes at 350 degrees.   The cream cheese filling was made with 3 packages of cream cheese (see directions).

9 x 13 inch Pan or 10 x 15 inch pan of Brownies:  Try these with either "Pillsbury Brownie Classics - Traditional Fudge" or "Duncan Hines Family-Style Brownies". Both these mixes make a 9 x 13 inch pan of brownies. Directions call for the addition of 2 eggs, oil and water. Once I accidentally left one egg out of the brownie batter and the brownies were very dense and gooey. People loved them.

Two 8 oz. package cream cheese, low fat or Neufchatel cheese, softened (room temperature - microwave at low power if you are in a hurry.)
½ cup sugar (scant)
¾ to 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 egg or two egg yolks

One fudge brownie mix (9 x 13 inch pan) plus eggs, water and oil per package directions

Prepare filling by beating softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth - no lumps of cream cheese. Do not add egg until sugar and cream cheese are thoroughly mixed. Beat in vanilla and egg. Cover and chill filling until ready to finish brownies.

Preheat oven and prepare pan per directions on brownie mix. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and spread in pan. Spoon filling onto brownie mix in 3 or 4 longitudinal stripes. Using a circular motion with a fork, fold some of brownie batter over the filling, working along each stripe. Then lightly move the fork across the stripes crosswise, back and forth in a large wave pattern, to create swirls. Don't overdo it. Bake according to package directions for a 9 x 13 inch pan of plain brownies if you are using a 10 x 15 inch pan.   Thicker brownies in a 9 x 13 inch pan may take two to four minutes longer.

Pale filling will be very slightly browned at the edges when brownies are done if baked in the middle of a big oven and may show no browning if baked on a rack under a second batch of brownies.
 
Notes: Feel free to experiment with 1 package of fat-free cream cheese and 1 package of low fat.

You may also use only 1 package of cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and one egg yolk for the filling. One package of cream cheese for the filling is also suitable for a smaller (8x8 or 9x9 inch pan) brownie mix like the Betty Crocker mix that comes in a bag instead of a box.

Photos below show cream cheese "stripes" on a double recipe, folded stripes (my fork fell in the batter) and swirled stripes.  The finished product is at the top of this post.

DOUBLE RECIPE: You can prepare a double recipe in a 1/2 size sheet cake pan (about 12 x 17 inches). Make sure the pan fits in your oven with a little room to spare first. I like to use a foil ½ sheet cake pan on a sturdy ½ size hotel sheet (from Smart & Final or another restaurant supply). Allow a few minutes extra baking time for the larger recipe.

For the double recipe, use 3 packages cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar (scant), 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and  one egg  OR 4 packages cream cheese, 1 cup sugar (scant), 1 ½ to 2 tsp. vanilla and two eggs.  If you like, you can add a little almond, coconut or orange flavoring with the vanilla (to taste -- before adding egg).  

For a BIG crowd, two kinds of brownies at once:  If you need to bake a lot of brownies in a hurry for a party or buffet, you can bake nut brownies or plain brownies on the upper shelf of the oven and the marble brownies on the lower shelf. Press a few pieces of nuts into the top of nut brownies so people can tell they contain nuts. The marble brownies take a little longer to bake. With two ½ sheet cake pans, you can make a very large number of brownies at one time.  Frost plain brownies if you like. 

Allergy information: Brownie mixes generally contain corn products and may contain traces of nuts. Check ingredients. There are now a few gluten-free brownie mixes out.

Quick Lemon Cookies

These cookies are made from cake mix, so I can't eat them. They contain corn products. But you can make them start to finish in under half an hour - less if you have two cookie sheets and room in the oven for both.

They went over well at a little party I went to. Nice to have a box of cake mix around to make an emergency dessert from time to time. The recipe is pretty much the one on the cake mix box. They're supposed to be "crisps", but mine were kind of chewy with crispy edges. In summer, you can bake them early in the morning for an event later in the day. But I think one reason people liked the ones I made is that they were made the same day. Fresh counts for a lot sometimes.

Cookies
1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
Sugar for dipping

Heat oven to 375º. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Place sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly oil the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass and dip into the sugar. Flatten the first ball to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with other balls of dough. No need to re-coat with oil. Bake cookies for 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool one minute, remove from cookie sheet to a rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Big Cookies: I made the balls of dough about 1 1/2 inches and baked for more than 9 minutes. Made 24 big cookies. I thought the smaller cookies might be nice as sandwich cookies. Mark said he would eat the big ones as sandwich cookies, too. Maybe with lemon curd, lemon curd and whipped cream cheese, quick butter/lemon frosting or cream cheese frosting. Someone suggested ice cream. That would take some work. I think I would prefer any of these as a filling or topping (added just before serving) to the icing recipe on the cake mix box (but I just don't like hard icing glazes). Since I can't eat them anyway, choose the one you like, or leave them "bare" like I did.

Half-recipe You can make half a batch of the big cookies on one cookie sheet. If you cover it with foil (shiny side up), mess will be minimal. Use half a box of cake mix, 1 egg and 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons oil. Don't go over level when measuring the oil.

To divide a cake mix in half, open the top of the inner bag and alternately measure 1/4 cup at a time into two bowls. Pack and level the mix into your 1/4 cup measure against your flat fingers (outside the bag). Switch to measuring spoons to evenly divide mix when you have less than 1/2 cup left. Return second half of mix to inner bag, roll up top and fasten with a clothes pin. Return to box for later. Probably best to use the second half of the mix within a few weeks.

Icing
This is the icing from the recipe on the box. I didn't ice mine. But the icing would add a little fresh lemon zing.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with yellow-colored decorative sugar before the icing sets.

Barbara's Strawberry Flowers

When the big, local strawberries are on, it's time to make these for a party.

BARBARA'S STRAWBERRY FLOWERS

Large, fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

Place hulled strawberries on a plate with the large side down. Cut partway through berries from the top to form 4 to 6 "petals". Place cream cheese filling in a piping bag, place piping tip into each berry where cuts intersect and fill each berry, being careful not to break it. The cut sections of the berries will separate into "petals". Don't fill the berries too far in advance of serving.

CREAM CHEESE GARNISH OR FILLING

Cream cheese or reduced fat cream cheese
lemon juice and powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese with a little lemon juice and with powdered sugar to taste (should be sweeter if filling tart berries).

Allergy information: Cream cheese garnish contains fermented milk products and cornstarch from the powdered sugar.

Barbara's Fancy Green Jello Salad

My mother-in-law is a wonderful cook who can organize a great meal even for a very large crowd. But she especially likes this recipe for book clubs, Relief Society meetings and other less-massive groups. She likes to add a special touch by piping some cream cheese topping onto each serving. The topping is similar to, but less sweet than the filling for these.

David loves his Mom's fancy salad. I have modified it (recipes here) so he can eat something similar on a more regular basis.

Barbara's Fancy Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Green Jello Salad

1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello gelatin
Regular or sugar-free
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 2 cups
or try the instructions below for sugar-free Jello*
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander, reserving juice. Chill the pineapple and evaporated milk while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the 9 x 13 inch baking dish in which you will chill the salad.

Add water to the pineapple juice to make 2 cups. Bring the juice and water to a boil, pour into a stainless steel bowl large enough to contain all ingredients of the salad, and sprinkle the lemon and lime Jello powders into the water. Stir to dissolve the gelatin completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of ice water to cool gelatin. Or place the bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to cool. Stir occasionally while gelatin cools, as thickening will start around the edges. When the gelatin is thickened but not set, beat in the evaporated milk, cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into a chilled 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Cover and chill until salad is set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To serve, cut into squares and garnish as desired.

For parties, garnish this salad with a mixture of cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese beaten with a little lemon juice, slightly sweetened with powdered sugar. This mixture should have the consistency of a thick frosting. Pipe a little of this mixture onto each serving of salad. Use a little less sugar than the piped cream cheese filling for strawberry flowers.

* Because Aspartame, a sweetener in sugar-free Jello, is degraded by heat, I like to sprinkle the sugar-free Jello powder evenly over 1/2 cup cold water before adding boiling water. Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before adding 1 cup boiling water and/or (canned or bottled) fruit juice. The gelatin dissolves very quickly even if you use only one cup of boiling juice and water. You can then add 1/2 cup of cold water including a little ice to speed up cooling of the gelatin. You could also add a touch of fresh citrus juice to the cold water for zippy flavor.

Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Mayonnaise contains eggs. The cream cheese garnish contains cornstarch from the powdered sugar.