It's too hot today, and that's all there is to it. Now I know some folks scoff at 90-plus degree weather. And I get that. Really, if you live in hotter climes, either "more power to you" or "that's your funeral." Take your pick.
No, where I live, 90-degree weather is hot, and 60-degree ocean water is warm, and that's just how it is.
A digression: I once sat behind a vacationing family at Nauset Beach. I don't know where they were from. Apparently someplace warm. They had a sweet looking girl of about nine. She excitedly ran down for a swim. Dove right in. Then practically shot straight up out of the water...
"Shit! Oh, SHIT! HOLY SHIT!!!"
Her family was too busy laughing to reprimand her.
Anyway, when it gets this hot, I have an industrial fan to cool things down. Some people have low, medium, and high. My fan goes to 11.
But I don't want to talk about the heat. I want to talk about jello. If you happen to be from Utah, you can skip the rest, because you probably know all this. Otherwise, I've been making this dessert a lot, mostly because I've been doing Atkins and it's about the only sweet I can eat. Even so, it's gotten good reviews across the board. I make it with sugar-free jello, but you wouldn't have to. I've also seen something similar made with Cool Whip, but I think my version makes jello almost decadent.
Almost. It's still jello. But anyway...
Creamsicle Jello
2 boxes orange jello
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
Extra cream for whipping
Dissolve the jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add the vanilla, 1 cup of cold water, and the cup of cream. Stir well. If you didn't do this in the dish you plan to chill it in, you should have thought of that earlier. But anyway, pour it in (or not) and chill 3 or 4 hours.
I suppose you could pour the mixture into individual parfait cups if you really wanted to make this look like more work than it really is. Just a thought.
Whip some cream after your fashion. Cut the jello into cubes and serve. It will have separated into a creamy top layer and a jello-y bottom layer. I don't know how it knows to do this. It just does. Top with whipped cream. Don't cheat. Whip the cream yourself, it makes a difference.
You should wind up with something like this. If you like creamsicles, you'll like this. If you don't like creamsicles, you should have stopped reading about 20-odd lines ago. Really. You might keep that in mind for next time.
Respectfully Yours,
Cricket
