If you're lucky enough to be invited to a church or community potluck anywhere in the Midwest, you will probably find Orange fluff on the table. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser. But is it a salad, or is it a dessert?
Around here, it is wherever it ends up on the serving line, but just so you know, in Nebraska, Iowa, or Minnesota, it will often show up right beside the cheesy potato casserole and the green beans.
In the Midwest, we do love our sweet salads, like Frog Eye Salad, Watergate Salad, Snicker salad, or Glorified Rice. Kids of all ages love them! But if a "salad" with whipped topping as a key ingredient offends you, move it down to the dessert table if that makes you happy.
No matter which table Orange Fluff ends up on, if you bring it to a potluck, you'll go home with an empty bowl every time.
This particular recipe only requires four ingredients. Cool Whip hadn't been on the scene long in the 1970s, and various "fluffs" were all the rage. This one, among others, was sometimes called "Jello Surprise Salad."
The surprise? Cottage Cheese! You can't even taste it as cottage cheese in this recipe, but it does give substance to the mixture. I happen to love it, but if you don't, there are endless variations on the basic recipe. Some use instant vanilla pudding, some add crushed pineapple, and others include nuts.
If you're looking for something quick, simple, and tasty, this one's for you. But as we said in the 1970s, you can "do your thing!"
I used a store-brand whipped topping and an orange gelatin brand I really like, Super C Gelatin Mix. Super C has a wonderfully intense orange flavor that really comes through in this recipe.
Cool Whip was invented by a food scientist and chemist, William Mitchell. It was rolled out in 1966 by the Birds Eye division of General Foods, now part of Kraft Heinz. Women everywhere were ecstatic to find a product that was so easy to use after years of whipping cream by hand, a long and tiring process!
Within a couple of years, it became the biggest, most profitable product in the Birds Eye line of products. Cool Whip is still the number one top whipped topping brand in the U.S
If you're looking for something quick, simple, and tasty, this one's for you. But as we said in the 1970s, you can "do your thing!"
Drain all the liquid from a 15-ounce can of mandarin oranges, and if you like, save back a few sections for a pretty garnish. Remember, I'm a garnish hound!
Put 2 cups of small curd cottage cheese into a bowl, add the dry gelatin, and stir well until all the contents are well blended. Next, fold in a small tub of whipped topping (I used half of the 16-ounce tub in the picture.)
Fold the drained mandarin oranges in gently and chill for an hour or two. You can eat it immediately, but it will thicken and set up a bit in the refrigerator.
You can add chopped nuts or miniature marshmallows if you like. I had some fun freeze-dried micro marshmallows stashed in the freezer, and on a whim, I threw some of them in my orange fluff.
You might also enjoy this popular vintage steakhouse salad recipe, Old School Cottage Cheese Salad, or my grandkids' favorite, Danish Style Cucumber Salad. Summer's coming, and end-of-school potlucks, ball game suppers, and so much more, so try these and watch for more wonderful salad recipes your family is sure to love!
A quick, easy, and tasty four-ingredient salad or dessert, depending on where you put it on the serving line! It's a potluck favorite!
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