Party On With A Jello Shooter Cake...A Vodka-Soaked Jello Ribbon Salad!

I have always wanted to make a jello shooter cake, but never had a reason to. Also, I didn't want anyone to think I was an alcoholic. So when my friend was looking for some interesting drink ideas for a party, I suggested she make one. Now my friend is not your average, everyday Martha Stewart. In fact, if it takes more steps than a frozen pizza, it's too complicated a recipe. Really. So I jumped at the chance to make it! It's actually pretty simple, the only hard part is waiting. Especially if you're like me and like that instant gratification.

Pretty cool, right? And it's downright tasty too!

You just need a fridge, bundt pan or jello mold and the following:

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 6 (3 oz) packages flavored jello
• 3 envelopes plain gelatin (like Knox)
• 3 cups liquor (vodka or rum, or whatever makes you happy)
• 1 1/8 cup vanilla yogurt

You can use sugar-free or low-fat jello and yogurt, but c'mon. It's party time, baby. Live a little.

Before you start, you need to chill the liquor by putting it in the freezer for a few hours. I used a plain vodka for this one, but I would like to try it with a flavored vodka or rum. Or schnapps. The possibilities are endless. If you have an extensive liquor collection or lots of disposable income, you could probably use different flavors to correspond with each jello flavor. But, having neither an extensive liquor collection nor lots of moolah, I opted for plain vodka. 

I used an angel food cake pan because  my only bundt pan is a castle pan and I was leery of it getting stuck inside the many crevices. Spray your pan lightly with non-stick spray, then wipe it out, leaving only a residue behind. You don't want slick, greasy jello. That would be icky.

Pour 3/4 cup water into a saucepan and sprinkle it with 1 tsp of the plain (Knox) gelatin. Let it sit for a minute or two. Heat on low heat and stir until dissolved, maybe 4-5 minutes. Then stir in one packet of the flavored jello keeping stirring until dissolved, maybe and minute or two.

I used a whisk at first, but my jello got all bubbly, so I used a wooden spoon instead.

Remove the jello and stir in 1/2 cup of the icy cold liquor. Have a shot while you're at it.

Pour 3/4 cup of the jello into your pan. Refrigerate for 15 - 30 minutes. The jello should be firm, but should be sticky, not gooey, when touched. Don't let it get too firm, otherwise the next layer will not bond to it and then it will not be a cake. It will be a mess.

While that's in the fridge, chill the remaining mixture for about 5 minutes until it's about the consistency of egg whites. If you have no idea what that's like, I suggest you crack open an egg. Then stir in 3 tbsp of vanilla yogurt until it's well-blended.

When the first layer is firm, yet sticky, pour the yogurt layer on top and refrigerate again for another 15 - 30 minutes. 

Now all you gotta do is repeat the process with the next five flavors until you have 12 total layers, 6 plain jello and 6 yogurt jello layers. However, you may not want to have a shot each time you add your liquor, as suggested previously. When you're done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When you unmold your cake the next day, fill your sink or a large pan with WARM, not hot, water. Dip your pan in for a few seconds (maybe 8-10 seconds), dry off your pan, cover with a plate and then flip it over. Your cake should slip right out.

And, voila, it is done! Now this baby has 3 cups of liquor in it, so I wouldn't cut huge slices for your friends, especially the lightweights. Rainbow colored vomit is not a pretty thing. 

This also can be made as cupcakes or mini jello shooter cakes. You would have to adjust your refrigeration times, maybe 5 - 10 minutes for cupcakes. I have a mini-bundt pan that I'm gonna use to make mini pina colada cake with pineapple jello and coconut rum. I saw a recipe for jello shooter birthday cupcakes that uses cake-flavored vodka. It's basically the same recipe as this one. Now I need some one with a birthday to try it on.

So, thanks to my culinarily impaired friend for letting me make this for her party! It was fun and now I am inspired to create different kinds of jello shooter cakes! Like a fuzzy navel cake. Or a an apple martini cake. Luckily, she told me she has lots of summer pool parties......

Chris :)

Fluffy, Cushy and Comfy Recycled T-shirt Rug!

So I finally got out and got another t-shirt and now I am finally done my t-shirt rug and it looks awesome! 

It's very easy, but time consuming, but I think the end result was worth it. If you can manage to cut strips and make a simple knot, you can make this baby no sweat! 

I've been wanting to make one for a long time now and I realized I had I everything I needed in my massive craft stash. Plus the kids need a bathroom makeover, and I figured this would be a jump start and would get my butt in gear to accomplish it. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

I don't know what's going on, but some of my pics are coming out sideways, no matter what I do. I am rather annoyed at this. 

For the rug you will need:

• Old t-shirts (or new, whatever floats your boat)
• Non-skid rug padding. Make sure it's a grid pattern with holes large enough to weave your shirt strips through. I have tons of this and I think I may have gotten it from JoAnn Fabrics, but don't quote me on that. You can get it by the yard; it's back with the big rolls of home decor fabrics.
• Scissors and/or rotary cutting tool and mat. You can do this with just scissors, but a rotary cutting tool makes it soooo much easier. And faster. 

Start by cutting your rug padding to the size you want your finished rug. I decided to go with a 20" X 24" rug. Which is not a standard bath rug size, but it fits perfectly where I want it to go. That's the beauty of making your own rug; you can customize it to any size or color you want. I can always visualize what I want, but finding it is another matter entirely. Apparently, stores do not share my artistic and creative visions. So I decided I just to make my own stuff whenever possible, since they can't accommodate me.

Okay, off the soapbox. Next, cut away the neck, seams and sleeves, then cut the shirt into  strips. Mine are about 5" wide by about 2" high. I wasn't exactly on the money. This is where the rotary cutter comes in handy. I saved all my scraps to stuff my giant floor pouf (which will be made when I get enough stuff to stuff it with). 

Next, grab the ends of the strips and pull into long, curled strips. Like this:

Now for the time consuming part. Thread the strips through one of the squares in the rug padding, then tie it off using a simple knot. Just knot it once. Just like the pics below. 

I alternated every other row and column. If you try to do it through every one, the rug curls under and won't lay flat. I found this out through trial and error. It's a ginormous pain in the tush to have to go back and untie these babies. Really ginormous.

I did this part while watching TV. Multi-tasking at it's finest. Plus, my hands were too busy to use them to feed my face. If you've ever watched Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, you know what I'm talking about. Especially the pizza joint episodes. Yum.

I had originally decided to do this in all black with occasional gray flecks, but I didn't like it. So, after a quick consultation with one of my daughters, we decided to go with a gray stripe across the top and down one side. And as I said before, it was a ginormous pain in the tush. But I like the stripes much better, so I guess it was worth it. After you're all done, you can trim any pieces that are too long.

Here's the finished product (the *&%^! pic is sideways again). 

 

I like this so much I'm making another one to put in front of my shower! It is very cushy and comfy underfoot and perfect for standing on when you get out of the shower! I found another rug I want to try for in front of their bathroom sinks. It's made using friendship bracelet knots. I just need more black t-shirts and some hemp rope, neither of which I have left in the craft stash. But I still have tons of other stuff left! Next on my list is a Valentine's wreath made using dyed coffee filters. I'm just not sure which dyeing technique I'll use. Maybe both? Hey, why not? I have plenty of time !

Chris :)