May 12, 2010

Chilled Watermelon Salad

"For-a-Crowd" Recipes, cheese, gelatin, Kids' Favorite Recipes, no-cook, nuts, pineapple, Salad, watermelon

Presented by

34 ratings

Prep time: 15 minutes
chilling time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Partner: Jumbo Seafood Shells

Grandpa used to say that this salad makes you feel as cool as the center seed of a cucumber.

Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
3 cups chopped, seeded watermelon
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup plus 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened,
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces whipped topping

Directions

1

Combine gelatin and boiling water in a medium heatproof bowl. Stir until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add cold water and mix well. Chill until partially set, about 55 minutes.
2

Add watermelon, undrained pineapple and 1 cup pecans to gelatin mixture and mix well. Spoon into a salad bowl. Chill until set, about 1 hour.
3

Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until light and fluffy.
4

Add milk and sugar to cream cheese and beat until the mixture is smooth.
5

Fold whipped topping into cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly over gelatin mixture. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Chill until serving time.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Grandma's story about the time she tried fresh pineapple in this salad has become family legend. Fresh pineapples contain an enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting properly, but Grandma didn't know that as a young bride. She wanted the best for her husband, so instead of canned pineapple she used fresh pineapple for this salad. Eight hours later, the gelatin still was not set, and it never did set. So learn from Grandma's mistake and use canned pineapple in gelatin salads.