Watergate Salad / Pistachio Salad / Pistachio Fluff
Making Great-Aunt Effie’s Sugar Cookies got me thinking about other childhood treats I haven’t had in decades, such as two favorites always served at Easter.
We always celebrated Easter with my mom’s side of the family. After a big dinner, we’d play Aggravation with Grandma Dean, who took great pleasure in delaying her own chances of winning in order to hunt us down and send us back to “start.” Show no mercy and take no prisoners—that was her philosophy.
But I digress.
My aunt and Mom always put on a big spread; ham or fried chicken or roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, home-baked rolls, sweet corn from the prior year’s garden…at least that’s how I remember their meals. What I do know for certain is that no Easter dinner went without my aunt’s two specialties: pistachio salad and a bunny-shaped cake.
I hadn’t had Aunt Frances’ pistachio salad and bunny cake in close to thirty years. After Grandma died and my siblings and cousins started their own families, our Easter get-togethers petered out. Mom never made that delicious green fluff, and though I’ve made similar salads, I never made Aunt Frances’.
Until now.
A quick internet search readily brought up the recipe. Turns out it’s called Watergate Salad and it’s so simple to make I don’t know why I went so long without it!
Thankfully I remembered what gave Aunt Frances’ recipe that crunchy distinctive flavor: black walnuts from her own tree. My black walnuts came from HyVee, but their unique taste transported me back in time nonetheless.
Watergate Salad / Pistachio Fluff
Ingredients
- 1 3.4 oz package pistachio instant pudding mix
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped nuts, such as black walnuts, English walnuts, pecans, or pistachios Optional: Reserve 1 tbl for topping
- 1 8 oz container non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
- green food coloring, if desired
Directions
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing until it's a uniform color of green.
- For a more intense green, stir in 2 – 3 drops of green food coloring.
- Transfer salad to a smaller bowl, and if desired, sprinkle top with 1 tbl reserved chopped nuts.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
