Midwest Classic: Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Jello

Over the past few days, I've been pulling out my beaten and battered recipe cards to find those classic dishes we prepare every Thanksgiving. Our family's recipe for Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Jello is first on the list of favorites. It's such a Midwest classic.

But this year, we seem to have a problem! Indian Trail, the company that makes a key ingredient for our Thanksgiving Jello went out of business in November 2008.

What to do?

Well, if there's one thing I've learned in my years as a Midwest Mom, it's that this part of the country is resilient and resourceful. Cora at Cora Cooks has posted her recipe for Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce. The taste and texture of hers is identical to our old favorite from the freezer section.

You still might be able to find a few tubs of Indian Trail out there... but know that they've been in your grocer's freezer for at least a year. Cora's alternative, however, will be perfectly fresh (and delicious). I suggest you give it a try.

In the meantime, here's my family's recipe for Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Jello. It's so good, I almost always make a double-batch.

Ingredients:

1 tub of Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce
or
1 batch of Cora's Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce, drained with the liquid reserved

3 regular sized packages raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup reserved chilled relish liquid, or cold orange juice
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans (roasted, if you like)

Instructions:

Thaw the cranberry orange sauce. In a large bowl, mix jello and boiling water. Stir in juice. With a blender, mix cream cheese into jello until mixture is smooth. Stir in cranberry orange sauce and pecans. Pour into decorative serving bowl (we use a glass trifle dish) or jello mold. Chill 4-6 hours, or until jello is completely set. (To un-mold jello, place mold in a bowl of warm water for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to spill water into the jello. Put serving plate on top of the mold and quickly invert. The jello mold should come out intact.)

Enjoy!