flower power

Pretty, pretty flowers. The greenhouse is full of them. They are good for the soul.


I am making a determined effort to appreciate the fact that I have these gorgeous beauties at my beck and call.


(Even gorgeous beauties that are covered in aphids. It would seem this batch of lady bugs are pooping out on us. Perhaps it's time to call in some reinforcements.)


I'm making a determined effort not to succumb to the late winter (even though it's technically spring) dreary and depressed doldrums.

Easier said than done, right?


Today is our first sunny day in weeks and weeks and boy, does it do a winterized heart good to finally see some blue skies.


On a totally different, non-flowery note, we recently re-discovered a jello recipe we haven't had since the 80's. It's quite scary to think that the last time I had this I was probably wearing acid wash jeans and sporting very big Aussie Sprunch sprayed bangs.

Dear 80's,
Why?
Love,
Teresa

It's a recipe for raspberry jello with a pretzel crust. It is one of the wackiest combinations out there, but there is something truly delightful about the saltiness of the pretzels, the tartness of the raspberries and the creamy sweetness of the cream cheese layer. I promise, strange as it is, it's worth a try.


This is also one of the messier food photos I've ever taken. It would be much more appetizing if I'd taken the time to primp the subject even a little bit, but alas, it was not to be.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello. It may not be pretty, but it sure is good.

raspberry jello

Are you a jello fan?

I am a jello fan.

Is jello out of style?

I just don't see a lot of jello recipes making the rounds, but maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

Or, maybe I'm not even looking at all, and should do some research before I start a blog post about the lack of jello related conversation on the internet, because I just this very minute spent some quality time with Google, and there are in fact entire blogs devoted to jello.

Will wonders never cease.

Any time I make a full blown, company's coming dinner, it includes some sort of jello. More often than not, it includes this very jello because it's quick, easy and very, very good.


Raspberry Jello
1 - 6 oz package raspberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 - 20 oz can blueberry pie filling
1 - 20 oz can crushed pineapple
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8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over jello and stir until totally dissolved. Stir in pie filling and crushed pineapple with juice. Place in refrigerator to cool.
Soften cream cheese in the microwave and stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
(Make sure you get all the lumps smoothed out of your cream cheese. Lumpy cream cheese does not a pretty jello make.)

Back in the day, I used to let the jello set up quite a bit before I swirled the cream cheese mixture through. Nowadays, I usually just blend the two together right away. It's not quite as pretty as having the cream cheese swirled throughout, but it's just as good.

You can also substitute raspberry pie filling. It's every bit as delicious and kind of pretty to have on your table at Christmas as it makes the dish red instead of the purple you get with the blueberry pie filling.

Are there any other Jello Junkies out there? If so, shout out your favorite jiggly recipes.

Unless it's the one with the cottage cheese.

That one makes me a little nervous.