Last month was all about Jello in the MATS Bootcamp. I was really happy about it because anything that has to do with both food and art is excellent in my mind! I drew a lot of Jello doodles. Here are some:
I also messed around with different art supplies and did some color experiments:
Painted in acrylic
Drawings in pen over old palette paper
I really liked the effect of drawing on my old palette paper. I will have to revisit that technique again in the future. Not sure how I will use it though.
I had a lot of fun with all these doodles. But when the actual assignment was unveiled, I choked. It was bolt fabric, and I still feel pretty insecure about pattern making because I am so new to it. Here is my first attempt, which I hated:
I built all the icons in Illustrator. The colors kind of clash. Also there are too many items the same size. I could have attempted another one using these icons, but I decided to trash it and start over. I made another one that was more “me”. Of course it had cute animals. I’m obsessed with this bear and bunny and know there is a story there somewhere…. We also were introduced to a new “candy, nougat-y” palette.
My pattern and what it would look like on an apron!
I loved this nougat palette so much, I decided to do an illustration I have been wanting to do for awhile using it. The inspiration for this one was the February MATS assignment on cuckoo clocks. I did this Bavarian couple experiment.
This is the same couple in a candy nougat colored village. This piece is completely different for me because of the palette, but I am really happy with it!
With all this Jello activity, I was reminded of one of the very first cookbooks I got in the 70s or 80s — Amazing Magical Jell-O Desserts. I love this book. It is illustrated by the fantastic Seymour Chwast, and I was happy to see is still in print!
My original copy from my childhood — obvious from the price!
I thought it would be fun to make some Jello desserts with Jamie, so we spent an afternoon making three of them! For one, we tried to make a big face on the bottom of the pan out of fruit. Unfortunately, I don’t have a Jello-mold, so when we tried it with a pan and a candy mold, it was a big fail.The Jell-O wouldn’t come out. :(
We made regular ones with fruit in parfait glasses and these worked out though:
Peach Jell-O with no sugar added fruit cocktail — a classic!
We also made a Strawberry Poof one, but we didn’t have the correct amount of yogurt and I used sugar-free Jell-O (it was the only one that came in strawberry at the store). This probably contributed to our second (semi) fail. After chilling, the Jell-O totally had the consistency of Flubber!!
I remember making this as a kid, and the consistency was more like a mousse– light and airy. Oh well… we tried. Also, we had a lot of fun. :) We still ate it too, even though it was kind of weird. It tasted good!
On another food/art front, the winners of the of the They Draw and Cook Glad Party were announced this week. To see the 1st place winner and five second place winners, check it out here. There were over 330 recipes submitted!! So I was honored to be one of the 15 Honorable Mentions! My Amazing Tofu 3 Ways was voted “Most Awwwwwww-esome”, so that was pretty awesome. :)
Peach Jello with Fruit
1 package of peach gelatin
1 can or about 8 oz. of fruit in natural juices
1. Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water in a large bowl and stir until completely dissolved.
2. Drain fruits, reserving liquid. Measure 3/4 cup of it — if you need more liquid to make 3/4 cup, add water. Add to gelatin.
3. Pour some of the mixture into serving dishes about 1/4 full and chill for about 10 minutes to thicken.
4. Add strained fruit to dishes and pour remaining gelatin mixture on top. Chill until completely firm.
Strawberry Yogurt Poof (adapted from Amazing Magical Jello Desserts by Arnold Rosenberg)
1 package of strawberry gelatin (don’t use sugar free!)
8 oz. of strawberry yogurt ( be sure to use the full amount!)
1. Dissolve gelatin in a large bowl with 1 cup of boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add 3/4 cup cold water. Chill for about ten minutes until slightly thickened.
2. Add yogurt to jello and mix vigrously with a whisk or a hand mixer. Transfer to serving dishes and chill.