Layered Orange Congealed Salad

This is a dish we call church ladie food…yep have you ever heard that term before? Well, it is a country term for a dish you would get at a church pot luck dinner or funeral food. I went to an funeral last week and they had some of the best food. We all loved the congealed orange salad which in fact it is not a salad at all, more of a dessert to me. Everyone had to keep going back again and again to get more. See in the south that is one way you show someone you care….you take them good home cooked food. Everyone is known for one dish or another. They had a new one on me it was a ding dong cake ~ well I got the recipe so I will be givin that cake recipe a whirl real soon you can bet on that. There was so many good cooks there. I do love church ladie food! I do! Have you ever read the book Being Dead is no Excuse? Yes, there really is a book titled this and it is a funny book. It is about the food people take to events and etiquette still matter in these situations. It is more of a light funny read trying to make such a dark subject and the things that are done at a funeral funny. A friend gave it to me for my 40th birthday as a joke. Well, I took it in stride and ended up enjoying the book. I took it to read as I was getting my yearly physical. The doctor I use knows my whole family and he got the biggest kick out of the title. He said I am calling Mr. Fixit later today and tell him you are planning a Perfect Funeral ~ oh goodness he better be worried. Doc still teases me about this many years later. Well, I tease back you can bet. All in good fun! But, to add to the humor, the friend that gave me the book is also a patient of his as well. He tells us he has his eye on the two of us…..I bet he does we are a little nutty the 2 of us!

Layered Orange Congealed Salad

1 1/2 cup of chess cookie, crumbled
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup orange juice
1 package 3 oz. JELL-O Orange Flavor Gelatin
1 package 8 oz PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 small can of crushed pineapple
1 tub 16 oz thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 cup cold milk – real southerns use buttermilk
1 package 3.4 oz. JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 small can of mandarin oranges to place on top
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup of small curd cottage chesse

Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Microwave orange juice in microwaveable measuring cup on HIGH 1 minute. Add to gelatin mix in small bowl; stir 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. Gradually add to half the cream cheese in medium bowl, beating with mixer after each addition until blended. Add you pecans and pineapple. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Freeze while preparing the next layer.
Beat remaining cream cheese and milk in medium bowl until blended completely. Add dry pudding mix, beat 2 minutes. Add cottage cheese and zest once mixed well, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Cool Whip. Spread over second layer of gelatin. Top with remaining Cool Whip and top with mandarin oranges, Refrigerate 3 hours.
I would love for you to follow along with Angie’s Southern Kitchen by getting our post each time. Please sign up over to your right and follow along. You can get an email or RSS Feed. Have a lovely day and you come back soon now you hear.

I hope you have a lovely day!
Angie

Print Friendly