5.13.2009

Pseudo Grandma Fran

If you've ever dined with Q and MB for a major holiday, odds are you've heard of a little dish called Grandma Fran. It's a super secret absolutely delicious family recipe of MB's (named after, I believe, a certain Grandma Fran who used to make it) that is often requested in the Conservative Family household. But, as I believe I just mentioned, it's super secret.

So what I am about to share with you is not the real Grandma Fran. It's Pseudo Grandma Fran, concocted by Conservative Mom for those desperate holidays (like last Thanksgiving) when we are not able to celebrate with the Q and MB family.

One such holiday was Mother's Day (happy belated Mom's Day, all you lovely mothers out there). Conservative Mom requested her favorite dishes and the kids happily made them for her. (Full disclosure: Kid Sister and T-Bear did most of the work.) One dish I was entrusted with making with Pseudo Grandma Fran, so I thought I'd share it with you.

It's like cherry Jell-O. But so much better, because it has a super cinnamon kick to it. And applesauce too. Try it out yourself. But remember: This is not the real Grandma Fran.

Here's what you do:

Pour a bag of Red Hots in a pan with just over a cup of water.


Bring water to a boil and stir until Red Hots melt.


Stir in a large box of cherry Jell-O (don't add extra water).


Remind Butter that Red Hots are not for doggies. ("But Julie," he says. "They smell so good!")


Stir in a jar of applesauce.


Pour into a serving dish. Refrigerate (about 7 hours did the trick here, though you could probably get by with less). Serve with dinner and enjoyyyyy.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Grandma Fran is the best! This recipe works perfectly.

Unknown said...

Does the finished product more closely resemble cloudy/grainy gelatin or sticky applesauce? Is it served alone or with whipped cream?

Julie said...

It's kind of hard to describe. I am going to go have another bite to confirm my analysis ...

OK. I am back. It's not cloudy at all. It stays bright and sets up pretty much the same regular gelatin, but you can see and taste the specks of applesauce in it. My finished photos didn't turn out well so I didn't post them, but I can send you one as long as you don't mock the blurriness.

Unknown said...

I would NEVER do such a thing. Ok, maybe I would, except that my only camera is on my phone, and it takes terrible pictures. Also, I'm unfamiliar with "jar" as a unit of applesauce, since I get all of mine from my grandma. Similar story with the red hots, except grandma doesn't make those.

Julie said...

Hmm. Yes. That's what happens with made-up recipes. I realized after I posted that I did not take down measurements. But really all that happened is Conservative Mom brought me a box of Red Hots, an average-size jar of applesauce, and a box of Jell-O and I proceeded to mix.

I did, however, take a photo of the ingredients (which didn't make the cut). And I discovered that I used a 24-ounce jar of applesauce and an 8-oz box of (not instant) cherry Jell-O. I can't see the measurement of Red Hots but it looks like the standard size box. Hopefully that helps!

Oh, and we don't serve it with whipped cream, but you certainly could.