Cravings of a Lunatic

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Rainbow Jello

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Fun way to jazz up Jello with a retro twist. Cute blast from the past!

Rainbow Jello from cravingsofalunatic.com- Fun way to jazz up Jello with a retro twist. Cute blast from the past!

There are  some recipes that just scream childhood to me. Jello is one of them. My mom used to make jello all the time. We ate it constantly as kids. Sometimes it was plain, sometimes it had fruit cocktail mixed into it and other times she would layer it. This recipe reminds me of my mom. I love recipes that make me think of her. I have so many wonderful memories of her that revolve around food, and around jello.

This was fun to make but a bit of a pain in the rump. It takes a lot of layering, then waiting, then layering, then waiting. This goes on all day. So if you plan to make this make sure you do it a day or two ahead. I also realized that you should divide one of the steps. There is a condensed milk mixture you layer into it. If you make it all ahead of time it will start to firm up before you finish. You can add a little hot water to loosen it up. My suggestion would be to divide it and make up smaller batches every couple of layers. That way it stays liquid enough for the layers. By the time I got to the top layer the mixture was not smooth enough for my liking. Live and learn.

Learning is a big part of cooking and baking. You will do things that you shouldn’t do. You will occasionally forget an ingredient. You may over-mix something. There may even be a time where you read directions wrong and completely mess up a recipe. Then there are days you might do silly things like tip over a glass full of layered jello you spent all day making. That glass might break and you might be left with only one parfait glass full of the layered jello left to photograph. So for any of you who think us food bloggers are perfect and never make mistakes I’d like to show you some proof we can be giant doofuses just like everyone else.

Rainbow Jello from cravingsofalunatic.com- Fun way to jazz up Jello with a retro twist. Cute blast from the past!

Told you! Doofus city. I am nothing if not completely honest. But I want you to realize anyone can cook, bake or make layered jello. Just have fun and when crapola like this happens don’t sweat it. Laugh it off and move on. There’s no use crying over spilled jello people.

I used Momofuku for 2’s recipe for Rainbow Jello. It is simple and you can always trust a Momofuku recipe to be amazing. Not that one needs a recipe if you are just layering jello but when you add in the condensed milk layers it’s good to make sure you know what you are doing. Which I did not. I mean I am the chick who knocked over an entire glass of this stuff after spending all day making it. Did you really expect me to know how to make creamy milk layers in jello. I have limits people. Apparently my limit is condensed milk recipes. Who knew?

Rainbow Jello from cravingsofalunatic.com- Fun way to jazz up Jello with a retro twist. Cute blast from the past!

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4.29 from 7 votes

Rainbow Jello

Cute way to layer jello like the good old days!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Author Kim Beaulieu

Ingredients

  • 6 packages of Jello I used grape, berry blue, raspberry, lemon, lime, orange
  • 5 tablespoons of gelatine I used Knox, works really well
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Step 1:

  • In a bowl (or a large measure cup with spout to make transferring the liquid easier) mix your first flavour of Jello with 1/2 tablespoon of gelatine. Add 1 cup of boiling water. Pour into desired serving cup so it makes a thin layer. Pop this in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to set.

Step 2:

  • Mix 1/2 can of condensed milk with 1/2 cup of boiling water. Set aside.

Step 3:

  • In a bowl place 1 tablespoon of gelatine and pour 1/4 cup of cold water over it. Now let it rest for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4:

  • Add 1/4 cup of boiling water to the bowl of gelatine you set aside to bloom. Stir it really well. Then add milk mixture to it. Mix again. Allow to cool to room temperature before attempting to fill any dishes with it. If you pour it over the jello the heat will make a mess of your layers.

Step 5:

  • Once the milky portion is cooled pour it over the first jello layer. Stick in the fridge to set for 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 6:

  • Repeat with next 2 batches of jello and milky portion alternating them in thin layers.

Step 7:

  • Make your second batch of the milky portion. Doing it later like this will keep it from becoming too firm too early. So you are repeating steps 3 and 4. If you don't want to scroll here's the instructions for your lazy butt- In a bowl place 1 tablespoon of gelatine and pour 1/4 cup of cold water over it. Now let it rest for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of boiling water to the bowl of gelatine you set aside to bloom. Stir it really well. Then add milk mixture to it. Mix again. Allow to cool to room temperature before attempting to fill any dishes with it. If you pour it over the jello the heat will make a mess of your layers.

Step 8:

  • Repeat layering process with each Jello package until you use it all up. Make sure you let each layer set for 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge before the next layer.

Step 9:

  • Allow to firm up completely.

Step 10:

  • Stuff your face!

Notes

Recipe from Momofukufor2's Rainbow Jello!
Make sure you plan ahead.
If you want to get them out of the little dishes just place them carefully in a shallow pan of warm water and they will loosen up and come free.
You can also spray the pan or glasses with non stick spray if you like.
You can leave out the milky portion. I did two with the milky portion and then a bunch of little glasses with just straight up Jello.
I would be more careful about the colours you layer than I was if you make it with straight up jello. I put the green and yellow next to each other and there wasn't enough contrast for my liking so think about which ones you want where before making it.

Rainbow Jello from cravingsofalunatic.com- Fun way to jazz up Jello with a retro twist. Cute blast from the past!

I did two glasses with the milk mixture layered in it. Then I did 6 mini glasses with just straight up Jello layers. I knew mini-me would turn her nose up at the milky one so I busted my hump for her benefit. You’re welcome mini-me. Always here to make your food extra special you little pain in the…Jello. Good for kids and adults. Ya, that’s where I was going with that.

Make sure you stop by all the other Sunday Supper crew’s sites to see what they whipped up for you.

Sunday Supper Retro Appetizers:

 Sunday Supper Retro Salads:

 Sunday Supper Retro Breads and Sandwiches:

SundaySupper Main Dishes:

Sunday Supper Retro Sides and Veggies:

 Sunday Supper Retro Desserts and Cocktails:

Make sure you help yourself to an extra slice of cake today. It’s my birthday so I’m whooping it up today. Heading out to see a movie then probably home for takeout. Might just hang out and watch movies all night long. No work. No cooking. No chores. Why oh why can’t every day be my birthday.

Toodles and smoochies! xx

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Comments

  2. [email protected] says

    Oh I love those little shots of jello! I remember my Mom making layered jello for dinners and special events. I can’t wait to introduce my kids to this–believe it or not–my kids have only had jello a handful of times in their 18+ years. Time to change that.

    Reply

  3. Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb says

    Maybe it took sometime to make your rainbow jello but it was well worth it. Looks stunning and the layers are so perfect (mathematically and the choice if shades). I am not sure if I had the patience, but I imagine that it would be a great treat to surprise some kids for their birthdays. thanks for sharing Kim!

    Reply

  4. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says

    Girl, I feel yah!! Just when I have everything perfect and ready for a photo, I either knock it over, get my arm in it or forget a main ingredient, sit down to eat and realize I forgot to put something on it! I hate that!! Glad you were able to save one parfait! It looks amazing! I totally forgot about jello layer parfaits! Awesome recipe!

    Reply

  20. Renee says

    What? You didn’t tilt the glasses to the side so the layers would be at an angle? (Giggling) I saw that once and thought about how many glasses I would probably break in the process.
    Beautiful layers though. I’d like the ones with the milk layers. Just plain regular Jello does not appeal to me.

    Reply

  21. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    This is totally awesomely groovy! I haven’t had layered jello in ages. When I first started dating my husband, his dad used to always make little individual cups of jello with canned fruit inside. I loved it! Your layered jello is gorgeous, like a work of psychedelic art. I’m glad you didn’t give up when the glass broke (I would’ve thrown a tantrum).

    Reply

  26. Jenellia says

    5 stars
    My kids loved the dish that I made for them. ThankYou so much for sharing such a yummy and tasty recipe with us.
    Definitely gonna share it with my freinds. I was planning to make this on the next kitty that I am hosting.

    Reply

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