seven-layer rainbow jello

For Matthew's preschool parties, there is always a sign-up sheet for what goodies to bring.  But by the time I got to the sign-up sheet for the Valentine's Day party, the only things left open were "fruit" and "jello".  Not wanting to just bring fruit, I signed up for jello.

On the drive to work, I started to brainstorm of what I could make with jello.  Jello with sliced strawberries?  Jello with oranges?  What else could I put in it?  And then it hit me - I would make rainbow jello!  All kids love rainbows, and thinking about all the colorful layers in the jello immediately brought me back to my kid days.  I can't remember specifically what parties or who brought it, but I do remember always gravitating towards it - and eating lots of it.

I had initially envisioned cutting out the jello into heart shapes for Valentine's Day, but I ended up using a flower cutter since my heart cookie cutter was too big.  And even then I only did a few, as the jello was too tall for the cutter, so the shapes didn't come out nicely.  So I just sliced the rest into small squares.

I have to say, this jello is highly addictive.  The white layers are made with knox gelatin and sweetened condensed milk, which adds a nice creamy flavor to the overall jello.  And who can resist something so colorful and fun to eat?

*** Update: You can now find the recipe in my book, The Hello Kitty Baking Book!