Jellobration

It may be a wacky way to do coffee hour, but the recipe is simple: Start with your congregation’s culinary skills and a box of Jell-O gelatin, add a tinge of taste-testing and a dose of donations to a charity and, voila, you’ve got Jellobration.

First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland, Ore., has celebrated Jellobration for 12 years­.

Abigail Koonce seems to be saying, “Jellobrate good times, come on!” at First Immanuel Lutheran Church’s annual Jellobration in Portland, Ore.

This year’s Jellobration (Feb. 18) featured 21 entries that ran the gamut from a standard lime Jell-O dish with pineapple, cream cheese and pecans to an elaborate treasure chest overflowing with Jell-O gems. Some Jell-O creations came in unusual forms: cupcakes, strawberries and ice cream cones. One entry depicted an apple with worms; another featured a polar bear on an ice floe staring down at a fish. Other Jell-O dishes were laden with marshmallows, layered with vanilla wafer crumbs, topped with Hershey bars, lined with whipped cream or stuffed with Twinkies.

“This is my first Jellobration, and I’m just blown away by the outstanding variety of Jell-Os,” participant Ryan Traetow said.