Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
HELL'S KITCHEN — If you know anything about Utahns, you know about our affinity for Jell-O salads, and that we can sometimes be a bit too creative with our gelatinous treats.
I am still haunted by a concoction of lime Jell-O, honey glazed ham and low-fat mayonnaise I ate out of politeness at an extended family dinner as a kid.
But nothing about my childhood in Utah County could have prepared me for the hodgepodge assembled by Instagram user @eyespyantiques — run by Marco — after he found this recipe in his grandmother's recipe book.
To be fair, the recipe for tuna fish Jell-O salad comes "from the kitchen of Jenny E.," so the disaster to follow can't be blamed solely on Marco's grandmother.
"I don't know who you are Jenny E., but how dare you attack my grandmother like this and generations to follow," Marco says.
Here's a brief list of the ingredients for those following along at home — although readers are strongly advised not to try this:
- 1 package of gelatin
- 6 ounces of Jell-O
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 pound of tuna fish
- Pecans
- 1 small jar of olives
- 1 1/2 cups of celery
- 1 green pepper
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- Braided onion
To make matters worse, Marco couldn't find his Jell-O mold and, instead, had to set the gelatin in a lamb-shaped cake mold — the result of which looks more like a slightly queasy harbinger of the apocalypse than anything that should be eaten.
I don't know if Marco is incredibly brave to actually sample the salad, or just plain crazy.
Let's just stick to Jell-O, raspberries and maybe some whipped cream in the future.