Felt Like Summer Today

Mom was a noninventive cook.  She didn’t try new things – stayed with tried and true.  Once she got a recipe down pat, you knew you would be eating it regularly.  She came of age in the 1950’s, so we had lots of 50’s style foods – meat, potatoes and canned veggies were the go to items most of the time, especially in the winter.  But come summer time, that would all change.  Dad did like to grill, fortunately for us, and he loved those gas grills with the instant on factor.  Mom would only be responsible for an add on or 2.  Salads were a down pat item for her.  

In the 50’s, salads could be just about anything – jello was a favorite ingredient, and so was canned fruit.  There was no such thing as bagged greens for salads.  Mom learned a few regular salads from her mother (also not the best cook).  None of them included vegetables.

Mom’s favorite was a green concoction that we all called “green slime”.  I didn’t much like it when she served it with steak, but became accustomed to it over time.  It did have a name at one point in time, but that is long forgotten.  My kids didn’t much like it at their first exposure, during a picnic, but that was the time of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Mom and I got the bright idea to call it green slime, and that was all we needed to have it get gobbled up faster than a pizza would (also another TMNT fave). 

From that moment on, every time we went to Grammie’s, the first question would reference green slime.  “Is there any left?  Can we eat it?”  Sometimes they got lucky, sometimes not.  So I got the recipe from Mom and started occasionally making it myself for the kids.  It became breakfast in the summer, a few times.  It was dessert once in a while, too.  I refused to make it more than once a week, and when you see the ingredients, you will understand. 

Of course, there came a time when Dad was quite flustered because on their way to a picnic (which he had promised to bring green slime to), Mom couldn’t remember the ingredients.  I had picked them all up at the store, so I helped Mom put it all together, and she took a big spoonful when it was finished, and laughingly said, “The Turtle Food”!  Yeah, summer holidays and picnics – good stuff.

Green Slime (don’t judge)

Medium container of thawed Cool Whip (fat free is fine)

Box of instant pistachio pudding

Large can of crushed pineapple with the juice (not super large – just large)

Package of mini marshmallows – the pastel ones are best for this

Throw all the ingredients into the bowl, mix well, put in fridge till ready to bring/serve.  If you’re bringing it, put an ice pack with it and under it on the table so it stays a bit chilled.  I have no idea how it was made before Cool Whip or instant pudding – whipped cream and regular pudding perhaps?  Enjoy it – tell me you don’t love it!