Well, it was possible to make the valentine jello. Watermelon flavor is a light pink, so that worked out splendidly as the background color. In case I decide to do this again next year, this will be a picture-heavy post to help me remember.
Dear Future Lauren: You bought:
8 boxes of watermelon (all boxes were 3 ounces)
3 boxes of black cherry
3 boxes of grape
4 cheap-o aluminum pans. They are probably in the basement in the valentine box so you can reuse them.
Lightly spray two of the pans with cooking spray, then wipe them down so they’re not super-greasy.
Mix up the cherry, then the grape, according to the directions for Jello Jigglers. Pour into their respective pans then go about your day for a couple of hours.
Spray the two other pans and get out the set Jello. Run a knife around the edge, put a piece of waxed paper over the top, then flip! (The pan, not you.)
Start cutting out hearts, then loudly say how much fun it is so that Lloyd will come over and want to try. He is so easy. What a Tom Sawyer moment you’ve just had!
After he’s cut them all out, tell him he can eat the scraps. Laugh when he says, “Why was I being so careful then?”
Scatter the hearts on the pans, then repeat wtih the other pan of Jello.
(Note: Black cherry is plenty red, and grape didn’t get very purple-y despite 10 drops of blue food coloring. Also, you could sub out one of the boxes of Jello for some unflavored Knox, because this was sa-wheeeet!!)
Ok, now stick them in the freezer while you mix up the watermelon Jello. Do this in two batches – 4 boxes at once – then let it cool down on the counter. (If you pour it when it’s hot it will melt the hearts.)
Um, maybe you should set some sort of timer so this doesn’t happen again.
Whatever. Pour the room-temperature Jello into the pan while it’s in the fridge. You don’t want to be carrying a flimsy pan of liquid over to the fridge!
Do the same with the other one, eh?
Triumph! When it’s set, put some waxed paper over it so it doesn’t get all rubbery.
Ain’t it pretty?