Cherry Jello Salad

This is a dish that truly astounded me when I first had it and I’ve been making it non-stop since. When I was engaged my mom threw me a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower and part of the shower was having family and friends give me three of their favorite recipes to start my collection. One of my favorite recipes is this cherry Jello salad and it’s not your typical Jello salad. For starters it is creamy with a little bit of a zip to it, you have to try to know what I’m talking about.

Gluten is not the only thing we avoid, we also don’t eat High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nitrates or Nitrites, or MSG. When I wanted to make this salad I started looking at labels and of course the Sprite and cherry pie filling both contained HFCS, bummer. But I found a way around this and I think it’s even more delicious than with the HFCS containing ingredients. This is a great salad any time of year and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Cherry Jello Salad
Adapted from Hubby’s Aunt Barb

30 oz of Oregon Fruit Pitted Dark Sweet Bing Cherries in Syrup (drained reserving syrup)
4 T Cornstarch
½ C granulated sugar
1 ½ C water
1 Large cherry Jello packet
1 can of lemon lime pop, I use Blue Sky
2 caps of lemon juice

Combine the reserved syrup, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Add the cherries and the 1 ½ C of water. Stir occasionally and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the cherry Jello packet. Let it cool for about an hour or so, I just leave it on the counter top and give it a stir every now and then. Add the Blue Sky lemon lime pop and lemon juice. Stir well then pour into a mold or bowl. Be careful when you pour because those cherries like to plop and stain your shirt red. Put it in the refrigerator to cool and set. I always make this a day ahead of time to give it plenty of time to set.