My family's Thanksgiving is never without my great-grandmother's orange Jell-O salad. Now, I know most people would sneer and stop reading/listening at the very mention of the J word, but the only things this brisk and textural palate-cleanser has in common with the wiggly cafeteria fare are cattle bones and FD&C Red #3. No Jell-O mold could hold this concoction: It's free form, like Jazz. The Charlie Parker of parfaits. The ingredients are orange Jell-O, of course, shredded carrots, chopped celery and diced onion. My mother uses orange juice instead of water when making the Jell-O. The ratio of ingredients is key(though an exact recipe doesn't exist). It's mostly carrots, slaw-like. Maybe I should rename it orange-glazed carrot slaw...Whatever it's called, it truly clears one's taste buds, and holds court as the most colorful and contested dish on the table.

Jessica Patton Pellegrino

Fairfield, CT