pudding – The Jello Home

Custard… Good.
Jam… Good.
Meat… Good.

Just kidding. But when I told my family that I wanted to bring a trifle to our preThanksgiving dinner last Sunday and my brother asked if I was going to add meat to it, all of the Friends Thanksgiving jokes started flying.

So obviously I had to make a little trifle especially for my brother with meat in it. Well, that’s what he thought due to what looked like a layer of ground beef in his mini trifle.

At first he wasn’t sure whether or not it was meat, but he came to the conclusion that it was ground beef due to one piece that wasn’t cooked fully and was still a little pink. (HAHA, it was just a little jello on it.)

Everyone dished up their Thanksgiving plates and sat down at the table to feast. Part way through dinner my brother finally got the nerve up to give his special trifle a bite. Digging in to make sure he had all of the layers he took his first bite with a grimace.

“That’s not meat!” He said. “Wait… don’t tell me. I know that flavor.” He took another bite. “It’s… Cracklin’ Oat Bran! Mmm! It’s even better! So good.”

Do you think I could actually put meat in a trifle. No. I can’t that’s just disgusting. So I crumbled pieces of Cracklin’ Oat Bran cereal up to small pieces that could pass for ground beef. It was a perfect substitute. And happens to be one of my brother’s favorite cereals. He loved his mini trifle even more than before and would not share.

I based this trifle off of my first favorite jello creation. I used to love looking through this book and creating fun jellos. But the one on the cover was by far my favorite. You can find a copy of this great vintage book here.

The trifle I made this year for Thanksgiving, was a little bit different than the book from the recipe. I used Scottish Shortbread instead of pound cake. I love the Scottish Shortbread because it didn’t get soggy and gross.

Also, it takes a little bit of finesse to get the fruit to stick to the side of the trifle and not float up.

HERE’S THE TRICK: LET THE JELLO SET UP A LITTLE IN THE FRIDGE FOR ABOUT 5 – 10 MINUTES BEFORE PUTING THE FRUIT IN. CAREFULLY USE A FORK OR SPOON TO PUSH YOUR FRUIT TO THE SIDE OF THE TRIFLE IN THE PLACE YOU WANT IT. IF THE FRUIT JUST WANTS TO FLOAT, TAKE IT OUT, WAIT A COUPLE MORE MINUTES AND TRY AGAIN.

The jello has to be a little set up for the fruit to stick or else it will just float.

Here is the easy recipe for this fabulous trifle. You can make it with or without the “meat”. Make it with what you have on hand. Switch out the gelatin flavors, the fruit, the shortbread. I’d love to see your trifles. Tag us #thejellohome or @thejellohome.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Banana Pudding Trifle

Add the pretend meat layer or not. Either way, it's delicious.

Prep Time1 hr

Refrigeration Time5 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Keyword: Holiday, Jello, Party, Thanksgiving, Trifle

Servings: 24 people

Author: TheJelloHome

Cost: $20

Ingredients

2 packages (8 serving) Strawberry or Raspberry Gelatin
3 C boiling water
2 C cold water
ice cubes
1 lb sliced fresh strawberries
2-3 sliced bananas
1 C Cracklin' Oat Bran (Crumbled) optional
2 packages Scottish Short Bread optional
1 package (8 serving) Instant Vanilla Pudding
3 C cold milk
8 oz. thawed Cool Whip

Instructions

Dissolve one package of gelatin in 1 1/2 Cups of boiling water. Combine 1 Cup cold water and ice cubes to make about 1 1/4 Cups. Add to gelatin and hot water. Stir until the bowl feels cold. Remove any unmelted icecubes.
2. Pour into trifle dish. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes while you cut up the strawberries.
3. Carefully add the strawberries to the gelatin layer using a fork and press to the side of the trifle dish. Note, if the fruit starts to float, remove the fruit, refrigerate for a few more minutes and try again. The fruit will not stick to the side of the dish unless the gelatin is slightly set up.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set.
5. Repeat first step: Dissolve the other package of gelatin in 1 1/2 Cups boiling water. Combine 1 Cup cold water and ice cubes to make about 1 1/4 Cups. Add to gelatin and hot water. Stir until the bowl feels cold. Remove any unmelted icecubes.
6. Do not pour the gelatin into the trifle dish yet. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes while you cut up the bananas.
7. Now pour the chilled gelatin into the trifle dish. Note, adding a hot layer of gelatin to a cold layer of gelatin can ruin both layers. You want the gelatin to be chilled but not very set up.
8. Carefully add the bananas to last gelatin layer and press to the side of the trifle dish as in step 3.
9. Refrigerate for at least 1 more hour or until set.
10. Optional: Add layer of crumbled Cracklin' Oat Bran. Mmm… good.
11. In a separate bowl, combine Vanilla Pudding and milk. Mix with an electric mixer at a low speed until well blended. Set aside.
12. Cut Scottish Short Bread in half. Line up around the edge of the trifle dish.
13. Now fold in thawed Cool Whip or whipped topping to the pudding bowl. Spoon into the trifle bowl.
14. Refrigerate for another hour.
15. When ready to serve, garnish with additional whipped cream or whipped topping and sliced strawberries and bananas.