Black Bing Cherry Salad

This is the “infamous” holiday salad that Mother made for what seemed like most of my life! Am sure it was not that long – but it was for a long time. And I’m sure that Loren G. remembers it too! We children were asked to help stuff the cherries with whole pecans that Dad had shelled. We always had this at Christmas and sometimes at other holidays. It was definitely a special occasion salad. I know that I continued the tradition for awhile – but have not prepared it for many years now.

ingredients

1 pkg. dark cherry jello
1 pkg. Lemon jello
1 (16 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 can pitted black bing cherries in juice
About 1 c. pecans (whole)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese
1 can regular Coke

directions

1
Drain the juice from the canned pineapple and cherries and heat in a saucepan. Dissolve the jello in heated juices from the cherries and pineapple. Meanwhile stuff each cherry with a pecan half. Soften the cream cheese to room temp., add this to the warm juice mixture. Use a mixer to break up the cheese into the juice. (I don’t remember seeing chunks of cream cheese in the jello!) Add coke and then allow to cool. Stir in stuffed cherries, pineapple and if there are extra nuts, just chop them and add to mixture.
2
Pour into a congealed salad mold and refrigerate to congeal. When ready to serve, remove from the mold and slice and serve! Yummy! It’s a beautiful dark color of purple too!

Source: Carla Conner