Holiday Round-up!

A Very Merry Round-up - Jelly Shots of Holidays Past! 

OMG. Hello. Happy Holidays. Have missed you all - what a crazy year it's been. I had the best of intentions about getting posts back to weekly this year. As it turned out, they were, what, quarterly? Yikes. There has not been much time for jellies.

I've had some pretty major personal stuff going on, covering every possible aspect of my life, topped off with a career change and a head injury. In a nutshell, the overriding tone of 2012 was "cr@p-tastic cr@p sandwich served in a raging sh!tstorm." (Excuse my language. The descriptors are accurate, however, admittedly not ladylike.) I'm so lucky to have my wonderful, amazing, remarkably tolerant friends and family. And - let's not forget - there's a bright, shiny New Year ahead!

On that note, I was going through the blog archives, and Wow! I was cheered to find lots of super adorable holiday jelly shots ...  I put together a little round up - hope these "Jelly Shots Past of Holidays Past" bring some fun and frolic to your holiday festivities.  (Click below for recipe links!)

I have big jelly shot plans during the holiday break from school - a bunch of new jelly shot concepts in the works, and still want to get the long-awaited Bloody Mary out of testing (you've been so adorable and sweet and patient - and I have the cutest serving idea EVer in mind). And Sobieski vodka kindly sent me a big box of their lovely flavored vodkas earlier this year - will be so much fun to play with!

Something for you to be thankful for - now that I've posted this, you don't have to be greeted by Rumchata Skulls as the most recent post on this blog! Delicious, yes. But not festive AT ALL, although perhaps more suitable for my current demeanor than anything thing merry and/or bright. (BAH HUMBUG. Please send some Christmas Spirit my way!)

And thanks sooooo so much for continuing to visit and read Jelly Shot Test Kitchen blog, and buy the recipe book. It's fun to do something that others enjoy (all over the world - it boggles my mind in the nicest way!) as well as something that brings a little lightheartedness into this crazy world. Putting this post together was a trip down memory lane. Looking at all the photos, well, it's clear that you've all been a big part of my life for years now. Anyway, I appreciate your kindness - you are all the absolute sweetest things - I hope you and yours are enjoying all the best of the season.

XOXOX,

M.

Fruitcake Jelly Shots

(give them a chance - they're better than the real thing!!!)

Eggnog Jelly Shots 

(ditto for the 'nog ...)

Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shots

Spiked Xmas Ribbon Salad

Santa's Hat Cocktail Jelly Shots

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"Fruitcake" Jelly Shots

Where do you stand?  JSTK says "yes" to fruitcake (in jelly form anyhows!)

Today Jelly Shot Test Kitchen conquers another love-it-or-leave-it holiday fixture.  Fixture is probably an appropriate word, as the inspiration for this jelly shot can (and often does) multitask as a doorstop!
Yup, it's fruitcake!

UV Cake vodka lent a "pastry flair" to the base, with pineapple juice for fruitiness, and a bit of molasses and rum extract for old school festive flavor.  Why not use actual rum you ask?  I suppose one could, but I was after that ultra-concentrated rummy flavor only immersion in spirits provides to the cake.  And in jelly shot form, extract is the best way to get there.

Also, I went with the fruit and nuts on top, rather than inside the jellies.  This was for cosmetic effect more than anything.  With the fruit inside, these aren't the prettiest.  But on top, well, much cuter!

Anyway, hope you enjoy!  Back with more holiday fun soon!

XOXOX

Michelle

Fruitcake Jelly Shots

Pan: I used this mold (which was beautiful, but definitely a 2-biter though, so you may want something smaller!).  A standard 1 lb loaf pan will work great too.  If using molds, be sure to prepare them per the Tips page for easy removal!

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 envelopes Knox gelatin (or increase to 2 1/2 envelopes if using molds)
• 1 cup UV Cake flavored vodka
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp rum extract (or to taste)
• chopped fruit and nuts for garnish, as desired (I used about half a cup total - you don't need much on each.  I buy pre-chopped cuz I am busy.  And lazy.)

Pour pineapple juice into saucepan, sprinkle with the gelatin.  Let soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in vodka, molasses and extract.

Pour into pan or molds.  Chill until set (at least 4 hours, preferably overnight).

To serve, cut into squares, or unmold.  Garnish with fruit and nut mixture.  Plunk the jelly shots on your fanciest doily and enjoy!

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Eggnog Jelly Shots

Eggnog Jelly Shots . . . the vote is split!!! (But we love it so we're posting it . . . )

News Flash!  The holidays are here!!! Oh, wait, all of you probably KNOW THAT ALREADY.  That particular alert is just for me . . .


Well, despite a less than timely start, rest assured that JSTK has lots of fun things planned for your holiday festivities (as well as your yuletide shenanigans)!  First up is a little number also known as a sweet, creamy, delightful, bite of gelatin heaven . . . the Eggnog Jelly Shot.

I first made Eggnog Jelly Shots last year, for the  "Andi Cooks" blog on BettyCrocker.com.  That's when I learned a terrible truth.  (You may want to sit down.  I found this to be quite shocking.)  Eggnog is a love-it-or hate-it substance, much like black licorice and Newt Gingrich.  I love eggnog: in my coffee; in my cocktails; in my IV drip; and most of all, in my jelly shots.

Hope you enjoy.  (And stay tuned, anti-Eggnog-ers . . . more holiday fun to come!)

XO, Michelle


Eggnog Jelly Shots

Suggested pan: Flexible Silicone molds OR a standard 1 lb loaf pan, approximately 4” x 8” (glass or non-reactive metal).  To set the shot as pictured, I used a Bordelais molds, partially filled (the stats on the molds = 2 Oz, 1.77" Dia x 1.77" High, 15 Cavities mold from Kerekes, link)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup prepared eggnog (from the carton, or if you have homemade, that's wonderful too)
• 1/2 cup brandy
• Chopped red and green maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired (10 each, finely chopped)

If using molds, prepare them by spraying lightly with cooking oil spray, or wiping each mold cavity with a little vegetable oil.  Next, wipe each mold cavity clean with a paper towels.  This will leave the slightest reside which will aid in un-molding the gelatin without affecting the taste or appearance of your jelly shots.  (If you are using a loaf pan, no prep is needed.)

Place the mold on a stable, movable flat surface, such as a cookie sheet or cooling rack before filling with the jelly shot mixture. 

Prepare jelly shot mixture.  Pour water in saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.  Allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Stir in the sweetened condensed milk.  Remove from heat, and add the egg nog and brandy, stirring to fully incorporate.  

Pour into pan and refrigerate until fully set, several hours or overnight.

To serve, unmold or cut into squares.  

Garnish with finely chopped maraschino cherries, if desired.

Yield: As pictured in molds, 32 jelly shots.  Set in a loaf pan cut into squares, 24 jelly shots

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Spiked Ribbon Salad

Spiked Ribbon Salad, traditional Midwestern fare gussied up for the Holidays with a touch of spirits . . . 

This year, my mom-in-law made an traditional Midwestern gelatin "ribbon" salad for her annual Christmas luncheon - her grandma's recipe.  I couldn't resist taking the recipe for a little spin, jelly shot style.  This spiked version is quite delicious.  I used a cherry flavored vodka, but the recipe would work well with your favorite flavored vodka or rum - citrus, pineapple or even vanilla might be nice.

I tried the recipe both with and without crushed pineapple.  The inclusion of crushed pineapple is the accepted method for this salad.  I prefer it without, however.  When cutting smaller servings (important with the spiked version), it is much easier to cut a pretty slice without one's knife hitting bits of pineapple, which run things completely akimbo.  The juice used in the middle layer provides enough pineapple flavor on its own.  Also, on my second pass with the recipe, I used sugar-free gelatin and low fat cream cheese and mayonnaise, as that's what I had on hand.  Although my inclination is to throw dietary caution to the wind when it comes to the holidays, the result admittedly was just as yummy as the full-tilt version.  (I do love the sugar-free gelatin year round, however, as it dissolves so easily.)   

Overall this recipe was surprisingly easy to prepare, despite the many steps.  The most difficult part was removing the first slice from the pan - mangled, completely - there was no way around it.  (If anyone has a solution or work around for this issue - please let me know!)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday break!  Thanks so much for all the sweet comments and emails regarding our ice dam situation.  I am pleased to report that water flow into the house has abated, the 12 inches or so of ice on the most dire parts of the roof appears to be melting (hurrah!!), and certain sections of roof are COMPLETELY ICE FREE!  

Hope you enjoy the Spiked Ribbon Salad!  Happy New Year to you all!  

Cheers and XO, 

Michelle

SPIKED CHRISTMAS RIBBON SALAD

Implements: 9” x 9” glass or non-reactive metal pan, a double boiler, and some sort of offset spatula to assist in transferring slices to the serving plate.

Lime layer

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 envelope plain gelatin
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) lime flavored gelatin dessert mix
• 1/4 cold water
• 3/4 cup flavored vodka or rum

Lemon layer

• 1 cup water
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) lemon flavored gelatin dessert mix
• 1/3 cup miniature marshmallows (or 4 large marshmallows, snipped into pieces)
• ½ cup pineapple juice (canned)
• ½ cup crushed pineapple (optional)
• 4 oz package of cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz package), softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup whipped cream

Cherry layer

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 envelope plain gelatin
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) cherry flavored gelatin dessert mix
• 1/4 cold water
• 3/4 cup flavored vodka or rum

Prepare lime layer.  Pour water into a small saucepan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 envelope of plain gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Add the lime gelatin mix and stir until dissolved.  Stir in 1/4 cup cold water, and then the vodka or rum.  Pour into pan, and chill until almost set (about 45 minutes).

Prepare lemon layer. Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup hot water in top of double boiler. Add marshmallows and melt. Remove from heat. 

Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended (if using, now is the time to stir in the crushed pineapple). Cool slightly. Stir in mayonnaise and whipped cream. Chill until slightly thickened. 

Pour over the lime layer and return to refrigerator to chill until nearly set.

Prepare cherry layer.  Pour 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Sprinkle with 1/2 envelope of plain gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Add cherry gelatin and stir until dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup cold water, and then the vodka or rum. Chill until the mixture reaches the consistency of egg whites. Gently pour over pineapple layer. 

"Chase" any bubbles to the edge of the pan with the back of a spoon.  

Refrigerate until firm, several hours or overnight.

To serve, cut into 16 squares, then cut each square in half to form 32 rectangular slices.  Carefully remove slices from pan with an offset spatula.  

Yield: 32 servings

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Santa's Hat Jelly Shots

Ho Ho Ho . . . Santa's Hat Jelly Shots

Holiday WHIRLWIND!  Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  I meant to get this post up before Christmas, as the recipe is fun, timely and topical.  Unfortunately, I was precluded from blogging activities due to a particularly awful phenom known as the "Ice Dam".  What is an Ice Dam?  It's a good question.  I did not know myself until a few days ago. There are several components of an Ice Dam, each seemingly harmless on its own - snow on the roof, relatively mild and sunny winter weather, occasional blasts of bitter cold, frozen gutters, and giant (but rather picturesque) icicles hanging off the house.
The intersection of this particular set of conditions, for reasons I do not entirely comprehend, results in lots of ice cold water trickling through the roof INSIDE the house - into the walls, the windows, the moldings.

While I have been inside strategically placing plastic cups and towels and having the occasional  hyper conniption fit, my husband has been outside on a ladder, wielding roof scrapers and ice picks and shovels and all manner of tools.  Today he was able to procure some Roof Melt - white hockey pucks of calcium based salt.  The roof is now festooned with Roof Melt knotted in strands of pantyhose. Yes, it is an abomination, and I am dying inside.  However, it will likely be weeks before the roofers can come to steam the room and gutters.  And, hideous as it is, relief is in sight - the Roof Melt does appear to be working!

My family did manage to have an excellent Christmas.  My stepson turned 13 on Christmas eve!  He is so giant and grown up now.  It makes me a little weepy.  My family exchanged lots of wonderful presents, ate fantastically unhealthy food and just generally enjoyed spending time together.

I am especially thankful this holiday season for all of you that follow and visit Jelly Shot Test Kitchen!  I absolutely delight in every note and comment, positive, negative or neutral.  Thank you so very much for caring, and I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season, wherever you are . . .

Hope you enjoy these Santa Hat Jelly Shots.  The Santa Hat cocktail was quite hot ticket this year, making the rounds entertaining blogs to a feature on the Today Show!  It's quite good - very light - definitely a crowd pleaser.  I cut down the ratio of grenadine in the Jelly Shot version as the cranberry and Malibu are pretty sweet already, and there is a higher degree of coconut garnish on the jelly shot than the cocktail!

Cheers, and Happy Holidays!

XOXOX

Michelle

Santa’s Hat Jelly Shots

Difficulty:  Easy

Recommended Pan:  flexible silicone mold, pyramid shape (I used this one!)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail
• 3 envelopes Knox gelatin, separated (You will need 2 1/2 envelopes for the recipe, and an additional half for assembly.  1/2 envelope equals about a teaspoon of gelatin powder)
• 3/4 cup Malibu coconut flavored rum
• 1 to 2 tbsp grenadine syrup (to taste)
• For garnish: 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut and assembly gelatin (1/2 cup water and 1/2 envelope gelatin)

Pour cranberry juice into a small saucepan. Sprinkle with 2 1/2 envelopes of gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over very low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is fully dissolved (approximately 5 minutes).  Stir in the Malibu rum.  Add the grenadine syrup, to taste.  Pour into molds and chill until fully set, several hours or overnight. 

In a food processor or blender, process the coconut just until it is in smaller flakes.  (Large flakes won't stick to the jelly shots as well.)  Set aside. 

An hour or two before serving, prepare the assembly gelatin by pouring the water in a saucepan and sprinkling with 1/2 envelope of gelatin.  Allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until dissolved.  Allow gelatin to cool to room temperature before proceeding. 

Pour the cooled gelatin and coconut into separate small, shallow bowls.  

Unmold the gelatin pyramids onto a nonstick cookie sheet. 

Using a fork, dip the bottom and part-way up the sides of the jelly shot into first into the gelatin mixture, then the coconut.  Continue with all the jelly shots, placing each back on the nonstick cookie sheet.    

Return the jelly shots to the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

Yield: 18 jelly shots.  

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Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shots

Its the holidays . . . got gingerbread?  Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shots to the rescue!

As the holiday season is now well underway, I thought that you might enjoy a seasonal jelly shot libation!  Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shot is a sweet, creamy and subtly spicy treat, topped with a tiny dollop of whipped topping and a maraschino cherry segment.


I was after a very nostalgic look for this particular recipe, so set the jelly shots in a heavy cast aluminum teacake/candy mold which had a variety of adorable patterns, all in the same pan (Nordic Ware pan - click here for details).  Although wrangling the jelly shots out of the metal molds was a bit trickier than a flexible silicone mold, the end result was worth the effort!

This recipe could also be set in a standard 1lb loaf pan (about 8" x 4"), and cut into small squares.  (If a mold won't be used, feel free to reduce the gelatin by 1/2 envelope for a slightly more delicate jelly shot  . . . molded jelly shots need a little more body to unmold smoothly! )

Enjoy!  Back soon with more holiday fun!

Cheers, Michelle

Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shots

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Monin Gingerbread syrup
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 2 1/2 envelopes Knox gelatin (1/2 envelope equals about 1 tsp of gelatin powder)
• 1/2 cup vanilla vodka
• 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Creme liqueur
• 1/3 cup Kahlua coffee flavoured liqueur
• Whipped topping and maraschino cherry segments for garnish, if desired

Pour gingerbread syrup, water, and sweetened condensed milk into a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.  Allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat until gelatin is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Mixture will be a bit thick.  When gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat.  Mix in the vodka first, then the Bailey’s and Kahlua, stirring well after to each addition to fully incorporate.  Strain to remove any un-dissolved gelatin solids. 

Pour into molds or pan.  Chill until fully set, several hours or overnight. 

To serve, unmold or cut into desired shapes.  Immediately before serving, garnish each jelly shot with a little whipped topping and a maraschino cherry segment. 

Makes 18 to 24 jelly shots.  


Unmolding Tips (metal mold):

• Allow gelatin to set until completely firm, preferably overnight.
• Before attempting to unmold, loosen the edges of the gelatin by pulling gently either with a clean fingertip or a knife dipped in warm water to loosen. 
•  Dip mold in warm water, just to rim, for 10 seconds (Don't dip for too long, as jelly shots can get a bit melty, losing the crisp detail of the mold.  If this happens, don't worry!  Just return the mold to the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes and try again!)  
•  Lift mold from water and gently pull gelatin from edge of mold with moist fingers. Invert the mold onto a nonstick cookie sheet, and give it a little shake.  Repeat the pulling, inverting and shaking process until all the jelly shots have been removed from the pan.   

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