What’s in my Lunchbox — Heirloom Recipes

The focus today is on the Paula Deen Blueberry Jello Salad and Julia’s Vermicelli Salad.    We served these at our Easter picnic on Saturday when we dyed eggs.

The jello recipe I tore out of a magazine before Paula Deen became a household word.  It is so yummy and a great dish to take to a friend or potluck.  You could easily make it into several smaller salads, or in my case I just made it in a 9×13 glass dish.

Boil 2 cups of water

Pour into a large mixing bowl then add:

1 20-oz can of crushed pineapple (drained)

2, 3-oz boxes of black cherry jello (I use sugar free and you can’t tell the difference)

1 can blueberry pie filling

Mix all together then pour into your preferred size dish.  Let set in refrigerator for 2 hours.  Meanwhile, mix together one 8-oz package of soften cream cheese, 8-oz of sour cream and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Spread onto the set jello and refrigerate another two hours or overnight. Garnish with mint or fruit.

The second recipe is from 90-years young Julia Johnson.  My childhood friend. 

Julia is an amazing cook.  I first tasted this vermicelli salad on a vacation when I was little.  Julia and her husband, Jimmy, went with me, Earnie and Daddy in the motorhome for a cross-country trip to Virginia and the Carolinas.  Earnie said Julia came over one day to measure the refrigerator in the motor-home so she would know exactly how much food to prepare and how to package it.  That might have been the summer when my waist line started to expand.

You have to do some planning with this recipe.  You make it the night before and there’s lots of chopping.

Cook one package of vermicelli pasta noodles (or really any type pasta you like.  Bow-tie might be nice)
Pour off water but do not rinse.

After pasta has cooled put it into a large plastic container with a lid.  Add 2 TBL of olive or canola oil and 2 TBL fresh lemon juice (not from a bottle), and 1 tsp of Accent seasoning.  Shake tub and mix well.  Refrigerate over night.

Next day to the pasta add one can of chopped green olives, one can of chopped black olives, one chopped onion, one chopped bell pepper, and one cup of chopped celery.  After you’ve mixed in the vegetables, add 2 TBL of mayonnaise and 2 TBL italian dressing.  Mix well and put back in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  This is one of those recipes that tastes better with age.  I usually double it so I have some left over to eat all week.

I am trying to go through Earnie’s recipes to find one that I liked growing up.  I want it in her pretty handwriting she had before her stroke affected her ability to write.  I plan to frame a few and display them in my kitchen.  Aren’t some of your fondest memories watching your mother cook?