Tonna's Orange Jello Salad

2 big boxes sugared orange jello (6 oz ea so 12 oz total) big container of whipped topping (16 oz?) kind of softened in the fridge big container of cottage cheese (24 oz?) 3 small or 2 big cans of mandarine oranges Heat 14 oz of water to boiling in the microwave and stir in jello until completely dissolved. Slowly add ice cubes to bring total volume up to 4 c total but stop if it starts to get thick and syrupy. Put in the fridge for a little bit (watching closely) if it didn't start to thicken with just ice cubes and you're already up to 4 c. Stir jello into whipped topping in a large bowl. Fold in cottage cheese. Drain mandarine oranges then fold them in and let stiffen in the fridge to your liking. You can use sugar free jello but you'll have to play it by ear the amount of ice cubes or cold water to add before it starts to thicken. It will be less than 4 c.