The other day I was going through my church lady cookbooks and came across one where I had sketched a family tree in the back cover. It showed who was married to whom, and I thought maybe that meant it was one of those cookbooks where the contributors were listed as "Mrs. Billy So-and-So" instead of her real first name, but some of the recipes were the woman's name, so I was trying to keep track in the back cover. I do that kind of thing for fun.

But no, I finally remembered that this particular cookbook, out of Dispatch, Kansas, came from a friend of mine whose family had moved to Denver from Dispatch. They are a close-knit family of Dutch heritage, and the last names of the recipe contributors include such as Groenendyke, Koops, Draayer, and Boeskool.

So the notes I'd made next to the names are "Uncle Bert's Wife," "Uncle Chuck's," Uncle Lawrence's," and "Dad's Cousin." In the back, my notes say that Bert is married to Frances, Roland is married to Ileen, and Chuck to Vi. Lloyd and Nelvina are partners, Vern is married to Betty, Ivan to Clara, and Lawrence to Charlotte. It's a bit like those logic puzzles that I could never master.

Next, I remembered my friend's description of Sunday dinner at her house, after the service at the Christian Church, and how it always included a fancy jello salad, the likes of which some of us might get to see at church potlucks if we're lucky.

Peach Pudding Salad
2 (3 oz) boxes peach Jello
1 pkg. vanilla pudding (not instant)
3 cups boiling water
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (no. 2 1/2) can sliced peaches

Bring Jello, pudding and water to a boil. Add the marshmallows and stir until dissolved. Add the peaches, juice and all. Chill in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish or pan.

Easy Jello Salad

1 carton cottage cheese
1 box Jello (any flavor)
1 can crushed pineapple
9 oz Cool Whip
Chopped nuts

Stir dry Jello into cottage cheese. When dissolved add fruit and Cool Whip. Chill thoroughly.

This last one has a funny name considering the ingredients or lack thereof.

Cranberry Red Hot Salad

Dissolve 1/2 cup red hots in 1 cup boiling water. Then dissolve 1 package raspberry Jello in the above mixture. Add 1 can applesauce and let set. Add nuts (if desired). After the Jello has set up top with cream cheese mixed with mayonnaise, or Cool Whip.