Grandma's Candle Salad

Arrange the lettuce leaf on a chilled plate to create your base.

Mount the cottage cheese in the center of the lettuce, creating a stable foundation approximately 2 inches in diameter. (The cottage cheese acts as both flavor and structural support — its protein content provides stability for the vertical elements.)

Center the pineapple ring over the cottage cheese, pressing gently to ensure it sits level.

Insert the banana half vertically through the pineapple ring, cut-side down, ensuring it stands upright like a candle. (Choose a banana with minimal brown spots — the firmer texture prevents structural collapse during assembly.)

Apply a small dollop of salad dressing to the top of the banana using a teaspoon, allowing it to drip slightly down the sides to simulate melted wax.

Crown with the maraschino cherry, pressing gently into the dressing to secure.