Shine 'Til It Sings

For several years, my mom, Toni, worked at the Keesler Air Force base exchange. Lucky her. She got first dibs at all the good merchandise.

Like all the Soljan girls, my mother was "blessed" with fine, thin hair. Glad I got those genes.

The exchange got in a new shampoo that promised not only bountiful tresses, but “hair so shiny it sings.” Who could resist that? Apparently, not her baby brother Michael, then about five. In search of shiny, singing hair, he used up the ENTIRE bottle.

And the damned stuff never squeaked out so much as an E-flat.

I am my mother’s daughter. My hair care arsenal includes sprays, mousses and super-duper volumizing shampoo. None of this stuff exactly warbles, but my hair will squeak if I towel-dry it just right.

But who cares about that? Not only do I have Toni’s fine hair, I have her fabulous Coke salad recipe. It’s so good it makes my taste buds sing .

I’ll take those over singing hair any day of the week.

Before you write this off as just another one of those congealed salad recipes that were so popular in the 1960s and 70s, give it a try. I'm not an aspic fan myself - stuff suspended in Jello just doesn't do it for me as a rule. However, this one is a cut above the rest.

My mom made this a lot for holidays and Sunday dinners, often using it as an accompaniment to roast beef, broccoli casserole and cheesy potatoes.

It is my cousin Joey's favorite of all my mom's recipes. Although this is a salad, he usually saved his piece for dessert.

Coke Salad (4 cup mold)

1 3-oz. package of cherry Jello
1 small can crushed pineapple (drain and reserve juice)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 3 oz. package of cream cheese, cubed
1 can of Coca Cola or other cola drink

Combine pineapple juice, cola and enough water to make 2 cups. Boil. Dissolve Jello in hot liquid. Fold in pineapple, nuts and cream cheese. Chill until set in 4-cup mold or equivalent pan.

Photo: My mom, Toni, and her brother Michael, circa 1949.