April 4: A new way to do Jelly!

As you may have gathered from my Fairy Bread post, I am a big fan of the old favorites in kiddie food.

Who remembers having Jelly made in these cool things for you?

I am always on the look out for new ways to show off the old foods, and since Jelly is high up on my “HolyshitIlovethatstuff” list, I was pretty excited when this popped up on my news feed today:

Uh, just how freaking cool is that?!?

Now, for those of you who don’t know how to make Jelly, all you need to do is follow the instructions on the pack.

To do this fabulous display, follow these directions:

Make up your jelly according to the directions.
Cut an orange in half and gut it – and REALLY gut it, that there is no pulp/string/orange left in there. Get as much of the white furry stuff out as possible.
Sit the Oranges on a flat slate or plate making sure they are balanced and wont tip over. My suggestion would be to have them balance on a cupcake tray.
Fill the oranges with your jelly mixture and leave to set for at least four to five hours.
When Jelly is fully set and ready to eat, cut your orange into quarters.

Voila! You have a super-dooper fan-frigging-tastic jelly display that is going to make you “Master Of Jelly” in your social circle.

Some other cool Jelly pics that Captain Google found for me were:

Now to do this awesome display, you gave to make the Jelly colours separately. When one layer nearly sets (preferably bottom to top, but hey, I’m flexible if you’re creative) put another layer of COOL jelly on it, and repeat. Making sure your mixture has cooled is vital though, because other wise it will melt the layer you’re putting it on.

And if you’re a little more health conscious, you can do this:

When I make up my jellies, I do them in individual plastic cups and put berries or fruit in them before I put them in the fridge. Just make sure the tastes correspond, because I’m pretty sure raspberries in Pineapple flavoured Jelly may not be quite the hit you imagine. And as a side note, if you put pawpaw or pineapple in your jelly, they won’t set right. I’m not quite sure why and, in all honesty, Captain Google gave me four different reasons. So I’m just going to go with the fact that they’re pain in the butt fruit. You agree? Good. Let’s move on.

These little babies look awesome, no? Again, just let your jelly set in lines and then put the cherry in. Continue to fill in layers and then you will have the most awesome Cherry Jellies on the Puh-lanet!!!

I am totally buying Jelly next shopping day. Jus’ Saying….

And Tamika – get excited. Guess what you’re getting on your birthday!!!

(P.S – all of these images are found on Google. Please don’t sue me if I have used one of your pictures. Consider it appreciation!)

April 3: Since When is Easter all about Eggs?

Today, I received the panicked message from my Big Sister saying “OMG, all the eggs are sold and I have nothing for Easter, WTF am I going to do?”

This will be the first year in which I give eggs for Easter – I generally give small gifts or vouchers and I really don’t feel comfortable handing out Chocolate to the young ones who are going to get a million tablespoons of sugar, anyway.

I like to give something that is going to be used for more time than it takes to go through someones digestive tract – and OK, a toy might only be cool for approximately 4.75 minutes, but atleast that 4 minutes more than it takes for it to be scoffed.

As both my sister and I are not exactly rolling in the dough, we needed to come up with an idea that still provided everyone with something from her family for Easter, that didn’t cost a fortune, and allowed her to be able to be organised within 3 days.

It didn’t take long for an idea to hit me: KuppyKakes for everyone!

So tonight, my sister and nephew came over and we began a cooking session that left everyone with six kuppies and a personal decoration idea for them.

After a few hours, Bec had more than enough Kuppies for all who needed them, and some left over. We had decoration ideas, different flavours, and a way to package them for a fraction of the standard price so that everyone had their own “special” kakes.

It made me wonder, WHY is there so much emphasis on the commercial side of Easter? I know that I would prefer to have kuppies made for me than an egg that is just picked off a shelf. I would rather have my nephew make me a card that said “Love you Aunty Gert!’ than receive anything else from him.

Why do people feel it’s insufficient to make something for others instead of buying it?
Why does Easter carry with it an expectation that everyone must be given something store bought?
It’s not like it’s Christmas; it’s not like it’s a birthday…

I will be giving eggs to all who I have to, and gifts to some as well. I will enjoy the time spent with my family and I will enjoy the looks on my families faces when they get what I give them.

But I will also be trying to find a different way to provide my easter ideas next year.

xxx