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Here's a few words from the CDC on how to have a safe holiday celebration this Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving this year is going to be very different than past Thanksgivings for many of us. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many of us will not be able to share this holiday with our loved ones in order to keep them safe. We may not be able to spend the holiday with the same people we usually do, but that doesn't mean we have to forget about the holiday all together. Even though I'm not going to be able to have a big meal with my family, I'd still like to make a small ham and make a mini Thanksgiving meal for me and my boyfriend. I'd like to share my favorite dishes and recipes for anyone who would also like to make their own little Thanksgiving meal.

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We never have enough stuffing at Thanksgiving. Everyone loves it and if you don't get any the first time through the line (we always do buffet style) you're not getting any. this is a great simple recipe as well as a great watch. I love watching the Bon Appetit team.

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Carla Makes Thanksgiving Stuffing | From the Test Kitchen | Bon Appétit

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No matter what time of year it is, if my family is getting together, there better be orange jello salad. I'm not in possession of my great grandmother's recipe but this one is pretty close to what I've seen my mom make. She doesn't add the marshmallows or the bananas but they sound like good add-ins too!

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Whether you serve it as a side dish or a light dessert, our Orange Fluff Jello salad is creamy and delicious. Made with jello, pudding, cool whip, and fruit, it's always a crowd favorite.

This classic Orange Fluff Jello Salad is delicious as a side or as a dessert.

With a mixture of pudding, jello, marshmallows and cool whip, it's light, creamy, and fluffy all at the same time.

We add in mandarin oranges and bananas for a fruitier flavor and whether you're taking it to a party, feeding a crowd, or looking for an easy side dish - it feeds a BIG group.

Why is this salad called "fluff"?

With the cool whip and marshmallows, this salad is perfectly light and fluffy - hence the name "fluff."

With the creamed pudding and jello mixture added in, it makes the texture even fluffier.
Love Jello salads? Try our Raspberry Cream Cheese Jello! It's a family favorite!
Ingredients needed for Orange Jello Fluff Salad:

Cook and Serve vanilla pudding (do not use instant pudding)

orange jell-o

water

Cool Whip

mini marshmallows

mandarin oranges

3 bananas

Can I use instant pudding?

We recommend only using Cook and Serve pudding with this recipe. It doesn't set up as well, stay together as long, or have quite as creamy of a texture if you use instant pudding.

Can I make this with sugar-free jello and pudding?

We have never tried making this recipe with sugar-free jello or pudding, but according to some of our reader comments below, it will still work.

If you try it, leave us a comment below and let us know!

How far in advance can I make this recipe?

We would not recommend making this further in advance than the morning you're planning on eating it. The mandarin oranges tend to release moisture the longer they are in the salad, so it starts getting runny after too long.

If you want to make it the day before, we would recommend just doing the first step of the recipe (mixing together the jello mix, pudding mix, and water and letting it set up in the fridge).

Do I prepare the jello or pudding mixture before adding them to the recipe?

No. The recipe requires just the mix (the powder packet) of both the Jello and the pudding. Do not prepare the jello or pudding as listed on their boxes.

Try one of our other fruit salads:

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe

Recipe Details

Want to save time in the kitchen? Make 8 Freezer Meals in 1 Hour!

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Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe (MOST POPULAR)

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Whether you serve it as a side dish or a light dessert, our Orange Fluff Jello salad is creamy and delicious. Made with jello, pudding, cool whip, and fruit, it's always a crowd favorite. This classic Orange Fluff Jello Salad is delicious as a side or as a dessert.

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This mine and my Aunt Karen's favorite dip. It's not for everyone but olive lovers will appreciate this recipe! It's also good if you halve the amount of green olives and use black olives as well.

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It doesn't matter it if is the middle of winter and it is football season or summer and grilling season; dips are a must all year round! It can be something like Artichoke Jalapeno Dip that you serve cold or warm or it can be this olive dip.

Dips are just essential when it comes to entertaining. And if they are easy to make, can be served hot or cold, and can be made ahead of time then you definitely have a winner!

This olive dip is just a few simple ingredients that you can mix together in just minutes! If you are a fan of green olives, you are going to love this! And be sure to try my Green Olive Cheese Bread for another way to use green olives.

The really nice this about this dip recipe is you can make it the day before and just have it sitting in the fridge waiting for you. Pretty much any green olive you have would work great in this dip as well. Plus if you want it to be gooey and melty, just warm it in the oven or a crock pot! This dip is going to disappear fast no matter how you serve it.

I have been making this olive dip recipe for years and it is always a hit at parties. The salty olives with the cheese just work! Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or even veggies work great.

How to Make Olive Dip

Start by softening your cream cheese so it is easy to mix in. I like to use 1/3rd less fat cream cheese for this just to lighten it up a little. But you can use whatever you like.

Mayo is called for in this recipe to make it creamy. If you don't like mayo you can use sour cream in its place. You really just need something creamy to bring it all together.

Coarsely chop your olives. You could not want them super fine, you want to have chunks that you can see and bit into.

Mix the cheddar cheese, garlic, olives and everything else together. Once it is well combined you just put it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Want a healthy dipper for this cheddar green olive dip? These Fat Free Potato Chips would be great! And if you really want to go crazy with this olive dip, you could use both green and black olives! I know, that would be living on the edge, but it would also be delicious!

I am a sucker for the canned black olives and have been since I was a little girl. Only recently did I decide to give green olives a chance. And mixing them gives you the best of both worlds!

Ingredients

1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened (1/3 less fat is fine)

1/2 cup mayo, (I used light)

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, , shredded

1 clove garlic, , grated

1 (7oz) jar STAR Pimiento Stuffed Manzanilla Spanish Olives, drained and coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Pour into an air tight container. Let set for at least 3 hours before serving.

2. Serve with crackers either hot or cold.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

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It doesn't matter it if is the middle of winter and it is football season or summer and grilling season; dips are a must all year round! It can be something like Artichoke Jalapeno Dip that you serve cold or warm or it can be this olive dip.

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Here is the link for the spinach dip that we like to serve with the beer bread. I usually get it at the Minn Dak Market at the West Acres Mall in Fargo, ND.

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Description

This Spinach Dip is an old classic. Just mix with sour cream and mayo and you are all set for all your dipping needs.You will savor the ultimate blends of herbs and spices in our dip mixes.

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This Spinach Dip is an old classic. Just mix with sour cream and mayo and you are all set for all your dipping needs.You will savor the ultimate blends of herbs and spices in our dip mixes.

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Snacks are a big part of any of our holiday meals. We generally have our big meal at lunch time and then spend the afternoon snacking until we have leftovers for supper (if we have room). Beer bread is one that pleases almost everyone. A box mix is great but if you like making everything from scratch this a great recipe. On the side, we serve it with spinach dip.

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Fluffy and comforting, this basic beer bread recipe is just about the easiest you’ll ever make!

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My family has always been more of a pumpkin pie family, but we discovered this recipe for pecan pie a few years ago and it's now a must have at Thanksgiving!

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I used to be scared of Pecan Pie when I was a little girl. Seriously. It was in the long list of dishes and ingredients that I truly thought would kill me if I tasted them. Peas were on the list, too. Sloppy Joes scared me to death. If I saw pizza, I'd scream. And Miracle Whip, bananas, and tea gave me nightmares.

I was a weird child. I liked potato chip sandwiches.

And anyway, Miracle Whip, bananas and tea still give me nightmares. But as an adult, I'm able not to dwell on the negatives in my life. It's all about maturity with me.

Miracle Whip, bananas, and tea aside, I'll be forever thankful that Pecan Pie has been successfully marked off the list. I began tasting it at Thanksgiving dinner about ten years ago-that would have been right around the time I was experiencing some violent surge in pregnancy or lactation hormones, so my appetite probably demanded it-and slowly but surely, it's skyrocketed to the very top of my all-time favorite pies on this earth.

Do you love Pecan Pie as much as I? Or are you among the unfortunate humans who has never tried Pecan Pie? I know you're out there, and if you're listening, please, please listen to me: make it this Thanksgiving. Give it a try. It's simple. It's hearty. It's basic. And it's just so good.

* The author of this post is not responsible for the formation of saddle bags and love handles, which will result in 93% of cases.

* But we won't worry about that today. We'll worry about that tomorrow...or at least, on November 28.
Note: I should warn you that I'm was in a colorful, zippy mood last night when I whipped this up, so I went over the top with color and contrast for these photos. I'd been feeling entirely too serious and needed a little pick-me-up. Forgive me if they hurt your eyes.
First things first: make one recipe of Perfect Pie Crust. It'll yield two pie crusts, and you can save the second one in the fridge for this apple pie, or the other pie we're going to make this week.

No, my hand is generally not that pink.

The Cast of Characters: Corn Syrup, Butter, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Salt, Vanilla, Chopped Pecans.

I chop the pecans into uniform pieces, but I also get some really little bits in there. The teeny, tiny pieces help the crunch later.

Begin by stirring three eggs in a small bowl.

Now, in a separate bowl, add the sugar...

Brown sugar, and salt.

Then measure 1 cup of corn syrup. It's thick, sweet, and nutritious.

Okay, so it's not exactly nutritious.

In any event, pour the corn syrup into the bowl.

Next, melt the butter and pour it into the mix.

Mmmm...butter. It makes it better.

And pardon my pink finger. I TOLD you I went crazy with color and contrast.

Now just give it a stir, making sure all ingredients are combined well.

And don't lick the fork. It isn't ladylike.

Next, pour in the beaten eggs.

And stir it 'til combined.

Next, eyeball about 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Sometimes I just can't be bothered with reaching for my measuring spoons.

Sometimes I just can't be bothered with reaching.

Sometimes I just can't be bothered.

Sometimes I just can't.

I'll stop now.

Anyway, don't overdo the vanilla, as it can take over very quickly.

Give it one final stir.

And don't laugh at my pie crust. Charlie helped me with the edges. His paws are a little awkward.

Dump the chopped pecans right into the bottom of the pie shell.

Spread them out into a flat layer...

(Now comes the fun part.)

Next, just pour the corn syrup/egg mixture slowly over the top.

And once you get all the mixture poured in, take a long, hard look at the pie. Because once it's baked it really won't look a thing like this. Like, pretty much nothing like it at all.

But that's okay! Life is all about change, isn't it?

Look! Within ten seconds, the pecan bits began floating to the top.

(You want that to happen, by the way.)

Now, just carefully carry it to the oven and bake it at 350 for about 50 minutes. And check on it halfway though; if the outer crust of the pie appears to be browning too soon, gently wrap some foil around the edge.

I keep the edge pretty thick, though, so I usually don't take that step. Especially at 350 degrees, the rim of the crust won't burn too easily.

Yo. Here's the pie. When you pull it out of the oven, it should be only slightly jiggly. If it's overly jiggly, keep it in the oven for a little while longer. BUT...be careful not to burn the pecans. Seriously, they can burn if you turn your back for five seconds.

Do you notice how the small pecan pieces have settled at the top and created a nice "top crust?" This is why I use chopped pecans instead of pecan halves, like many people use. The pecan halves are just too heavy, too meaty, too..too much. If you use pecan bits, it creates more of a consistent top layer that makes a nice "crunch" sound when you slice into it.

Another VERY important step: after baking, you must allow the pie to cool to room temperature. Although it can be served warm, Pecan Pie is best when it's completely set. Very often, I'll make my Pecan Pie the night before Thanksgiving; by the next day, it's perfect. The only hard part is keeping my fork out of the pan until guests arrive.

But guess what? It's only November 16th. Guests won't be arriving for well over a week. This pie isn't for Thanksgiving. It's for you.

I just love having this website.

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This Pecan Pie Is So Simple and Delicious

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I used to be scared of Pecan Pie when I was a little girl. Seriously. It was in the long list of dishes and ingredients that I truly thought would kill me if I tasted them. Peas were on the list, too. Sloppy Joes scared me to death.