Happy memories and food fads

I like to eat, and I enjoy cooking, but as most people, I get in a rut and like the same things over and over.
I remember foods that appeared at every pitch-in dinner for a while, and then disappeared. Remember Jello poke cake? You baked a white cake then when it cooled; poked holes in it with a fork; mixed up Jello and poured it over the cake. Haven’t seen one in years.
When I was young Jello salads were quite popular particularly one called perfection salad. I remember one was orange Jello with shredded carrots and pineapple and one was green Jello with shredded cabbage.
I remember pistachio pudding being very trendy. One dessert I enjoyed had a graham cracker crust, pineapple, cool whip and nuts. There were two kinds of bean salad at every picnic. One had kidney beans, pickles, boiled eggs, celery and mayo. The other was five bean salad. And then Robert Redford cake made the rounds at every potluck.
If you have moved as many times as we have, you fondly remember certain people who you identify with particular foods. Judy simmered spaghetti sauce for hours every Saturday to serve to her family on Sunday. In Clinton, bunya calda was a popular New Year’s dish.
I remember banana salad fixed a couple different ways by Becky and Wanda, sloppy joe reminds me of Sarah and Becky, I still make homemade ice cream with a recipe from Jimmie, Carolyn made a fruitcake with pineapple, cherries and nuts. Ernestine made pound cake that she took to shut-ins or people who needed cheering up. I think of Linda at Indianapolis who made oriental chicken salad, Martha from Plainfield shared her chocolate chip cookies. Earlene made a great ham loaf and broiler pan chocolate cake. Maxine made her version of thousand island dressing with mayo and catsup, Mary Ann made great chicken and rice, Gerrie fixed pork cutlets and Doris made a summer slaw that I still fix.
I remember angel food cake with pink icing and vanilla ice cream my mom always made for my birthday. Larry says she made the best potato salad with lots of pickles and onions. And my mother-in-law always had pie dough in the fridge so she could whip up a pie when we visited. And just the other day I baked yeast rolls using her recipe.
When we lived in Arkansas, rice was a staple. I remember Glorified Rice, a salad made with marshmallows, apples, pineapple, maraschino cherries and nuts. My husband was a minister in Fisher, Arkansas, and we were invited to many dinners where a visiting preacher was being hosted. One year a returning minister asked about hallelujah rice, that’s how he remembered it. They also made rice salad instead of potato salad.
I hope I have caused you to remember friends and food and now I think I will go fix a recipe of Righteous Rice.

[Larry Vandeventer. Go to my two websites – Larryvandeventer.com and wjrambler1956.com – and purchase my books. I grew up North of Calvertville and graduated from Worthington High School and Indiana State. Contact me at Goosecrick@aol.com or 812-557-3342]