Bad, but good!, potluck dish.

July 19, 2006 1:50 PM

I'm looking for a potluck-type recipe that is a) horrifying, but b) tasty. Something like an entree or side dish that makes use of vegetables, meat, and jello.
posted by treebjen to Food & Drink (38 answers total)

Aspic?
posted by interrobang at 1:52 PM on July 19, 2006

I seem to recall going to a potluck once in the midwest and someone had brought a dish they called "taco lasagna". I think your imagination could do the rest.
posted by quadog at 1:55 PM on July 19, 2006

How about green jello stew? Jello is pretty much close to a meat because of it's origin and I can eat stew when it's cold so it may be interesting. Maybe....
posted by JJ86 at 1:56 PM on July 19, 2006

You have to check out the Gallery of Regrettable Food. I don't think you'll find recipes, but you will get some revolting ideas. MMM, it's almost lunchtime!
posted by Brian James at 1:58 PM on July 19, 2006

My dad specializes in Seven Layer Jello salad. He goes all out and does a ROY G BIV color scheme and tosses in canned fruit cocktail. No meat or veggies, but it's tasty and impressive. And it's not nearly as time consuming as it looks.
posted by matematichica at 2:01 PM on July 19, 2006

People in the northern USA seem to find jalapeno jelly dumped over cream cheese (and then spread on crackers) to be a disgusting idea. In practice, it is quite delicious.
posted by unknowncommand at 2:06 PM on July 19, 2006

Best answer: How about this (yummy?) tuna-chicken salad, as described in "A Century of Mormon Cookery":

1 3 oz package lemon jello
1 can tuna
1 can chicken soup w/rice
1 cup whipped whipping cream
1/2 cup salad dressing
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup peas
1/2 cup walnuts

Strain chicken soup and add enough water to make 2 cups of hot liquid for jello. Set and add whipped cream and salad dressings. Then add other ingredients. Makes 9 to 10 servings.
posted by brina at 2:16 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

Check out Wendy's Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974 (the actual recipes from the backs of the cards are in .pdf files here).
posted by Gator at 2:20 PM on July 19, 2006 [4 favorites]

Here's another from the same cookbook, which ... if you're looking for lots of seemingly odd recipes, you might want to buy. (author Hermine B. Hormon; I have volume 1, which indicates there might be more where this stuff came from).

Chicken-Mushroom Mold

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups diced chicken or tuna (chunk)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup salad dressing
1 cup finely chopped celery

Add salad dressing and lemon juice to soup. Soften gelatin in cold water and dissolve over hot water. Add gelatin and soup mixture with celery, pimento and chicken. Turn into oiled mold and chill

I bet you could sneak some veggies in there too. I can imagine frozen peas working well.
posted by brina at 2:20 PM on July 19, 2006

I don't know if you'll get "tasty" out of any of these, but you'll sure get "horrifying". First go to Candyboots and check out the Weight Watchers recipe cards, then go here for PDFs that have the recipes.
posted by MsMolly at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2006

I remember weird ones in the Dakotas - basic formula for a hot dish. Marshmallow/sweet potato casserole seems weird to some.
posted by ejaned8 at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2006

Best answer: there are lots of cabbage roll recipes that include a jar of grape jelly.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 2:43 PM on July 19, 2006

This was served at a bridal shower I attended last weekend:

Lemon Cream Cheese Salad
2 C. hot water
2 packages lemon Jelly (3 oz.)
1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
1/2 C. half & half
1 C. diced celery
1. C. pitted black olives
1. C. whipped cream

Pour hot water over Jello. Cool in refrigerator until syrupy. Soften cream cheese with half and half and beat into jello mixture. Add chopped celery and olives. Whip cream separately, then fold into jello-cheese-vegetable mixture.
Pour into 13-inch by 9-inch Pyrex dish.
Chill at least four hours, or overnight.

There was a dressing, for which I don't have the recipe, made of red Jello, hot water, cream and shrimp.

I didn't try the dressing, because I don't eat shrimp.

Everyone at the party complimented the salad (which was made by our boss), and she brought us all the recipe the following day.

I don't really like olives, though, and the whole thing kind of made me want to gag.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 2:44 PM on July 19, 2006

Oops, lemon jello not jelly. Der.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 2:45 PM on July 19, 2006

Best answer: From Recipes of the Damned, here's a Jellied salad nicoise.

Sweet mercy. Until just now, I was planning to have salad nicoise (sans tuna) for dinner, but now --- gulp --- I rather think not.
posted by Elsa at 2:55 PM on July 19, 2006

If dessert is a possibility, I've had fun with this one among my most health conscious of friends. Everyone loves it and no one can figure out what it is. It's from a cook book I received for opening a checking account at a small bank in Fort Worth, Texas. It was written by the employees.

Twinkie surprise

1. Line a pan with Twinkies*.
2. Cover and fill cracks with Cool Whip.
3. Cover with sliced strawberries.

Refrigerate for a few hours. Serve cold.

* Ho Ho's are a suitable substitute if Twinkies aren't available.
posted by nonmyopicdave at 2:56 PM on July 19, 2006

A sort of hors d'oevre that is yummy is a slice of salami with a dollop of cream cheese wrapped around a pickle wedge and secured with a toothpick.
posted by tastybrains at 2:59 PM on July 19, 2006

White Trash Salad

My mother always makes this ... salad thing for family gatherings. It involves lime jello, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and sliced green olives (with pimento). Mix together, pour in a 9x13 pan, chill until set, and cut into squares. Serve with a thin layer of Miracle Whip on top.

I swear I'm not making this up. I wish I were. My sisters love it. I can't vouch for it, personally, but it looks godawful.
posted by makonan at 2:59 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

Kitty Litter Cake!
posted by brujita at 3:19 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

ahh ... a lovely and tasty dish from the south that will mystify, confuse, and frighten most northern folk: Grits Casserole!
posted by General Zubon at 3:21 PM on July 19, 2006

Response by poster: Thank you ALL for the wonderful suggestions! Keep 'em coming!
posted by treebjen at 3:31 PM on July 19, 2006

Penn and Teller had a Jello recipe in their book, "How to Play With Your Food".

Pic 2/3 of the way down.


Horrifying, anyway. But more of a dessert.
posted by Phred182 at 3:52 PM on July 19, 2006

Soused Hog's Face?
posted by Zonker at 3:54 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

People are horrified by these but they are quite tasty and very reminiscent of childhood favorites (and I never take any leftovers home) -- it's Pigs in a Blanket! Look around in the packaged meats section of your grocery for Lil Smokies -- these are small, spiced wieners. Get a couple cans of Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury (or whatever) crescent rolls. Mix up some honey mustard (I like a grainy mustard with honey, to taste) and put a dollop of mustard and roll the crescent roll around a single wiener. If a single portion of crescent roll is too big, cut it into a smaller triangle. Cook in the oven according to directions on the rolls and serve with another little cup of honey mustard dippin' sauce. They're so cute!
posted by amanda at 4:49 PM on July 19, 2006

Velveeta Fudge, I never made it, but someone brought it to a work potluck and I thought it was pretty tasty.
posted by jefeweiss at 5:15 PM on July 19, 2006

1. Go Here.
2. Choose "Vegemite" from the recipe search dropdown at the top of the page.
3. Enjoy recipies like Vegemite Pizza or Glazed Vegemite Chicken Fillets

(To tell the truth, out of 80+ recipes, the vegemite pizza is the only one I'd baulk at eating. Likewise for all the previous suggestions - taco lasagne sounds positively fantastic, but I'd draw the line at anything involving Twinkies...)
posted by Pinback at 5:22 PM on July 19, 2006

I can vouch for the authenticity of the White Trash Salad. Personally, I thnk anything involving canned kidney beans is automatically W. T. cooking, but that might be farther than you'd want to push it, horrifying-wise.

Perhaps what you want is Kn0x Bl0cks. (I don't want them to sue me.) Take any flavor of jell0 (I don't want them suing me either), add a packet of Kn0x gelatin, and use the usual amount of liquid. Once they set up, they will stand at room temp and not melt on the plate or in the hand. It's squiggly, ooky, and feels weird as finger food. For extra oomph, use fruit juice instead of the cold liquid. If not sure, use apple juice, it adds to the not-falling-apartness. This is White Trash Comfort Food, if you're sick, and The Mommy at our house still has to make them and carry them over for sick children, the kids are 30 and 40. If no one is sick and it's for a party, add mandarin oranges. If it's someone you're trying to impress, add walnuts too.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 5:35 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

Here are the terrifying results of a blog contest for worst-sounding secretly-delicious white trash recipe from childhood. It's 180+ recipes for all different kinds of things that might fit your needs. Look and be amazed.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:45 PM on July 19, 2006

Oh - there is some NSFW language on that page. The woman whose blog it is runs a sex toy shop.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:47 PM on July 19, 2006

Roasted Garlic Ice Cream. Roast 2-3 heads of garlic in the oven until sweet and tender. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their husks and add to a batch of vanilla ice cream in the ice cream maker. Absolutely delicious, if you can get it past your nose.
posted by LarryC at 7:16 PM on July 19, 2006 [3 favorites]

If you want "unusual pig parts" horrifying, then Fergus Henderson's book Nose to Tail Eating might give you some ideas, as well as some you can apply to more conventional cooking.
posted by concrete at 7:25 PM on July 19, 2006

Crab cheesecake.
posted by blue grama at 7:27 PM on July 19, 2006

brujita: i made that kitty litter cake for two halloween parties last year, and people went crazy for it...
posted by troybob at 10:00 AM on July 20, 2006

Response by poster: Jellied Salad Nicoise has been made. It's chilling right now. Stay tuned ...
posted by treebjen at 12:48 PM on July 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

tuna, celery, mayo, lemon or lime jello--gross sounding, incredible eating, never a dollop left over.

and never underestimate the power of the 5-cup salad: mini-marshmallows, cottage cheese, mandarin oranges, pineapple and cool whip.

grew up with a grandma famous for such delicacies--our personal favorite was her Christmas Candle Salad. On individual plates, one limp piece of lettuce topped with a pineapple ring, in the center of the ring, half a banana stands fully erect, topped with a maraschino cherry. Makes one recall Jesus' masculinity or something.

If you're truly dedicated, she also had a recipe for corn beef/jello luncheon loaf. Just ask and ye shall receive.
posted by wordswinker at 12:54 PM on July 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

Ramen salad, here's one example. At a recent BBQ it was a big hit among a large group of foodies.
posted by annaramma at 3:02 PM on July 20, 2006

Response by poster: And now the photos: Jellied Salad Nicoise.
posted by treebjen at 3:17 PM on July 23, 2006 [2 favorites]

that is insane.
posted by unknowncommand at 3:52 PM on July 23, 2006