Let's play with our food..... Jell-O & Pudding Shots!

Guess the weather is starting to get to me, it's 108F right now, (outside of course, I'm sitting in my darkened house under the embrace of A/C...Ahhhh), since there is NO way you're catching me outside at this time of the day unless I have to and today, I don't have to..... Will wait until sunset before venturing out and even then it will be hot. Oh well.... at least it's not steamy.

When the weather is this hot, you notice people act funny, and not in a good way either.... this kind of heat affects everything, from man, beast to machine. Brand new cars sit idle by the side of the road with their hoods up and you know what that's about while their owners suffer.... plants begin to not only wilt but fry to a crisp unless they were designed for this climate, but unfortunately and as I've mentioned before, plants from all over have been brought here and while some hardy species survive, other more tender ones don't. (Bye Hydrangeas....)

So, taking a day off with nothing much to do and knowing what we've all been told about "idle hands are the devil's playthings..", I decide to embark on a project to keep busy and productive. So what did I decide on? (Dinner is already cooking away: Carnitas, Guacamole, Salsa Molcajeteada and Frijoles Borrachos)- Something fun and recreational: Jello & Pudding Shots!
Yes, indeedy thrill seekers, I've gone back in time recreating days of youth and carefree lifestyle. Something easy to do, quick to get done and will give us some fun later.....

Now, there are recipes all over the web for these things. All colors and flavors and that's great. I'll use some of their expertise for my project, no sense reinventing the wheel after all, and I'll add some more.... Don't need too many, but a little variety is nice. Let's see what I found, ok?

Basic Rules for Jello-Shots.- This is a ratio problem after all, if you don't keep to certain guidelines then they won't "gel" and the whole thing will fail. Plus, don't forget the rules for making regular Jell-o or Jigglers, like no pineapple (will break the gel effect due to the acid), etc. and certain liquors just don't work due to their flavor and composition, like Gin.

I'm not going for just making the strongest kicking Jell-o, although I did find a post on how to set them on fire... but this is not what I'm aiming at. Just want good flavor, a nice buzz and fun. I found that Gin and Whiskey don't translate into good tasting shots. Putting "things" into the shots wasn't successful either, like pieces of mint or spices and smoothness was preferred. Some of the best were Cherry with Amaretto, Watermelon with Sour Apple Schnapps, Orange with Captain Morgan's and most any flavor with Peach Schnapps (and I don't like any Schnapps but go figure). And of course, Vodka and some Tequila. Something else to consider: not all liquors are created equal. So don't measure them the same. 1/2 cup Tequila is not the same as 1/2 cup Malibu or Amaretto so allow for this, ok? Imagine the result. Chefs train you by saying: "work with the result in mind", this applies here too.

The basic measurement is:
3oz Jello-O in 1 cup boiling water - you add 8oz of cold liquid (alcohol, liquor, liquor and vodka or alcohol and cold water) If using flavored liquors, go ahead and use the 8oz (1 cup). But if you 're using strong tasting, high proof like Tequila and Rum, you can begin with 4oz liquor/4oz water, and yes, this will make the % of alcohol vary in your shots so it would take a couple or more to become equal to the effect you get from a drink.

If you want some straight forward recipe combinations, here they are:

Margarita Jell-O Shot
3 oz. package lime Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
4 oz. tequila
4 oz. sweet and sour or Margarita mix
Substitute watermelon Jell-O for lime for a melon margarita.

Cherry Amaretto Jell-O Shot
3 oz. package cherry Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
2 oz. cold water
6 oz. amaretto

Bring the coconut milk to a boil. Add to Jell-O and stir till dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the Malibu. Pour into cups and chill. The Jell-O will separate into layers, with the coconut milk rising to the top.

Sex on the Beach Jell-O Shot
3 oz. package orange Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling cranberry juice
3 oz. peach schnapps
5 oz. vodka

Piña Colada Jell-O Shots
3 oz. pkg Pineapple Jell-O
1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup Malibu

JagerBomb Jell-O Shot (very popular with the college crowd)
6 oz. package orange Jell-O
1 can Red Bull, heated to boiling
4 oz. Jagermeister
2 oz. vodka
2 oz. cold water
Dissolve Jell-O in heated Red Bull, then add liquors and cold water.

Pudding Shots.- Creamy with an extra touch..... Really nice. The basic ratio for these: the best combination is about 1 1/2 cups liquid (total milk + alcohol) plus 1 cup of Cool Whip. You could also freeze these but they loose some creaminess and if you're like me, I forgot. Duh!

Here's a basic one that you can build on: Make substitutions following the ratio:
1 (3 1/2 oz) package instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup irish cream
8 oz Cool Whip

Mix pudding and milk until well blended. Add vodka and Irish cream, mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Divide into individual servings. Keep in freezer.

Raspberry Cheesecake Pudding Shots

4 oz. pkg Cheesecake flavor instant pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
3 oz. Raspberry Pucker or another berry schnapps
3 oz. Vanilla schnapps or vanilla flavored vodka
1 cup thawed Cool Whip, divided
Graham crackers, crushed (optional)

Add cold milk to pudding and mix with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Divide mixture in half, into two separate bowls. Add raspberry schnapps to one half of the pudding and vanilla schnapps to the other. Fold ½ cup Cool Whip into each mixture until thoroughly blended. Fill cups half full of the vanilla cheesecake mixture, and top with the raspberry cheesecake mixture. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Chill.

Mudslide Pudding Shots
4 oz. pkg Chocolate flavor instant pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
3 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
3 oz. Kahlua
1 cup thawed Cool Whip

Combine cold milk to pudding and mix with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Blend in the liquors. Fold in the Cool Whip until thoroughly blended. Fill cups and chill.

There are many other combinations you can try too, like: Make cupcakes, fill with the pudding shot recipe and then frost with a Bailey's cream cheese frosting - you can also fill it with butterscotch pudding and top it with caramel - vanilla pudding with crushed oreo cookies - cheesecake pudding with Pomegranate Schnapps - use half irish cream with half creme de menthe and they taste like grasshoppers.... get creative, the combinations are infinite!

Chocolate Covered Cherry and Whipped Cream.- More like a desert, but a must try!
3 oz. package cherry Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
3 oz. crème de cacao
1 oz. vodka
Maraschino cherries, with or without stems
4 oz. white rum
Chocolate “Magic Shell” ice cream topping
Spray can of whipped cream

Soak cherries in rum for at least 24 hours. Add some maraschino cherry juice if you need extra liquid to cover the fruit. Place one cherry in each empty Jell-O shot cup. Mix cherry Jell-O and hot water, let cool to room temperature, then add crème de cacao, vodka and ½ cup reserved rum mixture from cherries. Pour into cups so that cherries are submerged. Chill until firm. Cover with a thin layer of chocolate topping and place in freezer for 2 minutes. Top with whipped cream and serve immediately.

But if you really want to go all out and see just how far you can take these, check out the book by Michelle Palm called "Jell-O Shot Test Kitchen - Jell-ing Classic Cocktails One Drink At a Time. It's incredible and amazing, these are little works of art and worth the investment of time. But in the meantime, here's an upscale sample of a Bramble Jell-O Shot that is anything but....

BRAMBLE JELLY SHOTS.- Looks and tastes amazing and definitely for the sophisticated partier.....lol

For the float:

6 ounces crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur)
1 packet Knox unflavored gelatin
1 package (3 ounces) grape-flavored Jell-O gelatin
1 cup hot water

In a small mixing bowl, sprinkle the Knox and the Jell-O into the hot water and stir until completely dissolved, 5 to 7 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in the crème de mûre. In a small, nonreactive baking dish or loaf pan, pour a few drops of cooking oil (grape seed works well) and wipe out with a paper towel, coating the entire thing with the light layer. Pour blackberry float mixture in and set to chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, making certain it is level.

For the gin sour:

1 cup gin (lemon infused)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
4 packets Knox unflavored gelatin
1 cup hot water.

Juice enough lemons to give you 2/3 cup juice, keeping the hulls as you squeeze. Roughly chop the squeezed hulls and put them in a covered container along with the gin and the lemon juice. Leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Do this in advance, so that by the time your float has firmed up, your infusion is ready to go. When the float layer is firm, bloom the gelatin in the hot water by sprinkling it slowly while stirring, and continuing to stir until fully dissolved. Add the sugar and stir until that is also fully dissolved.

Strain the gin mixture off from the lemon hulls through a fine sieve or chinoise and add it into the gelatin mixture, stirring well. Over a spoon, so as not to make a hole in the float layer, pour the lemon sour mix onto the float layer and return to refrigerator, again insuring the pan is level. Chill overnight. When ready to serve, cut into squares, or use a cookie cutter for shapes, and pull up carefully, using a cake spatula to get under the float layer. Garnish with a blackberry and/or a thin wedge of candied lemon. Or simply slurp.

Can you see how creative you could get with these? of course if a simple disposable plastic cups is your style, nothing wrong with that. But if you want to amaze and delight.... forge on, there are many out there working on this too.

Have a great time, relax and slurp responsively, ok? Have a couple for me and remember when these first came on the scene in the 80's, where were you? Think back. Don't forget that remembering is reliving..... By the way, I'm finally finishing this, it's 9:30pm and it's 102F.... Talk soon!