In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk, sugar, and egg yolks to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Add gelatin mixture. Cool until set, 2–3 hours in the fridge or 1/2 hour in a sinkful of ice and water.

Meanwhile, mix crushed graham crackers or crumbs together with brown sugar and melted butter. Reserve 1/2 cup crumbs for sprinkling on top. Press the remaining crumbs in the bottom of a serving bowl, or use a 9×9 square pan.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Whip cream as well. Combine whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and yolk mixture by folding gently until well mixed. Spread over graham base, and sprinkle the top with reserved crumbs.

Refrigerate 2–3 hours until set. Some call it a sweet salad; we usually serve it for dessert.

Pour half of the mixture into a large glass bowl (casserole, trifle or sprayed mold). Refrigerate until firm, about 1–2 hours. Cover remaining gelatin mixture and let stand on counter at room temperature so it doesn’t firm up.

Remove set gelatin from fridge and gently spread sour cream over. Spoon remaining gelatin mixture over sour cream layer. Return to fridge and chill until firm, another 1–2 hours.

Note: You can substitute canned whole cranberries for the frozen berries at Christmas.

Add boiling water, lime Jello mix and sugar into the bowl; stir to dissolve for 2 minutes.

Add the soda, mandarin oranges with juice, lemon juice, and mint extract if using. (If the soda is chilled, it will help the jello set faster.)

Add the cucumber and strawberries. Divide evenly into 10 clean 1-cup jars, filling about 3/4 full. Chill for 3 hours until set. Garnish with mint leaves if desired.

If the fruit is floating, try cooling the mixture until it is just beginning to set. Stir, then divide into jars and chill til set.

Of course you could also pour this into a 9×13 pan, let it set and cut into squares. Or use a Jello mold, or any other bowl. Chill for 3 hours until completely set.

Into the cooled Jello mixture add all of the remaining salad ingredients (mayonnaise through salt) and stir to combine.

Pour into a 9×9 square pan, a 9 inch pie dish or a small ring mold and chill until salad is set (ideally a few hours or more). Cut servings into squares or pie wedges depending on your choice of pan. Top each serving with a dollop of sauce or serve sauce on the side.

Prepare sauce by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl and chill until serving.

You can also add cooked shrimp, chicken or tuna to this mold and serve with sliced avocado and crackers for a great lunch.

Mix the sour cream and marshmallows in a bowl and spread evenly across the jello. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Prepare lemon pudding mix with milk, as directed for a pie. Add Cool Whip and mix until combined. Chill in fridge until set.

Pour pudding over set jello. Serve immediately or chill in fridge until ready to serve.

I’d never heard of the fruit punch-flavored Jell-O before. It sure is yummy!

After it’s all mixed together and you’ve had several bites just to be sure it’s mixed well enough, place the bowl in the fridge for a few hours (at least 2 or up to overnight) to get it super cold and set.

Great as a summer side dish to any meal or all by itself for, breakfast, lunch, or a snack.

Serves 8 – 12 but can easily be doubled.

Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by Kelly at thegrantlife.com.

Some additional add ins you could use (I recommend to 1 cup total), but not all at the same time:

Mandarin oranges
Grapes
Mini marshmallows
Fruit cocktail
Different flavors of Jell-O

Serve in a glass or bowl and sprinkle pistachios on top.

Recipe inspired by Geri Wurth.

In a medium-sized bowl, whip together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until very smooth and light. Spread it over the set gelatin and sprinkle nuts on top. Keep refrigerated until served.