Holiday Meals Are Not Complete Without Tradition, Memories & Aspic

The refrigerator is full of food and family recipes are out in anticipation of the holiday weekend. There are less faces around our table each year, but we count on the tastes and smells we grew up with to make their faithful appearances. My Grandma Betty could be counted on to show up for every family holiday meal with a cut crystal bowl filled with her chilled tomato shrimp aspic salad. My brother, cousins and I were always mildly horrified to see the salad make its appearance. The minute that salad hit the plate and began to co-mingle with the hot turkey and green beans, things quickly escalated into a puddled mess of sloppy tomato juice and tiny shrimp that just seemed to slosh around in a gelatinous glob.

Today, I took my grandma’s crystal bowl out of my mom’s china cabinet and washed it. I assembled my ingredients and there is a bowl of tomato shrimp aspic chilling for Easter dinner on Sunday. Despite my childhood distaste for this salad, I have since grown to love it. It is freakin’ delicious and tastes like a big, succulent, classy shrimp cocktail in a cut crystal bowl brimming with happy childhood memories.

Food and tradition are my love languages.  I like to honor the people I love by keeping memories of them alive and for me, holiday meals are the perfect time to do so. The tomato shrimp aspic salad makes an appearance at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I also made it for my dad when he lived with us after my mom died. I had hoped that the taste of that salad would be comforting to him. My grandpa’s creamed baby potatoes and peas make an appearance at Easter dinners and his turkey stuffing is another holiday staple. We always have a candle burning and plates of snack food waiting for our guests and though I must buy it now, smoked salmon is usually served in honor of my dad. He used to make the best smoked salmon. I remember my mom working so hard to make the holidays special for us all, and the anticipation of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins filling the house. The holidays were loud, chaotic, and filled with traditional family favorites served in dishes, china and serving plates that were handed down through the generations.

This year will be a quiet Easter with only my husband, myself, and my mother-in-law. We are thrilled she made the trip across the state to be with us. A bonus is that my mother-in-law loves my tomato shrimp aspic salad. The salad is in my grandma’s cut crystal bowl, and it will be strategically placed on my mom’s china when dishing up my plate. I am taking every opportunity given to spend time with family and help create and pass along memories and traditions to my family. I love going to my sons’ homes and seeing a lit candle and a plate of spinach balls or little smokies waiting in anticipation of our arrival.

I hope that whatever you have planned for this weekend involves something or someone you love. I plan to hold my family close and to feast on tomato shrimp aspic salad. For those of you who are interested in elevating your holiday meal, here is the tomato shrimp aspic recipe.

P.S.  Do yourself a favor and do not google the definition of aspic. It is very off putting – the salad is great, I promise.

Shrimp & Tomato Aspic Salad

1 cup tomato juice (hot)

1 cup tomato juice (cold)

1 pkg. of lemon Jello

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. finely diced onion

½ cup finely diced celery

1 can of shrimp (drained)

Dissolve the Jello in the hot tomato juice and stir well. Add the cold cup of tomato juice and remaining ingredients. Stir and chill until set (usually around 3 hours).