Rainbow Jell-O!

For my son's birthday he wanted an ARTIST PARTY.  The guests decorated the cake, did all kinds of artsy crafts, and we even played "Pin the Beret on the Artist." 

Monet looks like he was wearing a beret for his photo!  (Don't you wish more men would wear flowers in their mustaches?)

The kids had a great time, and instead of ice cream with the cake, we served THIS....

Rainbow Jell-O!

That's right, I made a Rainbow Jell-O!  It was the hit of the party.  One party guest has a severe gluten intolerance and was extra glad to be able to join in some of the party treats.

The idea behind the rainbow stripes is to have a darker layer and a lighter layer for each gelatin color to create a rainbow pattern.  You'll need a bundt pan and a large empty space in your refrigerator.

I'm not going to lie to you about this one...this is an easy project, but it takes a LONG time! It isn't something to throw together in the morning and bring to the church potluck in the evening.  It is this kind of dessert that you throw together the morning the day before you need it for the church potluck.

Put on the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version of Pride and Prejudice  or maybe Anne of Green Gables with Megan Follows and get busy.  Here is what you need:

JELL-O - LOTS of JELL-O! (And some sour cream)

3 oz. packages of each color of the rainbow of gelatin.  (6 boxes plus 1 for a total of 7)
Violet - Grape
Blue - Berry Blue
Green - Lime
Yellow - Lemon or Pineapple (I like pineapple for this.)
Orange - Orange or Apricot
Red - Strawberry or Cherry
boiling water
1 quart of sour cream, vanilla yogurt, or Cool Whip
1 bundt pan
cooking spray
a paper towel
a kitchen timer

You need TWO packages of the last color of your rainbow.  I began with the violet so I needed two packages of the red gelatin.   If you begin your rainbow with red then you will need two packages of violet. 

TWO packages of the last color. 

 Definitely get two 3oz. packages of the last color instead of one large package.  It will make everything a whole lot easier later.

Stack up the gelatin boxes in the order they will be needed.  You will need to remember: ROY G. BIV.  Begin the stack with red on the bottom and follow the rainbow up from there.

Keeping track of the gelatin.

Let's get to it!

Spray the bundt pan lightly with cooking spray and use a paper towel to wipe out the excess.   Prepare your first color of gelatin with 1 1/4 cup of boiling water.  COOL IT DOWN!  You want the gelatin to be around room temperature before it goes into the bundt pan.  If not, it will take forever to gel properly.l  Pour 3/4 of a cup of prepared gelatin into the bundt pan to make the darker layer.

Put it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.  I found that I needed the full 20 minutes with my refrigerator.

/

Use and ice bath for quick cooling!

Make sure you place your gelatin on a FLAT surface!

Then add a big scoop (about 2 tablespoons) of sour cream to the remaining 3/4 cup of gelatin.  COOL IT DOWN!

You can use vanilla yogurt or Cool Whip instead of the sour cream.  I haven't tried the Cool Whip, but I did try yogurt when I made this recipe once before.  I did not like the texture of the lighter layer.  It kept separating while the darker layer was chilling.  Also, I felt the finished dessert was too sweet for my taste.  I wanted the tarter contrast that sour cream provides.  I have not tried Greek yogurt.  Either plain or vanilla might work beautifully because of the thickness, and the tartness could be just perfect.  Try it and let me know...m-kay?

I wasn't very precise about this!

Here is the whipped layer. 

You can't run errands while you do this because you don't want the gelatin to be completely set.  You want it to be a little bit tacky.  That way the next layer will glue itself to the prior layer.  If the lower layer gets too set, the next layer will just slide off once the dessert gets un-molded.  

The gelatin should stick to the back of a spoon just a little. 

 
Pour the lighter layer onto the darker layer and chill for 10 - 15 minutes.  Again, I needed the entire 15 minutes.   (I don't think my refrigerator is very cold.)

*Pour the gelatin over the back of a spoon.*  The spoon slows down the descent of the liquid so it does not puncture the previous layer.  This will also happen if the liquid is too hot when you pour it.  

Slowly

Slowly

Slowly

This spot happened because my liquid was too hot. 

Keep building first a darker layer, then the lighter layer with each color of gelatin.

You can make all of your gelatin colors all at once at the beginning or make one at a time as you build each layer.  The gelatin may gel too much sitting out on your counter before going into the fridge so they might need a bit of a warm.  If you make them all at once, you won't need an ice bath for more than the first two colors or so.   Also, just keep them covered with plastic wrap until you need them.   I make my colors one at a time. 

Prepare one whole package of your final color with water and another whole package with water and sour cream.  It makes for easier math. 

Chill the finished mold in the refrigerator overnight!

Just chillin' in the fridge!

To release your mold,  have a platter or pan ready to accept your mold before you begin.  Dip your mold in a sink of warm water for just a FEW SECONDS!!!  If you go any longer than that your mold will begin to melt.  Dry off the bundt pan quickly with a towel.  (You don't want any water dripping onto your beautiful dessert!)

Put your prepared pan or platter over the top of the bundt pan.....and........FLIP!  The pan should slip right off without any resistance whatsoever!  AND...Voila!  Rainbow Jell-o!  You might want to pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes to firm up the outsides, or you can just slice it and serve!

MMMMM...RAINBOW JELL-O!

Release the gelatin mold!  Release it, I say!

You are getting sleepy...sleepy!

See, I told you.  SLEEPY!

Your guests will love it better than cake!  (Especially if they are seven.)

Side View!

I would love it if you became a follower of my blog.  You can find me HERE on Facebook and HERE on Pinterest!  Come follow all of the craziness!

You might find these other perfect-for-summer posts at Greetings From the Asylum interesting...What do you think....

Just in time for your summer vacation put together a TRAVEL BACKPACK or two (or more).  My kids loved them and yours will too!  Decorate festively for the Fourth of July with this FABULOUS WREATH!  You'll be the hit of the summer barbecue when you bring either POTATO SALAD or DEVILED EGGS.  They never disappoint! 

Thanks for visiting!  Come back soon!  ;)

Va-Va-Va-Vanilla Extract!

I purchased some Mexican Vanilla Extract from a friend several years ago.  It was completely authentic and easily the BEST Vanilla Extract I have ever tasted.  I savored it.  I used it in everything.  I loved using a teaspoon here and a tablespoon there.  Then, my friend moved away, several states away.  My source for this excellent extract dried up.  The label on the bottle was in Spanish and didn't have an address  so I was at a loss to get more.  I tried a local Mexican market, but unfortunately, all I could find was a "Mexican Vanilla Blend."  Blend?  Huh?  This is unacceptable.  It contained Mexican vanilla, yes, but it also contains an artificial vanilla flavoring - vanillin.  YUUUUUCK!  Nope, that is not for me.  Martha Stewart drilled into my head as a young baker that only pure vanilla extract was good enough to put into my creations. 

What was I to do?  My stores of outstanding vanilla were dwindling, and while I can buy "Pure Vanilla Extract" at my local grocery store, it simply isn't the same as the robustly flavored vanilla extract to which I and my baked goods have become accustomed.  I was just about to get desperate and make a run for the border when I came across THIS.  Kelsey Nixon (remember her from The Next Food Network Star) gives a great, EASY recipe for making your own vanilla extract.  There isn't even any cooking involved!  SAY WHAT?!?  I can make my own vanilla extract!?!  Well alrighty then,  let's get to it.  

To make vanilla extract Kelsey says you need three things...

1. Vanilla Beans

2. 80 proof Vodka

3. A glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid

That's it.  I can totally do that.  Let's get to it!

See -- Three things!

You want to use non-reactive glass bottles with tight fitting tops.  I got mine HERE and HERE.   

Kelsey Nixon used a smaller glass bottle (half the size of mine) and only five beans.  My bottles hold 1 liter of liquid so I am using 12 beans.

These are plump, moist, beautiful beans!  I cannot wait to get working!

 *There are three common varieties of vanilla beans: Mexican, Tahitian, and Madagascar.  Each type of beans has special qualities making each better suited to specific uses.  The Madagascar vanilla bean is the most common type of vanilla.  This is the type that is most often found in grocery store vanilla.  Tahitian vanilla is the most aromatic.  It is best used for things where the smell is the most important factor.  Mexican vanilla beans pack the most flavorful vanilla punch.  Click HERE for more information about vanilla beans.  MMMMM!  They are the beans for me!

Use a sharp knife.  Slice each bean down the center lengthwise.  Keep all of the tiny seeds inside the bean. 

This process smells so great!  Stick the sliced beans into the bottles.  If you use a smaller bottle, you may need to cut the beans in half the other direction too. 

Don't spend a lot of money on fancy vodka.  Don't get anything with a flavor.  The most important thing is the proof.  GET 80 PROOF!  By the way...I don't drink alcohol.  I've never purchased alcohol before.  Should I be offended that I wasn't even carded at Costco?  SIGH!  My 1.75 liter bottle at Costco was $13.99.  Ironically, it was across the isle from a Crystal Skull full of vodka for around $75.00.  Nope, I didn't get that.   That is a little too Indiana Jones for my taste.

Pour (use a funnel)

Glamor Shot!  Notice how clear the vodka is. 

SHAKE!

Side-by-Side after a good shake.

Store in a cool, dark place. 

Don't judge my cabinets.  :)  I'm just trying to keep it real!  Take  your bottles out once a week and give them a good shake.  In 6 to 8 weeks your extract will be ready to use!  Now you go make some extract!

This is how the liquid looks after one day of soaking. 

This is what you have after 4 weeks of soaking.  

This is how the extract looks after 6 weeks...

The extract is really smelling more like vanilla and less like vodka.  Yummy!

I waited 8 weeks for maximum potency before I decanted my homemade extract.  Strain the extract through a coffee filter.  Leave the vanilla beans in the bottle.  Cover the beans with new vodka and make more extract.  Add a new bean every now and then.  You'll have new vanilla extract almost indefinitely!

Make sure your bottle is DRY!

Water will ruin your new extract.  Even one drop will destroy all of your patience and hard work.  I let my bottle dry for over a day and a half.  I even used a blow drier.  Blowing down the neck of the bottle was not very effective, but blowing the warm air onto the bottom of the bottle did a great job.  It warmed the glass and caused the small beads of water to evaporate.  It didn't effect the larger beads of water. 

New extract on the left, ready-to-use extract on the right!

I can't wait to try it!

I would love it if you became a follower of my blog.  You can find me HERE on Facebook and HERE on Pinterest!  Come follow all of the craziness!

You might find these other cooking posts at Greetings From the Asylum interesting...What do you think....

Hamburger Cookies make great treats for when it is your turn to bring the snacks to preschool.  I recreated the Orange Blossom Lemonade from my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant that is now a pancake place.  You could also try my recipe for Green Chili Shredded Beef.  It is for the crock pot so it is E-A-S-Y and DELICIOUS!

Thanks for visiting!

An EGG-cellent Sandwich!

I love, Love, LOVE a good egg salad salad sandwich!  I remember one outing I had with my husband to a little deli on Saturday.  I ordered the egg salad sandwich.  It looked soooo good, and I had a craving.  Well, imagine my disappointment when I took my first bite only to find the egg salad had NO FLAVOR AT ALL!  SIGH!!!!  I was so upset.  I couldn't even finish my food.

Well, when I make my own egg salad sandwiches - they are GREAT!  See...

DELICIOUS!

You want one of these right now, don't you?  (Nodding) I thought you did.  As promised, here is the recipe...

Tanya's EGG-cellent Egg Salad Club

Ingredients:

One recipe of egg salad (ingredients listed below)

• 6-10 hard cooked eggs (either BAKED or STEAMED)
• mayonnaise
• yellow mustard
• dill pickle relish
• salt 
• pepper
• celery salt

Throw a little bit of everything into a bowl and mix it up to your desired consistency.

• croissants
• bacon
• tomatoes
• leafy lettuce

DELICIOUS!

Here are a few photos!

Celery salt is especially delicious with eggs!

Grate the eggs for a nice consistency.

Slice your tomatoes, sprinkle them with salt, and let them sit on a paper towel for 10 minutes to draw out some of the moisture.

Bake your bacon!  I ALWAYS bake my bacon. 

This is uncured bacon from our local market, but any favorite bacon will do.  To bake your own bacon, Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top it with a rack (this allows the fat to drip off the cooking bacon).  Bake your bacon for at least 20 minutes.  Keep an eye on it.  You don't want it to burn.  Baked bacon is less messy because you don't have the fat spatters all around your frying pan do deal with.  Baked bacon is easier because you can cook an entire package at once.  AND... Baked bacon is better because the smell of cooked bacon will only linger for a few hours instead of a few days.  Plus, you can't beat this clean-up...

Wad up the foil and throw it away!

 To assemble your EGG-cellent sandwich, slap all of your ingredients on a fresh croissant.  

These babies were mere hours old when the became dinner!

 Voila!  Dinner is served, or lunch, or breakfast if your feeling adventurous.  You really can't go wrong with egg salad!

Serve your sandwich with whatever sounds good to you!

Here is a close-up!

Here is another view...MMMMMMM!

Okay, now I'm hungry!  I'll get back to you later.  My kitchen is calling! 

I. Am. STEAMED!

Way back last year I made a big batch of potato salad for a family party.  I decided to write up a little post on my alternative (thanks to Alton Brown) method of cooking eggs.  I baked them.  I pinned my post to Pinterest HERE and went on my way.  Well...last week someone, or should I say, LOTS of someones began pinning and pinning and re-pinning my post.

Baking eggs is a marvelous way to cook LOTS of eggs.  For me, it is the ONLY way to cook lots of eggs.  However, there is another way to cook eggs that can accomplish the same result, perfect eggs, in half the time of baking.  (Also described by Alton Brown in his book I'm Just Here for the Food)  If you only need a few eggs cooked quickly...try STEAMING them!

Alton Brown's Steamed Eggs

Prep time: 5 min.
Total time: 17 min.

Ingredients:  less than a dozen eggs - do not overcrowd your pan

Special Equipment: A saucepan with a metal steamer basket and a snug lid. 

Directions:
1.  Fill a saucepan with 1" of water.
2.  Place the steamer basket into the pan.
3.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
4.  Place the eggs in the steamer basket.
5.  Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-high.
6.  Cook the eggs for 12 minutes.
7.  Use tongs to remove the cooked eggs from the steamer basket.
8.  Place the eggs in a bowl of ice water.
9.  Peel the eggs when they are cool enough to handle.

Here are the steps  - in pictures!

You need three things:  A saucepan, a metal steamer basket, and a lid.  These pieces are all part of the same set, but I have used a vegetable steamer basket to steam eggs in the past.  You just need a snug fitting lid for the saucepan. 

1" of water in the bottom of the pan.

Bring the water to a rolling boil.  This takes approximately five minutes.

I made eight eggs.  I have a stockpot with a larger steamer basket that holds more, but if I need more than a few eggs I bake them.  Again, this process is best for cooking a few eggs.

Place the eggs over the boiling water.

Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium-high, and steam for 12 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the pan with tongs and place in ice water.  Peel them as soon as they are cool enough to handle. 

You don't need to stir the eggs, but I had a helper that wanted a job. 

Now it is time to PEEL the eggs...

This is VERY hard to see, but crack the egg on both ends and roll it around to put little cracks all over the shell.  This will help the shell to come off in a long roll like an orange peel.

Like this...

Steamed eggs are faster to prepare and easier to peel than the Baked Eggs, but there are a few trade-offs.  The yolks of steamed eggs are not as creamy and delectable as their baked counterparts.  Also, steamed eggs give off a more sulferous odor than baked eggs.  However, both Baked and Steamed eggs are vast improvements over improperly boiled eggs.   

Once you have your eggs you can slice them up over chef salad, eat them with a little salt and pepper as a snack, or whip up a to-die-for egg salad sandwich.  Like this one...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 Check back in a few days for the recipe.

In other news:  I just received the April 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine today in the mail.  To my amazement Alton Brown was featured on the cover with his guide for cooking...you guessed it...EGGS! ( To find his recipes that are included in this issue, type "Alton Brown" in the search box.)  In it he gives a new third way to prepare hard cooked eggs!  Pick up your copy today!