Vintage Cherry Soda Salad

My friend Eloise shared this vintage recipe with me. You can also thank Eloise for getting these stories on the internet and adding those cute illustrations. No, don’t give me credit for that. I’m just a loquacious raconteur. Eloise is the techy.

Vintage Cherry Soda Salad

¾ c. water

¾ c. sugar

1 21-oz can cherry pie filling

1 6-oz box cherry gelatin mix (or 2 3-oz boxes)

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple with juice

1 can of cola

½ c. chopped pecans

Mix water and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. 

Stir in cherry pie filling and return to a boil.

Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Pour mixture into a 9x13 dish.

Combine pineapple, juice, cola, and nuts in a bowl.

Pour pineapple mixture over gelatin mixture and chill overnight.

To be brutally honest, I despise Jello. I have hated it since my youth. My mom used to make it for dessert at least once a week with a can of fruit cocktail in it. I would pick out the fruit and leave the Jello. It’s a texture thing. Jello feels alive in my mouth. I want whatever goes in there to be totally dead.

But this Jello recipe is different. It’s absolutely delicious; maybe because there is so much stuff in there, the whole thing tastes dead, as it should. I actually hid it from Hubby so I could eat it all – it’s that good.

Final note:

Eloise suggests using a cherry-flavored cola, and not a diet variety. She prefers Cheerwine, but she is from Cheerwine’s hometown, so she could be slightly prejudiced. 

ENJOY!