There is something about the summer that screams "Jello" to me. I do like Jello, but it seems that I never eat it when it is cold outside - only in warm weather. I'm sure there is some reason for it...eh - no biggie!

Anyway, as the saying goes "there's always room for Jello" and if you have a party to attend this summer, you can wow your friends and family with these Patriotic Jello Cups! They taste great and are very easy to make (certainly they have fewer steps that my Rainbow Jello Squares recipe!)

You can top this with some homemade whipped cream, but that might mess up the look with the cherry stem poking out of the top. But I do still love the combo of Jello and whipped cream, so maybe serve some on the side?

These are made in shot glasses, so it is great for a crowd. I like to keep disposable shot glasses in the house for these kinds of desserts - makes clean-up so much easier.

"Layered Jello" treats are all over Pinterest (are you following me on Pinterest yet?), but I also see them all the time on those "Pinterest Fail" blogs, with the colors all running together. I think the mistake that most people make is that they try to rush everything. You can't add another layer until the first layer is at least mostly firm. And even if that layer is firm, if you pour hot liquid on it, the colors are going to melt together. There isn't much "active time" to making these Patriotic Jello Cups, but it does take time!

Anyway - to make them, you will need:

• 1 pkg Berry Blue Jello
• 1 pkg Cherry or Raspberry Jello
• 1 envelope plain unflavored gelatin
• 1 ⅓ cups boiling water
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 - 2 jars maraschino cherries, drained

Making them is easy!

Put the blue gelatin and ⅔ cup boiling water in a bowl. Stir until dissolved and allow to cool (don't let it start to thicken). Fill each shot glass ⅓ full with the blue gelatin and place in the refrigerator until set

Combine ⅓ cup milk with the unflavored gelatin. Heat the remaining milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Combine the hot and cold milk and stir until the gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Allow to cool and spoon into cups another ⅓ full. Return the cups to the refrigerator and chill until firm

Put the red gelatin and ⅔ cup boiling water in a bowl. Stir until dissolved and allow to cool. Place a cherry on top of the white gelatin and add about ¼" of red gelatin on top. Chill for a few minutes, adjust the cherry so that the stem is upright and then fill each cup the rest of the way with red gelatin.

Chill until completely set. Serve and enjoy!