On this day in 2016 I was in the hospital trying to not die and here I am, two years later, celebrating that most of my ambrosia salad was devoured at my girlfriend’s Christmas Eve/late Hanukkah party. It’s been a tough couple of years but I feel like a better version of ME and that is cause for celebration. My life is finally back in order and it’s time to move forward.

It seems that now, though, I’ve started a new tradition for the “Christmukkah” party my friend holds. She’s one of people that came first came to help my husband when I got sick and it was her party I bowed out of cause I wasn’t feeling well enough. The new tradition for me is making Ambrosia Salad.

Some backstory for you so that said salad makes sense. I’m from Texas, and one thing the southern ladies never quite got over were all the canned food, no cook recipes for dessert from the 50’s. I grew up eating Ambrosia Salad at just about every family event. Its a sweet, but not too sweet, fluffy fruit salad. I don’t cook so, when my friend asked if I could bring a dessert to her party, Ambrosia was the first thing that popped into my mind. Apparently, I make it well because all of her mother’s older friends kept asking me what I put in it. SUCCESS!

If you have never made it or eaten it, the recipe is pretty simple. I usually refer to the Allrecipes.com version for approximate measurements.

My Ambrosia Alterations:

• Coconut has a weird texture so that measurement gets halved, or close to halved. If the flakes are big, I use more in the mix.
• Use fruit cocktail with cherries for an extra dose of red
• Cut your maraschino cherries in half for even more splashes of red
• Be generous with the nuts but make sure the pieces are chopped super fine

The directions I see with all the Ambrosia recipes online are fine, but over the years, I’ve figured out a few things that make the salad better.

My tips for making Ambrosia:

• Don’t use “light” Cool Whip – ever!
• Don’t freeze the Cool Whip after purchase – if you do, move it to the fridge the night before you make the salad so it has time to thaw
• Mix up everything but the marshmallows and Cool Whip first and let the mix sit for at least an hour to let the fruit, nuts and coconut soak up the spices
• Mix marshmallows in before the Cool Whip
• Mix in the Cool Whip last
• Let sit all together for a few hours before serving

I’m so happy to be alive and well two years on. I’m happy that all is going well for my friends and family. A new tradition is a great way to start things off for 2019.