Every family has its black sheep — the person that didn’t really follow the norm but went their own way. Not that there’s anything wrong with being different and not conforming, but sometimes the contrast is so drastic it’s comical. That’s Grandpa’s younger sister, “Margit”.
Aunt Margaret was in the womb when Grandpa’s family immigrated to Minneapolis from Sweden in 1920. As a young woman, Margaret sought the excitement of the big city and moved to Chicago to be a burlesque dancer – scandalous for a quiet, reserved family! We have dozens of photographs addressed to “Gussie”, which was her stage name. What do you think? (She is the farthest on the right)
The thing that is comical is that I only knew Aunt Margaret as a short, round, butterball of an old lady who didn’t keep her house very clean. No swanky burlesque dancer!
These dishes belonged to her – a beautiful set for 8 including a soup tureen, fruit dishes, and platters.
My mom got the recipe for this pastel mint dessert from the Minneapolis Star newspaper in March of 1969, and it quickly became the top request for birthdays, Easter, first snowflake, and any other reason to celebrate.
This makes a 9×13″ pan, so easily dessert for 12. It needs to be made at least 48 hours in advance, which makes it simple for entertaining a gang – no need to stress on the day of a party. As the dessert sits, the mints begin to liquify and the Cool Whip firms up. Perfect!
The crust is just Oreo cookies, or to make it gluten free, use the equivalent from Trader Joes. Just make sure you buy more than one package, because you’ll definitely want to snack on them!
There is absolutely nothing healthy about this dessert. Get over it. Mix up a batch. Enjoy the sweetness. And make a new family tradition!
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Pastel Mint Dessert
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
The easiest make-ahead dessert that will thrill everyone in your household
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Joe-Joes or Oreos)
- 16 ounce container of Cool Whip, thawed
- 3 cups pastel dinner mints (or more, if you love mint like I do!)
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Crush the cookies, then spread 2/3 of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.
- Stir together the Cool Whip, mints, and marshmallows. Spread over the cookie crust.
- Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: chill for 48 hours
