Watermelon Jigglers - Vodka optional

This yummy recipe kept showing up online, so I decided to make it for our block party as an 'adult' treat. You can certainly make the recipe kid-friendly by leaving out the booze. 

Ingredients:

1 Melon

4 3oz boxes of flavored jello

2 1oz boxes of plain gelatin 

4 cups boiling water

1 cup fresh juice

4.5 cups booze

Here's my take on things:

I cut a gorgeous watermelon in half with the flattest side down (where it grew on the ground) and then melon-balled out layers to have useable melon for a side dish.

 I used a spoon to scrape out most of the inside (be sure to get all seeds). You want to be sure to leave some of the flesh and be sure not to poke through the rind. 

Unfortunately, it seems everyone was in the mood for watermelon jello… 3 stores I visited were out of watermelon jello. So, I kept it red and mixed up some options so there wasn't the mental confusion of biting into a cherry watermelon! The only melon flavoring was some water infusion, so I gave a few squirts of that in hopes for a melon essence. 

I boiled my water and mixed in all of the jello powders and whisked until everything was dissolved. Then, I added 1 cup of juice from my melon castoffs and 4.5 cups of vodka (mix up the ratio to make weaker/stronger slices, but you'll want at least 3 cups of water for them to harden).

Here is the mixture pored back into the melons (note: if there isn't a really good flat side, you'll want to prop them into bowls to set).

I left the melons in the fridge overnight - it should take about 4 or 5 hours to set up. Then, I sliced those puppies!

Each slice was then cut into 3 smaller slices (and I trimmed off the edges).

On the second half I found it easier to cut from the bottom.

The jello sticks to the remaining red flesh left - another reason you don't scrape too much out of the inside.

This made a TON of slices. In hindsight, I would have made 1/2 kid friendly by just leaving out the vodka (substituting more juice or water). The kiddos were certainly intrigued by them. I made little label cards that said 'Adults only - 21+' so even if I wasn't watching the dish, parents would know.

I've seen it made with oranges/lemons - but that's a lot of work for each small fruit. I like how quickly and easily a giant melon came together. 

The guys over at QITC made a variation they posted to Facebook using cantaloupe, lime jello and tequila to make 'margarita wedges'! There are endless possibilities!!