Friday Fan Fare; It's been a while.

This is a family favorite and a guaranteed dish at parties, reunions, picnics, etc.


PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE JELLO SALAD
1 c. boiling water
1 can crushed pineapple (my mother insists that you must use pineapple from the Philippines - but it's difficult to find Filipino crushed pineapple - so go with what you can find)
1 c. juice (from can) + water (as needed)
2 pkg. lime Jello
2 8oz pkg. cream cheese


Dissolve Jello in 1 cup boiling water, add the juice (from can) plus enough water to make 1 cup. Crumble the cream cheese into Jello mixture and stir in the crushed pineapple. Pour mixture into a 13x9 pan or casserole dish (or a bowl or mould, if you prefer). Refrigerate. After 1 hour (remove from refrigerator and) fold/stir gently to evenly distribute cheese and pineapple. Chill overnight or until firm.

Some like to blend in the cream cheese to make a more milky product - my personal preference is to stir the mixture as gently as possible, to keep little nuggets of cheese throughout.

Oh, and another little secret is that I often use sugar-free jello (gasp!).

I have come to learn, living here in southeastern Pennsylvania for(ever) some time, that jello salad isn't as ubiquitous as I was raised to believe.  I took it to a pot-luck party a few years ago - and was actually asked "but what is it?" And it was the topic of a rather lengthy discussion amongst the jello salad innocents.  It's tasty; I promise.

But, if you're going to Pittsburgh for an AFC Championship party, you'll fit right in.  But you might want to use lemon Jello (although lime is better).