A few years back I heard someone call a molded jello salad - congealed salad. I had no idea what they were talking about. Then I found it in older cookbooks with that name. They didn't use jello but plain gelatin. In the same chapter would be recipes for Aspic, basically jelled tomato juice with chopped vegetables; that's what the recipe sounds like.

Has anyone every made and eaten Aspic? I sort of sounds good. I'm curious about it.

Edey

there was a resturant in nearby were my Mother in law lived the seved a terrific tomato aspic I havent had had it and in years .

Yes, I have eaten it many, many times. Mom used to make it. I've made it also. Ours was just the tomato & gelatin. Mom used V-8 Juice, I believe. I used Lemon Jello & tomato sauce.

My dear friemd used to serve it at Christmas. Hers had finely chopped up veggies in it.

I prefer tomato aspic the way Mom made it.

Let me know if you want a recipe for it and I'll see if I can find one.

I don't make it anymore because ,quite frankly, I don't want to make things exactly like what Mom used to serve for holidays. I have troubles dealing with the holidays as mine will never be like they used to be and I miss the way the 4 of us were a loving family. Even after Motormouth became my sister-in-law my immediate family was loving. My half-brother was killed in a freak accident in May 1982. My step-father died the same week he'd had surgery in November 1989. Mom entered the nursing home the first week of February 2007. Christmas 2007 was my first Christmas living in this house by myself and it was not easy.

I'm lucky because my "signature dish" for the holidays is incredibly simple... white chocolate peppermint bark! All I do is crush up a few candy canes, spread out on a cookie sheet covered in foil or parchment, and pour melted white chocolate over it, refrigerate, and break into chunks. I made this once when I was in a pinch and needed something to bring to a party, and it was a huge hit! No one in my family knows how easy it is, and they all rave over it. 

I usually also bake a few batches of cookies around Hanukkah/Christmas (I have family members in both belief systems and we have a big "combined" party every year), and bring them to work potlucks, parties, and give them as gifts.  

Mine would have to be deviled eggs and banana pudding.  Yes, I know that most people don't serve banana pudding as a dessert for the holidays but my DH's family is "different", to say the least.  My DH inherited his late mother's "banana pudding pan". This is a fairly good sized, round, white enamaled pan that she used only to make banana pudding in.  I make it completely full, carry it to my SIL's house and bring the pan home empty.  The couple of years I didn't make it for various reasons I thought we would have a fight when it came time to have dessert and I had brought something other than banana pudding.  The other dish would be deviled eggs.  My SIL usually just calls and tells us when the dinner is going to be and says "of course you're bringing deviled eggs and banana pudding right"?  This year I will be making the deviled eggs but I think I'll make something else for dessert instead of the banana pudding. Of couse I won't tell my SIL that ahead of time I'll just show up with another kind of dessert. Nothing wrong with a little change every now and then.

Shellia  

 

Shelliajean2, I understand about the banana pudding. My Dad thought that was the best dessert in the world. Babs 

Kim_150:

my "signature dish" for the holidays is incredibly simple... white chocolate peppermint bark

A co-worker of mine used to give us a pretty bag of this every Christmas. It was like an addiction to me, I'd eat the whole bag before the day was over and then be sick because of it. The stuff is wonderful!!! Edey

I love that Kim too Kim I make a batch several times between Thanksgiving and Christmas ..  it a family favorite .. that and peanut brittle , last year I make with Pecans and peanuts my family went wild for it ..DH asked me recently it make Pecan brittle it good .Very good.

shelliajean2:

I make it completely full, carry it to my SIL's house and bring the pan home empty.

Wow, Shellia, if something that I brought was as poular as your banana pudding, I would keep making it, following the adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  I might make something else in addition, hoping it would catch on.  I know sometimes we get bored bringing our specialties, but we do such a good job with them, that's the reason for which those dishes are clamored.  The appearance of the family pudding pan is probably a fond remembrance of your DH mother as well, and all the family memories she created for her family during her lifetime. 

There is a neat article in this week's Dollar Stretcher called "Plan Ahead for Holiday Meals".  Here is the link:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/08/08oct20d.cfm