Jell-O Fish Bowls

For Phillip's first birthday we're thinking of having a Fish/Ocean/Under the Sea theme (less the mermaids).

I've been perusing the web looking for great party ideas and have "pinned" a few great finds to my boards on Pinterest.

One of these finds was the Jell-O Fish Bowl. 

Here is one of the photos:



I decided to try it out for myself!

So we bought the necessary ingredients: Jell-O mix, gummy fish, rock candy (couldn't find rock jelly beans), and a melon.  Yes, a melon.  One of the recipes I found used fish cutouts of melon so I figured I'd try that, too.

I filled 2 cups with rock candy; one with blue, one with white.  The one with white got a few "sea life creatures" (made by the same brand as Swedish Fish) and the blue one got one Swedish Fish.  The third cup got the melon fish (I used a cookie cutter).

Then I prepared the Jell-O according to package directions and filled each cup. 



The one on the far right is the one with the blue rock candy and the Swedish Fish.  I have no idea why it turned that color... you can't even see the fish!

The melon ended up floating to the top, which turned out kinda cool.








TASTE RESULTS:

1. Blue Rock Candy w/ 2 Red Swedish Fish (the one that turned opaque)- It was tasty but because I poured the Jell-O directly in the cup on the rock candy and Swedish Fish, it started to dissolve the candy.  The bottom of the cup wasn't completely set, it was kinda runny. And the rock candy hurt my teeth.  Maybe too much?

2. No Rock Candy, Melon Fish only- eh, it was OK.  Nothing spectacular.

3. White Rock Candy with "Aqua Life" Swedish Fish- I liked the gummy dolphins and starfish but I didn't like the rock candy.  It was too hard! I don't want to break any teeth at our party.  But this one was by far the best.

THINGS I'D DO DIFFERENTLY:
1. Nix the melon, especially for a HUGE first birthday bash. Or use a different melon. I used a cantaloupe. I had to make a few slices to get a big enough surface area to use my cookie cutter. For his birthday I'd have to make at least 50 of these suckers and it's definitely not worth my time. Maybe for a smaller party, but not a first birthday bash.

2. Wait till the Jell-O cools a bit before pouring into cups so that the candy doesn't start to dissolve. 

3. Wait a bit longer before adding the gummy fish. Other tips I've seen say to wait till it firms up a bit and then add the fish with toothpicks. I'll try that next time.

4.  Add less rock candy.  I wasn't a fan but I like how it was like the rocks that are at the bottom of fish bowls and aquariums.  I think I'll add a thinner layer of clear rock candy. 

And there you have it! My version of Jell-O fish bowls.

Have you ever tried something you found on the internet?  Or on Pinterest?