"My Grandma Always Makes It"

Cranberry Butter

Husband: "You forgot the cranberry butter."

Me: "You're right. I'll have to look up a recipe."

Husband: "OK, but don't be offended when I tell you it's not as good as my grandmother's." 

That was us, going over our Thanksgiving menu a couple of weeks ago. I didn't know what the big deal was at first. I could look up a recipe for cranberry butter and save Thanksgiving, couldn't I? According to my husband, apparently not. So, I sucked it up, e-mailed his grandma and now hold the key to cranberry butter. I must admit I was a bit scared at first. I mixed it in the KitchenAid and all of the butter got sucked into the whisk attachment when I started mixing it (note to self: just use beaters next year). In the end, though, I think it came out alright. I licked a little off my finger last night and it tasted pretty good to me. Hopefully the husband agrees.

And while I wait to see what he thinks about his cranberry butter, I'll be worrying about my pink stuff - my grandmother's family tradition. 

Mama's Pink Stuff

2 cups boiling water

2 (4-serving) packages strawberry Jell-O

2 cups softened vanilla ice cream

3/4 cup strawberry juice

Dissolve gelatin in water, add ice cream and juice; stir until ice cream melts. Chill until ready to serve.

It's as simple as that! I mean, it sounds simple, doesn't it? Unfortunately, this side dish has been known to separate on me, when it's supposed to stay a perfectly solid, uniform bowl of pink stuff. Any ideas on how to keep this family tradition from flopping?