RAMBLINGS & RECIPES - Don't Eat the Jello at Grandma's House

I once overheard my daughter telling my grandchildren as they walked up the front steps to my house, "Just don't eat the Jello at Grandma's house". 

At first I didn't understand what she meant. But then it hit me. Grandma likes to make Jello shots. All kinds of Jello shots.

So just to avoid confusion and to make sure the grandkids don't accidently pick up the wrong Jello, I DO NOT MAKE JELLO FOR MY GRANDKIDS (except for the ones who are over 21).

Do you have any idea how many different kinds of Jello shots a person can make? Hundreds! Be creative! Just don't show them to the grandkids.

I recently went to a Book Club Christmas party and brought along a batch of Margarita Jello Shots, made with tequilla and rimmed with red colored salt. Pretty tasty!

You can actually create a different Jello shot for just about any holiday or occasion.

For New Year's, try using plain gelatin, cream soda, and then add champagne with a few colored sugar sprinkles on top. These can be very pretty!

This one can be a bit tricky, but for Valentine's Day, you can hollow out some strawberries and fill them with red Jello spiked with rum and a bit of triple sec. Easy to eat since you can pop the entire strawberry in your mouth! Yes, I know it's not very lady-like, but trying to take little bites can be quite messy. I can't take credit for the picture on the left. Mine never turn out that perfect.

I have not tried these St. Patty's Day treats yet, but I may give it a try this year. I found this recipe on tablespoon.com. They used sweetened condensed milk for that creamy layer and extra green food coloring for other layers. They also used lime vodka. I don't think I have any of that, so I'll probably just use Irish whiskey. Maybe a touch of Baileys in that creamy layer instead of the sweetened condensed milk. Hmmm. I like to improvise.

For the Fourth of July, I have made this one many times. But again, I improvise from year to year. Blueberry Jello, cherry or strawberry Jello and whipped cream are used. 

I tend to spike these with vodka and top them with a sprinkling of Pop Rocks! 

Oh! And those little toothpick American flags!

On Halloween, there are so many ideas that pop into my head. Jello shots with little spiders inside, ones that look like an eyeball staring at you and so many more. I think my favorite is another layered one though. I guess that's because I love candy corn. Again, you can flavor it with your favorite liquor, keeping in mind that the color of the liquor may change the color of the jello shot. And mixing it up with different liquors for different colored layers isn't always tasty. It just depends on what you mix. Sweetened condensed milk is good to add to the creamy layers, but don't add too much. 

Get creative! But don't sample too much. You never know what you'll end up with.

BASIC JELLO SHOT RECIPE

This recipe can be doubled or tripled if more is needed

Ingredients:

1 3-oz. box of flavored Jello

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup of cool water or ice to equal that amount

1/2 cup liquor (vodka, rum, or whatever)

Add boiling water to gelatin mix, stir 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water or ice. Add alcohol. (Note: Be sure to add the cold water before the liquor. Adding liquor to boiling water takes the zing out.) 

Pour into desired containers and chill until firm.