52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 43
With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share one of my family's favorite holiday side dishes: Cranberry Salad, or as we call it, Cranberry Fluff!
Cranberry Fluff
The original recipe in my collection was passed down to me by my mother-in-law, Vivian (Kendall) Mertz, who received it from her mother-in-law, Hattie (Handley) Mertz. My husband remembers eating this salad when he was a child, so it's been a family favorite for at least 60 years!
I'm sharing both Hattie's original recipe and the version our family makes today. Maybe it will become a holiday tradition in someone else's family, too!
Xerox copy given to me by Vivian Mertz. “Mrs. Mertz” was Hattie Handley Mertz
Over the years, I've made a few tweaks to the original recipe, but it remains a holiday staple in our family:
12 oz. fresh cranberries (pulsed in a food processor or blender)
2 Granny Smith apples cut up with skin on
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 10 oz. Bag mini marshmallows
8 oz tub of Cool Whip Original
Combine the cranberries, apples, sugar and chopped pecans the evening before serving and store in refrigerator.
Add the marshmallows the next morning and then stir in the Cool Whip just before serving.
We've discovered that Cranberry Fluff is one of those dishes people either love or hate, although thankfully, most of our family loves it!
As for me, it's absolutely my favorite Thanksgiving food. I could live without the turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes, but do NOT take away my Cranberry Fluff!!