Lime Perfection Salad (From Mom's Recipe Card File)

My sister and I went to lunch with one of our cousins a while back, and saw Lime Perfection Salad listed on the menu as one of the choices of side items.  Well, it wasn't what I expected; it was lime Jell-O with pineapple in it, and a dab of mayonnaise on the side.  There were a few things missing from it, as far as I was concerned.

This is another vintage recipe from my mom's recipe card file.  She got it from one of my great aunts, Auntie Ruth.  She married my dad's mother's brother, Raymond, and they treated Dad like their own son, so we visited them quite a bit.  When we ate dinner with them, more often than not, they'd have Lime Perfection Salad, and that's where I first had it.

In their younger days, Auntie Ruth and Uncle Raymond had run a tea room in Boston, and this is something they served there.  If I had known what the ingredients were ahead of time, I probably would have refused to eat it, but it is delicious!  I used to make it and take it to work for lunch.

Just for fun, I Googled "lime perfection salad" and oh, the hits!  But there was only one that was even close to what I'm used to.  Most had lime Jell-O, pineapple, and CABBAGE as ingredients.  Uh, NO.  One was almost the same, except for the addition of sweetened condensed milk.  I think that would be too sweet.  A couple had cream cheese in them.  Hmmmm...

Anyway, here's the version I'M used to, and it's pretty good!

Lime Perfection Salad (8 servings)

1 large package of lime Jell-O (or lemon!)
2 c boiling water (NO COLD WATER)
2 c cottage cheese
1 20-oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 c mayonnaise

Dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Pour into a gelatin mold, or divide among 8 small molds or bowls.  Refrigerate until well set.

NOTE:  It's not necessary to stir after first mixing in the cottage cheese, pineapple, and mayonnaise.  The mixture doesn't tend to separate like most gelatin molds do.