Disney World in a Bowl

My sister called this dessert "Disney World in a Bowl." I thought it was so clever I had to steal it for myself! We also call it "Ribbon Jello" or "Layered Jello" or even "Seven Layer (or Seven Hour) Jello." No matter how you say it, it looks and tastes wonderful!

My mom has made this dessert for years. I'm not even sure where it originated, but as of yesterday, it has been established (by my husband) as part of our Thanksgiving tradition now. No more boring Jello mold for us. This one takes a little time - seven hours, in fact. That's because there are 14 layers, each taking around 30 minutes to gel. But I'll tell you, there won't be a prettier thing on your table. My eight-year-old niece already requested this as her birthday dessert (and her birthday is in July!) Here's how you do it:

Ribbon Jello

7 boxes Jello

1-32 oz. container sour cream*

14 ice cubes

Pour one box of Jello into the first of TWO small bowls. Add 1 cup of hot water and stir until mixed. Then pour about half of the liquid into the other small bowl. Each bowl will contain your first two layers. In the first bowl, add two ice cubes and stir until they melt. Pour the contents of that bowl into your 9x13" glass pan and keep in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, add 1/3 cup of sour cream to the second bowl of Jello mixture and stir until smooth. After the first layer has gelled, add the second sour cream mixture and let sit in the refrigerator to gell for another 30 minutes. Repeat this same process for each color. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. *You won't use the whole container of sour cream, but my Ribbon Jello used a little more than a 16 oz. container.

I apologize if my directions sound confusing. This was a recipe passed down to me by word of mouth, so I had to describe the process in my own words. But I'm already thinking of different ways to use this same concept all through the year. For Christmas, I may do a combination of red, green and yellows... for Valentine's, reds and pinks... for the boys' birthday, blues and greens. Oh, the possibilities!! :)