Frozen Fruit Salad

Frozen Fruit Salad

This is a family tradition and has been passed down for several generations.  I have changed it a bit to fit my preferences.  Maybe I'm pickier than I like to admit:)  We make this for Thanksgiving.  It is nice because it can be made ahead of time to make Thanksgiving day that much easier.

8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup whipped cream
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 cans mixed fruit
1 can pineapple
1-2 cans mandarin oranges
2 1/2 cups marshmallows

Soften cream cheese, blend it with a blender to help soften it up and make it smooth.

Whip the cream and the sugar in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold the cream and the cream cheese together.  Add the fruit.

There are several ways to shape the salad:

1.  Rinse the cans that you got the fruit out of.  Spoon the fruit/cream mixture into the cans.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  You can use a rubber band to hold the plastic wrap in place.

2.  If you have some individual serving dishes that can go into the freezer, you can spoon the filling into the serving dishes, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

3.  Whatever other way you would like to freeze this salad so that it comes out the shape that you want it.

When ready to serve, take the salad out of the freezer a little ahead of time.  It is easier to get it out of the cans if you let it defrost for a little bit.  You can run hot water on the outside of the can if you need it to soften faster.  Tip the cans upside down and use a can opener to take off the other side of the can.  You can push the salad from one side out the other side of the can.  Slice the salad with a knife into individual servings.

Serve on individual salad plates.  You can dress it up by serving it up on a piece of lettuce or whatever else you can think of to dress it up.