Mosaic Heart Jello Jigglers

Valentine's Day. Ninth year of steaks. The tradition could buy its own car at this point (nine years of steaks at approximately $9 per year = $81 worth of tradition, which is the cheapest luxury I own). Dustin cooked again — his second consecutive year as steak chef. The steaks were: good. Not as good as mine (the sear wasn't quite right — he pulled them thirty seconds too early), but good. And the fact that he cooked them, voluntarily, without being asked, while I sat on the couch with a glass of wine (a glass of wine — I don't drink often, but Valentine's Day gets a glass) — that fact is better than the sear. Better than the garlic. Better than anything a cast iron skillet can produce. The fact is: my husband cooked for me. And the cooking said what the Post-it says every morning: you are worth the effort.

Card: "Nine years. Same steaks. Better counter. Better life. Same girl. Same yes. Always yes." Inside: a note from Harper. Dustin asked her to write something (she writes everything now — notes, stories, recipe modifications, grocery lists corrected for spelling errors). Harper wrote: "Dear Mama, Daddy says the steaks are for you but I think the steaks are for both of you because love is sharing food. Love, Harper." My six-year-old wrote a philosophy of love based on shared food, and she's right, and the note goes in the box, and the box is almost full, and the fullness is the evidence.

Harper’s note stopped me cold — love is sharing food — and I kept thinking about it even after the steaks were gone and the wine glass was rinsed and everyone was in bed. So this year I went back into the kitchen the next morning and made something just for her: these Mosaic Heart Jello Jigglers, all color and wobble and heart-shaped joy, because she deserved something that looked exactly the way her note made me feel. We cut them out together at the kitchen counter and she ate three before lunch, and I let her, because love is sharing food, and she said so first.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 jigglers

Ingredients

1 box (3 oz) strawberry Jello
1 box (3 oz) raspberry or cherry Jello
1 box (3 oz) orange or lemon Jello
3 cups boiling water, divided (1 cup per color)
3 cups cold water, divided (1 cup per color)
2 envelopes (1/4 oz each) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water (for unflavored gelatin bloom)
1 cup boiling water (for white layer)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Make the colored Jello layers. Prepare each box of flavored Jello separately: dissolve each in 1 cup boiling water, stir 2 minutes until fully dissolved, then stir in 1 cup cold water. Pour each color into a separate shallow 8×8-inch dish or rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate all three until completely firm, at least 2 hours.
Cut into cubes. Once firm, use a sharp knife to cut each colored Jello slab into small 1/2-inch cubes. Gently remove the cubes and place them together in a large bowl, mixing the colors loosely. Refrigerate the bowl of cubes while you prepare the white layer.
Prepare the white condensed milk layer. Sprinkle both envelopes of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a large bowl; let sit 2 minutes to bloom. Pour 1 cup boiling water over the bloomed gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth and well combined. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature — it should not be warm when it touches the Jello cubes or they will melt.
Combine and pour. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and wipe out any excess. Scatter the colored Jello cubes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Slowly pour the cooled white layer over the top, gently pressing any floating cubes down so they are submerged and distributed throughout.
Chill until fully set. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours, or until the white layer is completely firm and the jigglers hold their shape when touched.
Cut into hearts. Run a thin spatula around the edges of the dish to loosen. Press a heart-shaped cookie cutter firmly through the set Jello, cutting as many hearts as possible. Use the spatula to lift each heart out cleanly. Gather any scraps — they are cook’s privilege.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mosaic Heart Jello Jigglers — Because Love Is Sharing Food