JELLO Jellyfish Aquarium

If your meat marinade injector is hidden in a drawer, only to see the light of day when turkey is served, you will reach for it again once you see how easy and simple it is to make this stunning jellyfish aquarium made of gelatin.

You will need a meat marinade injector, of course, and:

-a tall glass/jar/vase as the "aquarium" vessel

-flavored clear gelatin (I love D'Gari crystal clear pineapple as it sets quickly and is firm and tastes like pineapple candy)

-food color - white and blue are a must, plus any other preferred colors

-tablespoon measure

You will need to measure the volume of your glass/jar/vase to know how much jello you need for the aquarium portion, plus set aside some additional jello powder to make the jellyfish.

Once you've determined the amount of jello you need for the glass, prepare as outlined in package instructions.

While you can get away with using store bought blue jello for the aquarium, I prefer clear so I could customize the blue tint. Most store bought blue jello is quite bright. You will require only a very small amount (a dot) of blue food color to provide a blue tint.

Fill about 1/3 of the glass and set the rest of the jello aside for later use.

Place in fridge to set.

While the first layer is setting, you can prepare the jellyfish bells.

In a small container, mix together 1 tbsp clear flavored jello with 4 tbsp boiling water. Mix until jello is dissolved.

Add a very small amount of white food color and, if preferred, another small amount of another color.

I made two different colors -- one pink, the other white -- for making two different jellyfish.

Pour each color into a tablespoon measure.

Let set in the fridge and remove from the tablespoon.

I learned that jellyfish do in fact have arms! Oral arms. Now it's time to make them. Start this process when the first layer of blue jello is already set.

In another small container, prepare another tablespoon of jello powder with 4 tablespoons of boiling water.

Tint with white food color and, if preferred, another color (I made a darker pink for this one, but wish I did it lighter as a lighter shade shows up better through the blue jello "aquarium").

Draw the newly tinted jello up with the meat marinade injector.

Place the injector into the set blue jello as deep as possible and release a very small amount to make an arm. Repeat to make several arms.

Place back in the fridge and let set for a couple of minutes

Take one of the jello domes, coat the bottom with a small amount of the jello that's in the injector, just enough to act as glue.

Place the dome on the surface of the blue jello layer.

Now you have a jellyfish with its bell and arms.

Place in the fridge for a couple of minutes to make sure the dome is set on the blue jello layer.

The remaining unused blue jello may have already set at this point. You can liquify it in the microwave for 30 seconds or reheat on the stove.

Fill the glass two thirds up to make a second layer of blue jello. Set the remaining aside for a final layer.

Place the glass back in the fridge to set. For this layer, I placed the glass in a tilted position for variety.

For the set of arms of my second jellyfish, I did the same as in Step 3, but this time, I tinted the jello a very light blue. I definitely preferred this light blue color over the darker pink as it is more visible.

Another difference with this set of arms is that I injected the jello in a bit of an angle, to add some visual movement to the aquarium.

Just as in Step 4, take the second jello dome, add a little bit of unset jello from the injector onto to bottom of the dome, and place on the blue jello surface.

Place in fridge to set for a couple of minutes before proceeding with the final step.

Your jellyfish are ready to be covered with the top layer of blue jello to complete the aquarium.

Again, if the remaining unused blue jello has set, just place it in the microwave for 30 seconds or on the stove top, then pour into the glass.

Place back in the fridge for the final chill!

You've got yourself a jello jellyfish aquarium. When serving, set up a light or two around the aquarium to give an impressive glow!