Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Orange Creamsicle Jello - National Library Week Day #3

Creamsicle Jello - Cool Whip & Jello
Orange Creamsicle Jello

Yippee! It's National Library Week! Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. Today is Day 3 and we are all about the Jello, childhood memories, and free audiobooks & eBooks!

The Library Thing:
Sometimes, you don't have to even walk into the library to grab a book or audiobook! You may be able to download audiobooks and eBooks from your library while in your pajamas. More and more libraries are offering free downloadable books. One of the largest providers is OverDrive and you can download books to almost anything…except a Kindle (Amazon’s economic model is to have you buy books from them). You can transfer to a Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader, and OverDrive has apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberries…yes, you can read the latest Michael Connelly while waiting in line at the grocery store! And for those who always have late fees on print books, this is perfect for you... there are no late fees…titles automatically expire! Ask your library if they provide downloadable media!

Creamsicle Jello - Cool Whip & Jello
The Baking Thing:
As a kid, my mom would drive my brother and me through a local "dairy". No, there weren't any animals, but it was the original drive-thru. My mom would pull up the stationwagon and a guy would come to window and take our order. He would grab it from the shelves and refrigerator (mostly milk and Wonder bread) and sometimes, if we were really lucky, my mom would buy us ice cream. I loved the Orange Creamsicle. I would carefully eat the outside to expose the vanilla center before eating that. So, today's treat is a Creamsicle in Jello form!

Orange Creamsicle collage
This is beyond easy to make. Seriously. I mean, it's Jello and Cool Whip. Together. It magically separates as it chills. You can make this tonight and have some happy friends tomorrow. As with all my jello desserts, this was way popular in the library.

Orange Creamsicle Jello collage 1

Recipe:
Orange Creamsicle Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 large box Orange Jello (6 ounces) or 2 small boxes (3 ounces each)
½ cup cold water
2 cups Cool Whip (about 75%-80% of a carton of Cool Whip), thawed
8” square pan

1. Place contents of orange Jello packet in a large bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
2. Add ½ cup cold water.
3. Stir in 2 cups (about 75-80% of the basic Cool Whip carton) of Cool Whip. It will melt and dissolve. The mixture will be opaque. It will separate into a two layer Jello as it chills.
4. Pour into 8” square pan.
5. Chill until firm (preferably overnight).
6. Cut into squares. I cut 6 x 6 for 36 squares.
Creamsicle Jello - Cool Whip & Jello
The Giveaway Thing:
Day #3: I'm giving away a one-year subscription to Everyday Food. I really enjoy this magazine and thought you might want a copy as well!
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Susan (entry #71) ***
Don't forget to enter the Day #1 (Sarabeth Bakery Cookbook) and Day #2 (Crate & Barrel Ramekins). By the way, thanks to all those who came to the poor rhubarb's defense yesterday! :) I will definitely give it another try...

And, if you are currently working in a library or in library school...stay tuned this week for a special giveaway just for you. :) Happy National Library Week! Libraries, librarians and library staff rock!

93 comments:

  1. Would you know I haven't had Jello since I was a child.... I bet they up & went gourmet? Fab photos BTW

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  2. Happy National Bookmobile Day!

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  3. Love it.....more excuses to eat jello.

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  4. Creamsicles were one of my faves as a kids also, and I have lots of memories of my grandfather making Jello squares for me and my sister. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Those look amazing! :) And please enter me in the giveaway!!

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  6. It's so interesting that it automatically separates. I wonder what causes that.

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  7. Looks like an interesting concoction!

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  8. I love creamsicles, but have never been very fond of orange jello by itself. This would be the perfect solution to use up the boxes of orange jello in the cupboard! They look great!

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  9. I love orange creamscicles so I probably would like this jello.

    thegivenschronicles (at) gmail (dot) com

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  10. Such a simple recipe. I plan on trying this for a lovely Easter treat =)

    ragebrokenhear@gmail.com

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  11. I had no idea we could download ebooks from the library. That's so cool. And audio books too? I can't wait to try that out in a few weeks.

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  12. I think my kids would go nuts over that dessert. And where was this magical drivethrough dairy? I would KILL for one of those these days!

    I think the e-reader downloads are one of the most overlooked awesome things you can do at the library. Of course I have a Kindle, so...

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  13. I like jello. We make an orange pudding with jello, ice cream and mandarin orange segments and it's delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Excuse me Ria but would you mind sharing that recipe it sounds delicious!

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  14. I made one of your stained glass jellos for the holidays, so I will definitely have to try this one. Audio books are the best way to get through a long desert drive! (And Everyday Food is one of my favorite magazines.)

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  15. These are so beautiful and springy!

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  16. I make this jello too but my recipe calls for Knox gelatin. It comes out firm and not too jiggly. How is your recipe? Is your jello jiggly or firm?

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  17. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but... I've never had a creamsicle.

    I KNOW.

    Oh, well. Perhaps I shall try this yummy-looking "grownup" version instead.

    Our library uses Overdrive. It's a little confusing for some patrons at first, but really once you get the hang of it it's great.

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  18. Oooh.... yummmmmmm! I guess we were thinking along the same lines this week. I posted a creamsicle float. Sooo delicious.

    :)
    ButterYum

    http://butteryum.blogspot.com/2011/04/orange-dreamsicle-float.html

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  19. Thanks for sharing this easy recipe...I have always loved Jello! Lisa in Texas

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  20. Your broken glass jello was a hit, so I'm excited to try this version!

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  21. I love the library. Happy Library Week!

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  22. this reminds me of my granny! great recipe :)

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  23. Awww my mom used to make this all the time but with lime! Good times.

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  24. I love all of your jello recipes! They are all so much fun.

    I'm not a librarian, but I'm a fan of libraries! I've been celebrating National Library Week, too! :)

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  25. cool! everyday food(:

    Crazycarly46(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. My daughter would love this jello!!
    julieendo@gmail.com

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  27. MUST.MAKE.NOW Your Jello recipes rock!

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  28. Oh yes. We would go to the dairy too. If we were good my mother would buy us a 1/2 pint of chocolate milk as a treat for dinner.

    Thanks for reminding me of this Mary!

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  29. Oooh! Everyday Food - I like it!

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  30. Yeah baby!!! LOVED these as a kid... thanks for bringing them back!!

    gavnkc(at)gmail.com

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  31. Your jello looks so perfect. I am going to have to try this.

    christysapp at hotmail dot com

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  32. My favorite book + Jello memory is reading The Babysitter's Club book where the kids drink hot Jello instead of hot chocolate. Of course I was like 10 and immediately had to try it. So there I was, curled up with a cup of hot Jello with a book in hand. I didn't like it as a drink, but it was nice to have a warm cup in one hand and a book in the other.

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  33. That jello looks delicious. I'll have to make it for the next party I go to.

    Pamela
    p2412l@yahoo.com

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  34. Went to the library today!

    http://agirlinherkitchen.blogspot.com

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  35. I just bought some orange jello. Now I know what to do with it!

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  36. I try to make a jello dessert every holiday. I think I'll make this for Easter. Thanks for sharing!
    Naomi
    obwneko2@yahoo.com

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  37. Thank you for helping make National Library Week so fun!!! YAY, LIBRARIES and YAY, FOOD LIBRARIAN!!!

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  38. Those look wonderful - I will make them soon.

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  39. I am always looking for things made with jello. This would be wonderful for the holidays. You could even change the color (flavor) of jello to match the season or table decor.

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  40. Everyday food is wonderful! Thanks for the chance to win :) dontheapron(at)gmail(dot)com

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  41. Speaking of drive-in dairies, where I grew up, they were ubiquitous, but I never drove up to buy anything there.

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  42. I am loving all the simple white dishes you are using. It has me ready forspring :)
    Your jello looks gorgeous to. So bright and perfect

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  43. How cute! Yummm! I love Everyday Food! spiralsandspatulas (at) gmail (dot) com!

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  44. pick me pick me!

    kosherfoodies [at] gmail [dot] com

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  45. Your jello recipes are always amazing~
    willitellu [at] gmail [dot] com

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  46. I haven't seen a creamsicle in years, wonder where they went. Look forward to trying this jello, my husband is a huge jello fan, he eats it on his toast (no really he does). Wonder if you could use other jello flavors, don't see why not, thanks so much for a great idea to try.

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  47. I would love to win this, especially since I just gave up my Bon Appetit subscription!

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  48. My daughters love creamsicles, I am going to make this as an after school treat, Thanks:)

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  49. My best friend loves Everyday Food, so I would love to get this subscription for her! Also, I love your JELLO recipes! I made your green JELLO cream cake and it was a big hit. My guy friends love creamsicles, so I'm guessing I'll be making this recipe too. Thanks for the JELLO love!

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  50. I love this magazine - the recipes are easy to follow and perfect for busy days!
    dmbruzzone@aol.com

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  51. ha! I will correct myself and proclaim you the queen of Bundts AND Jello :)

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  52. Oh my gosh, these look so good! :D

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  53. I didn't know I could download audiobooks from the library!! Right now I'm paying $23 per month to get two audiobooks at audible.com. I just went to my local library's web site and see they use the OverDrive provider you linked, and they have over 500 nonfiction titles (my preference) available to download. I'm so excited about this! Thank you so much for educating me. And thank you for the great giveaways too!
    sharonjo at gwtc dot net

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  54. Hi Mary ~
    Happy National Library Week, Day #3!

    WOWZA, I'm definitely going to make this soon; my boyfriend & I were just talking about Creamsicles the other day! (weren't they also called, "50/50 bars"?) YUMMY.

    I also work at a library, and we also have preloaded audiobooks called PLAYAWAYS. They're pretty cool!

    Thanks & PAX, Lola in Las Vegas
    mikamakesmischief[AT]gmail[COM]

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  55. I've been having creamsicle cravings lately so this recipe is perfect - and so easy. I'm going scrapbooking tomorrow, so I'll make this to take along.

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  56. I need to make that jello for my kids...they'd love it!

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  57. I found this on tastespotting and it sounds just as delicious as it looks!

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  58. I love jello everything! Can't wait to try this flavor combo! (I remember those 50/50 bars -- so good!)

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  59. Love the library week theme! I have a degree in new-fangled library science, aka "information management," but I love libraries! And books. And baking! Your recipes are great.
    berkeleyjo at yahoo-dot-com

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  60. I've made your green layered version for St. Pat's day :)

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  61. Just came across your photos on flickr, these look so refreshing, perfect for spring! I'd love to be entered in the contest :) auzy.rose @ gmail.com

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  62. Yum, you always make the best cakes from Everyday Food. I've never really looked much through it, I probably should give it a try sometime!

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  63. p.s. I am totally downloading audio ebooks as I type to prepare for a trip I am going on soon. I love borrowing ebooks from my library!

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  64. I love the "Everyday Food" TV shows, so I know I would love a 1-year subscription! Thanks for the giveaway!

    My mom is addicted to getting audiobooks from the library.

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  65. I use to subscribe to this magazine and I'd love it!

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  66. I did not know that about downloadable books from the library! I'll be asking if ours uses OverDrive soon. I used to love orange Creamsicle bars as a kid! I would ride my bike to the local mom & pop store to buy them. Good ol' Jello!

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  67. YES! This is Weight Watchers friendly--Hooooorayyyyyy!

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  68. Reminds me of orange pushup ice cream treats - yum! I'll be making soon!!

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  69. I love magazines!

    This is so interesting, this Jello/CoolWhip issue. I love how you have all these fabulous Jello desserts but all the steps sometimes are intimidating. This I love.

    And this aspect of the Kindle is the one thing keeping me from getting one. I need to try out the others to see what is next best because free library checkouts are all about where I'm at!

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  70. These look amazing and I'll definitely be making them soon! They seem perfect for hot summer days!

    berryberrypieeee@gmail.com

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  71. jello has been one of my favorites since i was a kid! YUM!

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  72. I love all the wonderful stuff that you make with jello ... its such a treat for the eyes as well!

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  73. Ooo. Gonna try this out.

    catharine.ellie [at] gmail.com

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  74. I think I may just have to make this for Easter dinner...

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  75. creamiscles remind me of childhood..fun variation

    pajamachef (at) gmail.com

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  76. Who knew that adding cool whip to jello makes this awesomeness :) looks so cool!!

    I entered day 4 and 5 but there is a typo in my email addy, this is the correct one.

    Jpinnick86 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  77. I love this ! The possibilities seem endless! strawberry creamsicle, cherry creamsicle.. yuum!

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  78. Going to make this for my kids on Easter!
    cookingmama925 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  79. We used to do something similar with ice cream instead of cool whip! Love it!

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  80. Just popped mine in the fridge...but we made ours with strawberry instead of orange! Can't wait to try it!! Thanks!!

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  81. i AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR GLUTEN FREE DESERTS FOR MY
    STEP DAUGHTER THIS IS GREAT

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  82. Can u use sugar free jello?

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  83. @Anonymous #89 - I never eat sugar free Jello so I don't know if it would work out, but I assume it would. I've seen "made" sugar free jello and it looks the same as regular jello so I think it would work out. Good luck trying! - mary

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  84. I see in this picture that you use a metal pan. Does it chill faster than the glass pans? When making the 7-layer jello, timing make a big difference in that first layer. Thank you!

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  85. @Anonymous Re: Metal vs Glass pans. I don't have a pyrex or glass 9 x 9 pan so I used my metal pan. I've never compared glass vs metal in terms of chilling. Sorry I'm not much help on that one! - mary

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  86. I just put this in the fridge! Used sugar free lemon Jell-o and sugar free Cool Whip :) Originally I was going to make the recipe called "Creamy Layers" on the Kraft website, but heck, this recipe uses the exact same ingredients, produces basically the same thing, but has like 5 steps fewer. And it took less than 10 minutes, awesome :) Glad I came upon your version, I'll update after we try it!

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