Thursday, July 30, 2009

Rainbow Jello

Mmmm.....rainbow jello. I remember when I was a kid, rainbow jello was one of my favorite foods at family potlucks. I used to pull apart the layers like string cheese and eat it layer by layer. My mom used to tell me that a properly made rainbow jello could not be pulled apart into layers. I guess she didn't like it so much when I could pull apart the layers of jello...because she was the one who made it.

If you want to make a dish will be a crowd-pleaser with the kiddies, bring rainbow jello to your next potluck.
You can choose the flavors and colors of jello for your rainbow jello. The standard combination my mom makes includes: Red-Strawberry, Orange-Orange, Yellow-Lemon, Green-Lime. Although you can be creative and make "themed" jello:
Red (strawberry or cherry) or Pink (watermelon) and cream -Valentine's Day
Red (strawberry or cherry), blue (berry-blue), cream-=Fourth of July
Green (Lime) and cream-St.Patrick's Day
Orange and cream- Halloween

Or school colors...I remember once in high school I attended a grad party and the jello was layers of blue-berry blue and cream. It was yummy!

Recipe

4- 3oz. boxes of jello (4 different colors of jello)
6 packets of knox gelatin
1 - 14 oz can condensed milk
Water

*Makes a 9"13" pan of jello.
Takes about 2 hours to make (including wait time between layers).

Each Jello Layer
1 packet know gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

3/4 cup water
1 3oz box jello

1. Gelatin Mixture-Stir in 1 packet of knox gelatin in 1/4 cup water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a sauce pan, heat 3/4 cup water to a boil. Take off the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Then stir in the box of gelatin (~2 min) until completely dissolved.
3. Set aside and let cool. Makes ~1 cup of jello
If you are limited in sauce pans or want the jello mixture to cool down faster, transfer mixture to another bowl.
4. Repeat process for all four flavors/layers of jello

Cream Jello
1/4 cup cold water
2 packets of Knox gelatin
3/4 cup water

1 can condensed milk
1 cup hot water

1. Gelatin Mixture-Stir in 2 packets of knox gelatin in 1/4 cup water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk and 1 cup of hot water.
3. In a sauce pan, heat 3/4 cup water to a boil. Take off the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture. 4. Pour the hot water gelatin mixture into the condensed milk mixture and mix well.

Gelatin and cold water mixture. Make sure all the gelatin interacts with the water (not like this picture).
Cream Jello Mixture

Assembling the layered jello
1. Pour first jello layer into the pan. Place in the refrigerator and let gelatin set for 15-20 minutes.
2. Pour ~1 cup cream mixture into the pan. Place in the refrigerator and let gelatin set for 15-20 minutes.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all the jello flavors, until you have 4 layers of colored jello, and 3 layers of cream.
4. Let jello set for a couple of hours before serving.
5. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve.


Tips-
1. Make sure you have enough flat space in your refrigerator for a 9"x13" pan.
2. If your jello mixture is too hot, it will mix together with the cream mixture, and you will lose your layers. Cool down jello to room temperature before pouring over the next layer.

5 comments:

K and S said...

now THAT is something I haven't eaten in ages!

Jason said...

Great pictures and great layer separation. My mom & grandma would make layered jello all the time, but never so many layers so perfectly done.

genkitummy said...

lat-me too, i feel like i haven't eaten rainbow jello in years!

thanks jason!

Jasonsings said...

My partner and I made this for our annual pride picnic last year...HUGE HIT! So delicious! Can't wait to make it again

genkitummy said...

Jasonsings-I'm glad you and everyone else enjoyed it!