For a few years when I was a kid, my family lived in a tenement in Germany. The building sat on top of this really big hill that we used to run, roll, and fall down. At the bottom of the hill sat a little neighborhood shop. The man who ran the store was short by my standards, with peppered hair and rosy cheeks. He always wore a grey tweed sweater of different variations, with an apron of some kind. He smelled like grass, musty underarms, and gumdrops. Distinct smells separately, but earthy and lovely when combined all together.

I wish my kids had a memories like that. They don’t live on the top of a hill in some foreign land; they live on a quiet street in Houston. No cute little gingerbread shops around here, though the Taco Truck that feeds the construction workers drives by daily, does that count? I didn’t think so. Well, I can’t move that German man and his shop to H-town, and honestly I’m not sure he’d come. And then there’s that problem of the hill. So instead, maybe we’ll make gummies in our little homey kitchen, and they’ll make memories of their own.

Gummy Hearts

What you need:

*Non stick cooking spray (optional – we didn’t use it, and our molds came out easily)

*some recipes call for the nonstick spray, but we didn’t use it because we didn’t want greasy gummies. Our gummies were very sturdy and came out of their molds, without any ripping or tearing!

1. Pour water into a small sauce pan. Add Jell-O and Gelatin, and stir to incorporate. Let sit 10 minutes.
2. Over a medium heat, stir the mixture until is has completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
3. Cool slightly, and pour into a small pitcher or water to make pouring into the molds easier.
4. Fill molds and cool completely, or place in freezer for faster jelling.
5. Remove gummies from mold.  These gummies are sturdy, so don’t be afraid to apply pressure.