Watergate Salad

            This recipe is about to bring you back in time. The Watergate Salad is a dish that was once found at every picnic, potluck or family gathering. It is a very simple dessert to make and only needs a few ingredients to make it something extra special. Pistachio flavored pudding mix, mini marshmallows, whipped cream and pecans, mixed together with crushed pineapple. I personally remember this well. I remember the oohs and ahhs coming from the mothers when someone would place a bowl of Watergate Salad on the picnic table.

            It is a sweet, creamy and crunchy dessert all rolled into one. I remember my mom would garnish it with extra whipped topping and cherries. Kids would all fight over who got to have the cherries. One thing for sure, there was never any Watergate Salad left after one of these gatherings. Once we got home and had dishes done, of course, we would be begging for more of the Watergate Salad. We were met with a lack of a positive response. We had to settle for some drab treat before bed those nights.

            This is one of the desserts that I enjoy making. I purposely went shopping to find glassware that was smaller, but very nice looking. When I am ready to serve the Watergate Salad, I scoop the salad into these smaller glasses, top with a dollop of whipping cream, place a cherry in the center and sprinkle a few chopped pecans over the entire top.

These are so cute. When I have my female friends over, they all gush over the way these look. Of course, then we get side tracked and our get-togethers tend to last twice as long as we meant them to.

Frequently Asked Questions:

            Could I use the colored miniature marshmallows?

You certainly could, not only does it add color, but it turns out pretty. There is no flavor difference between colored marshmallows and the white ones either.

            Could I switch up the jello flavor?

This, I am sure, has been done millions of times over the generations. I believe I have had it as a yellow color, so vanilla, and also as a chocolate. The possibilities are almost endless.

            Can I make this ahead of time?

This dessert is good to make a short time in advance. However, whipped topping does tend to thin down after a short time. I would not advise any further ahead than 24 hours.

What do you need to make Watergate Salad

            2 boxes of instant Pistachio flavored pudding mix

            1 large can of crushed pineapple

            12-16 ounces of whipped topping

            ½ to ¾ cup chopped pecans

            1 ½ cups mini marshmallows

            1 cup flaked, sweet coconut, (optional)

            Cherries with stems, pecans, and whipped topping for garnish, (optional)

How to make Watergate Salad

FIRST STEP:

Stir together the crushed pineapple and the instant pudding mix, in a large bowl

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b)

SECOND STEP:

Add in the chopped pecans and stir

Toss in the marshmallows and stir again

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b)

THIRD STEP:

Gently fold in the whipped topping.

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b)

You can garnish with a dollop of whipped topping, a cherry and a sprinkle of pecans

YAY!

Enjoy!

YUM!