I love calling this a salad — it makes me think I’m eating healthy!  This is really an easy side dish to make, but it has three steps with some wait time in between.  Start early and enjoy for dinner.

To make this salad, you need a six-ounce package of Jello (any flavor), a large can of crushed pineapple, 8 ounces of Cool Whip, and 3 cups of buttermilk.  Yes, buttermilk.  Surprise!  I never tell anyone the secret ingredient until they’ve tasted the salad and liked it.

STEP 1:  Pour the pineapple into a saucepan, juice and all.  Add the dry Jello; stir to mix and then bring to a boil.  Once the mixture has boiled and the Jello is integrated into the pineapple juice, remove the pan from the heat.  Allow the mixture to cool.

STEP 2: Whisk the Cool Whip and buttermilk together until well blended.  Add the cooled pineapple mixture and mix again.

STEP 3:  Pour into serving bowl and chill until firm.

That’s it.  In the pictured salad, I used peach Jello.  I served this with spicy chili, and the salad really cooled the palate.  At Christmas, I use a red Jello for holiday color.  I’ve even used sugar-free Jello and Cool Whip.  Play around with the color and flavor.  You can’t go wrong.  It’s an easy recipe to half, too, if you’re serving just a few folks.  Just don’t mention the ‘b’ word until everyone has had a chance to taste the deliciousness!