This is another retro recipe that’s been passed down through the family. In fact every time my husband eats this, he proclaims, “This is soooo retro.”

While the name says it’s a salad, it’s probably closer to a dessert. Whatever the name, it’s light and cool and great for the warm summer months. The creamy base is made from sour cream and whipped topping and then flavored with gelatin. You can make a light version with low fat or fat free sour cream and whipped topping, and then lower the calories even more with sugar-free gelatin and no sugar added fruits. Make sure the canned fruits are well-drained so the salad isn’t runny. It will keep well for one day in the refrigerator, but after one day it will start to separate and get runny.

[Updated June 8, 2008]

Equipment

medium to large mixing bowl
plastic or glass serving bowl

Ingredients

12 ounces whipped topping
16 ounces sour cream
1 (3 ounce) package orange gelatin, regular or sugar free
1 (28-ounce) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (10-ounce) jar marachino cherries, drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Preparation

1. In the mixing bowl, stir together the whipped topping, sour cream, and gelatin.

2. Fold in all the fruit, pecan bits, and coconut. Chill for 3 to 4 hours. Serve cold.

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Source: Germaine McClure, from Grandma McClure

Banana Pudding is an old Southern treat. The basic recipe involves pudding, sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream stacked in layers. My mom’s version is a quick and easy recipe using instant pudding and whipped topping, although you can certainly use cooked pudding and make your own whipped cream. My mother often gets requests to bring this to dinner parties. It’s a light and fun treat that I really enjoy in the summertime.

Ingredients

12 ounces vanilla wafers
4-6 bananas, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 (3.4 ounce) boxes french vanilla instant pudding
3 cups skim milk
1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces light or fat-free whipped topping

Preparation

1. Mix skim milk and pudding. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Put in the frig to set at least 5 minutes.

2. Line the bottom and sides of a trifle bowl or 9 x 13 pan with vanilla wafers.

3. Add a layer of bananas on the bottom.

4. Fold whipped topping into pudding. Add a layer of pudding mixture on top of bananas.

5. Continue layering vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding. Garnish the top with vanilla wafer crumbs. Serve chilled.

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Source: Germaine McClure

It’s interesting how popular recipes travel across the country as they are shared among friends and family. This recipe comes from both sides of our family. It’s a delicious retro chocolate sheet cake, also known as Texas Sheet Cake, and it’s one of my favorites from childhood. I remember my mother making these for parties, and they were always devoured. You cook the frosting on the stove and pour it over the cake while both are still hot, then let the cake and frosting cool. The cake has a consistency much like a brownie. It’s absolutely decadent and very easy.

Equipment

small sauce pan
medium sauce pan
stand mixer with paddle attachment
15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1 pan (aka jelly roll pan), greased and floured

Ingredients

CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
2 tablespoons ground espresso (optional)
2 sticks unsalted butter
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

FROSTING
1 stick margarine
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, shaved
6 tablespoons buttermilk
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. Sift together flour, sugar and soda.

3. Melt margarine, cocoa and water in small pan on stove over low heat. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients.

4. Blend together and add vanilla, buttermilk and eggs. Mix.

5. Pour into a greased and floured 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1 pan. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Frosting: About 10 minutes before cake is done, melt margarine, cocoa and buttermilk in medium pan. Bring to a boil.

7. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts. Stir well.

8. Pour over hot cake and allow to set up.

Variations

I’ve changed the frosting just a bit and substituted 2 ounces shaved unsweetened chocolate. It makes the rich frosting even richer. The original recipe calls for 5 tablespoons cocoa powder.

The ground espresso is my addition. I like how the coffee plays with the chocolate.

Notes

For the cake, make sure that you are using natural unsweetened cocoa instead of dutch process. Natural unsweetened cocoa still has the natural acids, which means that it only requires baking soda for the cake to successfully rise. Dutch process cocoa is treated with an alkali to remove the acids and make a more mellow chocolate, which means that you must use baking powder instead of soda in order for a cake to rise properly.

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Source: Germaine McClure, Ann Meyers

I love this retro recipe from my grandmother. She started making this sometime in the 70s, and I was in heaven with this introduction to cheesecake. I’ve been a cheesecake junkie ever since. I prefer baked cheesecake, but I still whip this up when I need a quick fix (like today). I often add some mini chocolate chips to the cream cheese filling just for fun, and I like to serve it with sliced strawberries when they are in season.

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment

Ingredients

1 prepared graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust
2 (8 oz) bricks cream cheese or neufchatel, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
fruit topping (can of fruit pie filling or fresh berries)

Preparation

1. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and put into bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle sugar over the top and blend on medium until the sugar is incorporated and the cheese is creamy.

2. Add scoops of whipped topping to the bowl and mix on low until all the whipped topping has been added. Continue to mix on low for another 30 second or so. Add the mini chocolate chips at this time, if desired.

3. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust and cover. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

4. Slice and serve, adding the fruit topping as desired.

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Source: Grandma McClure, although I’m quite certain that she got the recipe from a magazine, or off a box of cream cheese, or perhaps from one of the ladies at church.