Cranberry Crown

It looks so pretty on a party table. The berries literally shine through the shimmering gelatin.

Makes 16 servings, 1/2 cup each.

3 packages (3 ounces each) orange-flavor gelatin
2 cups hot water
1 can (1 pound) whole-fruit cranberry sauce
1 cup bottled cranberry-juice cocktail
1 bottle (7 ounces) ginger ale
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles
1/4 cup sweet-pickle juice
Mayonnaise or salad dressing

Procedure:
1. Dissolve gelatin in hot water in large bowl. Break up cranberry sauce in can with a fork; stir into gelatin mixture with cranberry-juice cocktail and ginger ale. Chill until mixture is as thick as unbeaten egg white.
2. Stir in celery, pickles and juice; spoon into an 8-cup ring mold. Chill several hours, or until firm.
3. To unmold, run a sharp-tip, thin-blade knife around top of mold, then dip very quickly in and out of a pan of hot water. Moisten a small cookie sheet with cold water. (This will keep mold from sticking and make it easy to slide onto serving tray later.) Cover mold with cookie sheet; turn upside down, then gently lift off mold. Chill until serving time.
4. Slide mold from cookie sheet onto serving tray, lifting and pushing mold at the same time with a spatula moistened with water. Fill center of ring with a small dish of mayonnaise or salad dressing; garnish with salad greens, if you wish. Tips for the hostess: Make this mold a day or even two ahead, as it will hold well in the refrigerator.