Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Green eggs and Sham(rocks)


It seems a normal transition that as we celebrate the wearing of the green, we also celebrate the eating of the green. When my kids were younger, I "engineered" their jello treats for class parties, much to their (and their teachers') delight. As they got older, they chided me that "no one likes jello anymore" so I moved on to cupcakes and cookies. However, as St. Patrick's Day rolls around this year I find myself interested in dragging out the shamrock cutter and the egg molds. I made these treats for work...they quickly disappeared. To my delight, when my teenagers rolled in after school (and practice, and socializing) they snapped them right up, too. So, now there isn't much left except a picture, and the instructions---if you want to try this at home.

First, buy lots of green gelatin-there are other flavors if you don't like lime, I used a melon flavor for the light green ones. My toolkit includes Jello brand egg molds (you may not get them in time for Easter but you can buy them here: http://www.kraftcornerstore.com/) and a shamrock cookie cutter. The molds will come with a recipe, I used both regular and creamy recipes. Follow the recipe instructions and either pour the jello in a flat pan or plastic container (lightly oiled for easy release) for the shamrocks, or into the prepared egg mold for the eggs.
Once thickened, cut out shapes or un-mold eggs. For Shamrocks, (sorry no picture) just place on a plate or tray and you are done. For eggs, cut in half as if you were making deviled eggs, place the egg halves on an egg tray, and use a melon ball tool to cut out "yolk" area. Put scraps into a small microwave safe dish, and microwave in 5 second increments until melted. This will melt the jello, but not make it too hot, watch it closely. Use a small measuring spoon to drop the opposing color melted yolks into cut eggs, be creative and have fun! Put them back in the fridge for about half an hour. Then pinch yourself, because you are done, enjoy!