Fruit makes it a salad, right?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter just aren't right without it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, like the sweet, creamy, crunchy, green goodness. And it is perfectly beautiful in one of those crystal bowls that your Great Aunt gave you, so pull one out of the cupboard, rinse the dust out of it, and display it proudly during a holiday meal.

Watergate Salad

I'm hearing angels sing. Aren't we lucky that it goes perfectly well with both turkey and ham? And it just gets yummier the next day. Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers, right? Well, for half of my family (lucky us), we HAVE to have it or the holiday meal just isn't right.

I looked up recipes on the internet, but they all appear to have half of the ingredients we use. So... lucky you gets to see our version. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. And if there are parts and pieces you don't like, just leave them out.

Pull a tub of Cool Whip out of the freezer so it can start thawing. Mix together a box of instant pistachio pudding with a can of undrained crushed pineapple (the ~15 oz size). Drain a can of fruit cocktail (I always get the one with extra cherries) and mix that in. Fold in the tub of Cool Whip. You can do up to here the day before and stick it in the fridge. Not too long before serving, mix in coconut, slivered almonds, and mini marshmallows. As much or as little of each as you want. Put it all in a pretty bowl. If you are feeling extra decorative, halve maraschino cherries and decorate the top.

Not only is this a yummy side dish, it makes a great breakfast with a side of pumpkin pie.